My dog has a growth near her dewclaw. Is it hyperkeratosis or keratin?

You may just be seeing hyperkeratosis of the pads which is very common in a lot of dogs. It's essentially just an overgrowth of the skin in this area and commonly occurs to the nasal planum and paw pads, especially as dogs age. As long as your pet is comfortable and walking well for most dogs it is just cosmetic. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Thank you for posting the pictures. The hyperkeratosis in the pictures looks very normal in presentation to me. It is rare that hyperkeratosis causes any problems, but if You feel at any time that it is becoming excessive or causing any discomfort then I would encourage you to have her evaluated by your veterinarian. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

This looks like hyperkeratinosis of the paw pad. It is basically a callous. There isn't much you can do about it. If you have it cut off, they usually grow back. I would try some pad balm to help keep it smoothe and to prevent it from cracking and causing any discomfort. Most dogs are never bothered by it. If it ever causes him to limp, start to crack, or is growing rapidly, I would have your vet take a look at it to ensure he doesn't need any additional therapy. I hope this helps!

These are skin hyperkeratosis (thickening of the stratum corneum of the epidermis/most superficial skin layer). A check up and possibly a sample of it can be taken to confirm diagnosis. They can be mildly painful and possibly grow even more than now. Surgical excision is usually resolutive but not strictly necessary. 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.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! They look like keratin growths. The skin is made of keratin which is a protein and sometimes that protein is hard, like a nail. I recommend taking your pup to the vet to confirm but if that is what they are they are not serious. Kisses to your pup!

Hello, and thanks for your question about Olivia. I suspect this small white spot is likely related to the hyperkeratosis and the resulting changes in the foot pad. It's also possible that Olivia may have a small mass just starting to grow in that foot pad, that's still small enough as to be nearly invisible unless you're compressing the tissue around it. I'm impressed you found that spot at all! I would definitely point this spot out to your vet. If it's big enough to aspirate (get a small needle sample of cells), they can get an idea of whether the cells in that spot appear normal or concerning. It looks pretty darn small in the picture - so your vet may simply tell you to monitor for now, but it's good to get it seen and documented so they can help monitor if it changes. I hope this helps. You're doing a great job caring for Olivia! As an aside, here's my favorite hyperkeratosis topical treatment if you're interested :-) https://naturaldogcompany.com/product/snout-soother-tin/

This looks like a cutaneous horn. This would be overshooting growth of keratocytes (a type of skin cell). This is a benign growth and unless it is causing your dog to get hung up on it and then starts to bleed, you can just ignore it. Should it get very big, your vet can easily remove it. The next time you take your dog to the vet have him examine it. Sometimes these are caused by a virus.