My puppy has white bumps on his lip. What are they and should I worry?

I wouldn't rush him to the vet just yet. Just monitor the area for the next few days to a week. It should go away on its own if it is just a bug bite or minor skin reaction. If it gets worse or doesn't resolve then its best to have it looked at after the wait and see period is over, especially if Beaux is not bothered by it.

Based on the appearance of this lesion and Baldrick's young age, I would guess that it's most likely either an epulis (https://www.petcoach.co/article/epulis-a-common-oral-tumor/) or an oral papilloma. The challenge with any lump or bump is that the only surefire way to diagnose the issue is with a biopsy. Both of these lesions are benign, but oral papillomas are contagious to other dog due to their viral origin and epulides can grow significantly if left in place. While this issue certainly isn't an emergency by any stretch of the imagination, I still think it's worth taking Baldrick to his vet in the coming weeks to have it checked out. I hope that everything goes well!

It's still a little hard to see these things well, but I did not say they look normal. They could be thickening from chronic inflammation, something like a wart or something more worrisome. A vet should take a look at those and check then further.

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.

Thanks for the image. That could be an area of trauma or irritation. It may also be some localized infection (bacterial or fungal) or maybe a papillomatous growth (wart). If he is licking or chewing at the area, place an e-collar (cone) on him and schedule an exam with your veterinarian. If the spot is not bothering him and he is behaving normally otherwise, you can choose to monitor it at home for rapid change or growth, bleeding, discharge or discomfort. Should any of these symptoms develop, an exam with your veterinarian would be required to definitively diagnose the underlying cause. Any treatment will depend on the diagnosis.

Poor guy! Your can try this: It won’t hurt him if he licks it off. However, if it’s not improving in 5 days or so, I would recommend that you schedule a recheck with your vet. I’m worried he may need antibiotics, as he may have a deep skin infection. If it continues to be a problem , a skin biopsy may be recommended. Thanks for asking PetCoach!

It's not really common for dogs to get cold sores the way that people do, but there are lots of things that could cause a bump like this - it could be an insect bite or local inflammatory reaction, a papilloma or wart, a localized bacterial infection, or even a skin tumor of some kind. If the bump appeared recently and your dog is acting normal otherwise, you could monitor it for the next week or two to see if it goes away on its own. If it doesn't, or if it becomes painful or itchy it seems to be growing, then I would recommend having it checked by a vet - he/she can do a simple test called a fine needle aspirate to find out what it is.