My puppy has a soft lump near his eye and gum. Should I see a vet?

Hi, While I can’t say with certainty without an exam, I would strongly recommend having this gingival mass evaluated by a veterinarian. In many cases these are benign gingival hyperplasia (just meaning excessive tissue), but other times these masses can be malignant cancer. Therefore, catching it early will make a difference in the potential success of treatment. I hope Kosmo just has some hyper plastic gum tissue! Best of luck.

I would wait until the puppy is fully examined by a vet. It is hard to say what the lump is at this stage. It could be local hair follicle infection and that will go away after a few days of treatment with ointment. However, it may be a small cyst that is rubbing the eye. In that case, the puppy will need a surgery to remove the lump, which could be tricky to do and also pricey.

Ghost is of the age when he is getting his adult teeth in. As the adult teeth come in, they should push the baby teeth out. However, sometimes we can see infection or inflammation at the tooth root of the baby tooth as the adult tooth tries to push out the baby tooth. That may be what is going on with Ghost. I would recommend having your veterinarian examine it just to make sure that there isn't any evidence of infection that would benefit from antibiotics. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! These could be benign or malignant growths. These could even represent infection sites or lymph nodes. There is no way of knowing what it is just based on its appearance. This is often differentiated by a test called a fine needle aspirate (FNA) which is a pain free, inexpensive and easy procedure which in most cases will help reach a diagnosis. Sometimes a biopsy is needed for a definitive diagnosis. I recommend that you have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. I am really hoping for something benign. Good luck and have a good day!

In a dog Ellie's age, it would be very unlikely that this lump would be malignant. It doesn't look big, and if it's not affecting her eating, then it likely doesn't need to be removed. Saying all that, I can't say anything for certain without seeing her in person. I would have it checked out by a vet to be safe. I hope this helps.

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!

Has he been licking at it? Can you identify a wound on it? It may be an abscess (localized infection) under the skin, as thise can show up very quickly. You can shave the hair over the top and clean it with dilute Betadine (available at any pharmacy - use water to dilute it so it looks like tea). Put an ecollar (cone) on him to prevent him from biting or chewing on it, and make an appointment with your vet as soon as you can—but it’s not something you need to see an emergency vet for as long as it’s not seeming painful and he’s eating and acting normally. Other possible causes would be some type of tumor (though less likely with his age), or a fluid accumulation called a seroma. Your vet may Do a fine needle aspirate (poke the bump with a needle and then look at cells under the microscope) to see what it is and then know how best to treat it. Thank you for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!