My 6-month-old puppy has a bleeding wart on her head. What to do?

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. You should make sure that Toby does not lick or scratch the wart. Also, you can clean the dried blood and dirt with boiled, warm water or antiseptic solution (4% chlorhexidine works best). Once your local vets are open again, you should get Toby seen by them. The growth does not look nasty but if it is getting bigger, bleeding or bothering your dog, surgical removal should be discussed.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Although you cannot say for certain what a mass is without taking a sample and sending it away for histopathology, the mass in the picture looks most likely to be wart. This also fits with the history of bleeding once and a while, not growing in size, and not causing any pain or discomfort. Sometimes these can become annoying if they bleed frequently and can be removed, but mainly they don't cause any problems. Best of luck with your little one!

It is very possible this is a small tumor, or even a wart that has bled. Warts are very common on poodles, as are a variety of benign, & occasionally, malignant tumors. I would have your veterinarian take a look t make sure this is not too serious. If it is a simple wart, it can be removed surgically, with laser, or even frozen with a wart-off type product. Or, you can just watch it. The problem with warts is you take one off, & another pops up elsewhere. So we usually just monitor them. I hope this makes sense & thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

You can continue disinfection at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths twice daily for the next 4 days. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any licking/scratching. It is best not bandage as the healing will be much quicker. If the lesion do not resolve in 4 days time a check up will be needed as antibiotics may be required. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

This looks like a typica skin wart/skin tumor or cyst. Since it has been present for so long and has not grown at all, it is probably benign (non cancerous). It looks as if the area has been irritated somehow, probably by your dog scratching at it, and is now bleeding and may be infected. Or, if it is a cyst, the white material may just be cystic exudate. I would recommend cleaning the area with some dilute hydrogen peroxide then applying some antibiotic ointment to help prevent infection and to help it heal more quickly. Occasionally these need to be removed but only if they are a constant source of irritation or infection for the dog. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck!

I recommend that you have this mass evaluated by a veterinarian. It sounds like it may be some type of cancer; whether benign or malignant would need additional diagnostics such as fine needle aspirate in a clinic or removal and histopathology. Possibilities include papilloma, hemangioma, mast cell tumor, among many other possibilities. If it is bleeding, you can apply firm pressure for 15 minutes.

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. This appears to be a small wart like growth, or small tumor. These can be quite common on older dogs. I would clean the area with peroxide & apply some topical antibiotic tonight, & have Sadie seen by your veterinarian at your earliest convenience. It may be nothing at all, & only requires observation, or it might be best to remove the growth to prevent bleeding episodes, but it does not look too serious. Hopefully, all will be well soon. Take care.