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Why does my dog have white bumps on his chin and around mouth?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | German Shorthaired Pointer (duplicate) | Male | neutered | 1 year old | 65 lbs

My one year old German Shorthaired Pointer has developed white bumps on his chin and few around his mouth. They don't appear to bother him and have only shown up in the last week. What are they and should I be concerned?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on September 19th, 2017

Hi there and thank you for using Pet Coach! From the pictures you have provided and knowing that Ace is a young dog, I would suspect the bumps to be papillomas. These are benign masses of the skin that are caused by the papilloma virus. Most of the time these bumps resolve on their own with no secondary complications. Other times, these bumps need to be treated because they are bothering the dog. If Ace is not bothered by these bumps, I would monitor them for now and if they become much larger in size or begin to bother him, I would get him examined by a veterinarian. As these are viral, there is no one great treatment for resolving these. There has been research on an antibiotic called Azithromycin and its efficacy in treating papillomas. I have used Azithromycin before for treating this with mixed results. These bumps could also be acne or infected hair follicles that are inflamed (a condition called folliculitis). I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns! I am also available via phone or text based consultation.

2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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