Another Puppy question...

[Jewel]

I'm hoping someone in the canine profession sees this, and just gives me a bit of information to tide me over until Monday.

My little mutt Murphy has a growth. It's new...he's a whirling dirvish 99% of the time, and he will not let anyone hold onto his head long enough to get a good look at it. I noticed it about two weeks ago, and it looked like a little pink wart on his mouth. Like the side of his mouth next to his teeth, but actually on his....lips. Do dogs have lips? :confused: Anyway, the long side of his mouth, on the bottom. I wanted to get him into the vet this week, but had to work overtime nearly every single day. I'm calling Monday no matter what, but tonight we noticed it's bigger. :( In just a week or two, this thing has gotten much bigger and now it's got dark 'spots' or marks on top. Again, he won't let us get a good look at it. This not letting us get near it doesn't stem from the growth itself, just that if you try to hold him down in any way, he twists and turns and won't let you even get a grip. :rolleyes:

Dave tried touching it and Murphy didn't squeal, and from what we can tell by his eating habits and consistent chewing on his Kong and every other chew toy littering my house, it doesn't seem to hurt.

Can dogs get little benign tumors just as we can? I thought it could be an infected something or other, but he doesn't seem to have any pain and it's not 'swollen' as much as it's just there. :o It's a baby-pink growth. When I first saw it it was the size of a small pea, and now it's the size of a smaller adult molar.

Our groomer told us that Murphy is mostly Wheaten Terrier, which was news to us, since we adopted him thinking he was 10 or 12 different breeds! As far as anyone can tell, he's close to a year old. I have no idea if that makes any difference in this, I'm just nervous and rambling.

I'm taking him to the vet as soon as they can get me in Monday or Tuesday, but does anyone have any thoughts on this one? Thanks!

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-6/1191702/murphyfacesmall.jpg

[lindrusso]

Jewel,

Bailey had a very similar-sounding growth on his nose. It started out as just a pink spot, but grew over time. After a while it seemed to sort of scab over and then shrink. Bottom line - it's gone now.

I have no idea what it was. When I took him to the vet, he sort of scraped it and examined it and didn't find anything definite. I believe he said something about an allergic reaction or fungal-type thing? I don't remember - it was a hectic time when all of this was going on!

I know I panicked when it started to grow! Doubly panicked when the vet seemed concerned and didn't seem to know for sure what it was!

Age can make a difference - like humans, the vet seemed to indicate that a young dog would be less likely to have cancer or anything like that.

No definite information for you, just a little reassurance that it could indeed be nothing serious. :)

Alysha

[pointerhaven]

It could very well be a bee sting with the stinger still there or a wart of some kind. Since there is no pain it dosen't sound urgent, but I would follow up with the vet anyway. Dogs can get acne also, so it could be that. Don't panic, just take him in and get him examined. Wanda

[leannebw]

I'm wondering if it's canine warts. The warts are caused by a virus (picked up from another dog), and it's common in young dogs. Is Murphy under a year?

You can search for this term: Canine Oral Papillomavirus

Hope Murphy gets better soon. He's a cutie!

[Robyn1007]

Hi Jewel,

Mcgeiger doesn't have internet access for a few days but I called her and she says don't rub on it which can irritate/inflame the growth and definitely get him to the vet on Monday. They will likely biopsy it and go from there.

Hope that helps!
Robyn

[sparrowgrass]

I don't know what the growth might be, but your comment that Murphy wouldn't allow anyone to look at it kind of bothered me. :confused:

What do you mean, he won't let you? Is he bigger than you? You should be able to look at any part of him, any time you want to--it is part of being Alpha dog (or alpha ***** :eek: ) of your pack.

Makes it much easier on the vet if your dog sits still to have his ears, mouth, feet, tail handled and examined.

Try it when he is tired out--look at his feet and ears, quit if he gets too wiggly. Next time, do it for a little longer. It will make your life easier in the long run, and your vet will thank you, too. :)

[Jewel]

I don't know what the growth might be, but your comment that Murphy wouldn't allow anyone to look at it kind of bothered me. :confused:

What do you mean, he won't let you? Is he bigger than you? You should be able to look at any part of him, any time you want to

Murphy weighs between 19-23 lbs. Between Dave and I together we can hold him down and hold his head steady, but it really takes some trying! He has a great deal of hair, so not only do we have to hold him down, we have to lift the hair on the side of his mouth to look.

We've only had him for a few months, and we're all still trying to get used to each other. He doesn't see us as the Alphas yet, I think he sees our Siberian Sasha as the Alpha. Since she's somewhat of a Diva, I think she does too. :o We're working on this.

This whole thing with Murphy's head has been since the beginning. When I adopted him in May, I started gently petting his head. Immediately, his head reared back and he was trying to lick/bite my hand. I would pull away completely and try again later. Now, even if I'm gently petting his head or scratching his ears, he's licking my wrist, hand, arm, leg, anything that his mouth can get to while my hand is stroking him or rubbing him in any way. It's frustrating that the dog has to respond to any kind of physical affection with constant licking, but I have no idea how to stop this. I've never heard of it before. :confused: Other dogs have given me a slurp on the chin, but not this constant licking of my skin. Dave is hoping that it's just that puppy stage where everything that can fit in his mouth is something that should be licked or chewed. I'm hoping that he outgrows this part. :(

As for the growth, you all have made me feel better. I'm definitely calling on Monday to get an appointment. The fact that it seems painless makes me feel better, but it's still there and growing, and wasn't there before!

Thanks for the thoughts everyone! :)

[mcgeiger]

Just wanted to pop in and ask if you'd seen the vet yet?

[birdyone]

You have probably seen a Vet by now, but as Alysha mentioned, in a young dog these things are usually benign and either disappear on their own or can be removed with little fuss.

I lost a golden 2 years ago with a similar problem - however - she was 12 1/2 years old and it was not benign.

If you haven't already, please go to the vet just to reassure yourselves.

Elaine

[Jewel]

Thanks for the concern...we took Murphy to our vet yesterday afternoon. He says it is most likely a benign tumor, but they're naturally not going to promise anything until it's gone. The size and the color he has seen before in young dogs, and he says they have no idea what causes them. He did say that the ones he's seen previously have gotten much larger very quickly. :( He said he wasn't joking when he told us that it could be the size of a dime within a month. :eek: He doesn't believe it's malignant.

Murphy is having his surgery on Monday. He has to go under general anesthesia, it's just too large to do a local, says he'd never keep his head still long enough. It's a day surgery, approximately 3 or 4 stitches, and about $600 total. Considering what that dog went through the first nine months of his life until we brought him home to us, I consider that a drop in the bucket. He's brought so much joy to us in the three months he's been with us, and I was so terrified that it was something serious. Of course, the tests aren't done on this thing yet, but we're hopeful.

Thanks for all your good thoughts everyone! I'll post here when I have my stoned little guy home on Monday night! :cool: