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wart on dog's lip

Dog Warts — Causes and Treatments

Dog warts are very common, but are they a risk to your dog’s health? We look at causes, symptoms, and treatments.

Like humans, dogs can also develop warts. If you’ve discovered a wart on your dog, you are probably asking, “what are the causes of warts, and what are effective treatments for warts?”

Dog warts, caused by canine papilloma virus (CPV), are mostly harmless and usually resolve on their own. However, you should monitor your dog’s warts and tell your vet about any drastic change in size or shape. There are medications and treatments that may help dogs with warts.

We’ll look at the lifecycle of the virus that causes warts and understand how it causes this condition in dogs. We’ll examine what warts look like, how they react to medication, and consider treatment plans for your dog.

What Dogs Get Warts?

Dog warts are a prevalent affliction, but they are more common in younger animals. You’ll also find high instances of warts among immunosuppressed dogs, as well as canines who spend a lot of time around other dogs.

Some breeds have shown a greater susceptibility to warts, including Cocker Spaniels and Pugs. But all dogs are capable of developing them.

Dog Warts Appearance

Most warts look like a small cauliflower floret with many white protrusions. Other rarer types exist, such as an inverted papilloma. These appear as a small, firm lump with a dark-colored dot in the middle.

Yet another type is best described as dark and scaly with a distinct, irregular surface. Some variations appear like fish scales.

Other indications of warts are a rough patch of pink skin which develops and becomes darker and lumpy.

Dog Warts Causes

Because a virus, canine papilloma virus (CPV), causes warts, dogs with warts are contagious to other dogs. However, as this virus is a canine variant, different types of animals and people cannot catch it. 

You should expect to find that warts will generally disappear on their own within a few months. With puppies, this is because as they mature, their immune systems get stronger and will develop an immunity against the virus.

Your dog’s ability to fight the virus is one of the major factors in the duration and severity of warts. Their presence may be extended further if the dog is on immunosuppressive medications. 

As warts are so heavily involved with the dog’s bodily systems, it may not be possible to remove warts without further veterinarian advice.

Warts will tend only to have a thin layer of skin that is exposed and will contain fluid. This can easily lead to bleeding and compromise the skin’s integrity, causing your dog to e infected with bacteria.

In rare cases, warts may develop into cancerous tumors. This is unlikely to happen very quickly, so ensure you do regular visual inspections of your dog, particularly if they fall into one of the categories highlighted earlier as being at increased risk of warts.

The virus that causes warts spreads easily via direct dog-to-dog contact. Such contact includes sharing common food and water bowls, bedding, toys, grooming tools, and other surfaces.

Unfortunately, the virus is quite hardy and can survive easily for weeks or even months at a time.

wart on dog's eye

Common Locations of Dog Warts

The best places to look for warts are around your dog’s mouth, around the eyes, and between the toes. But they can appear anywhere on the skin.

The ears and throat area are other common locations for warts; basically, anywhere your dog can get their tongue to is a potential wart area.

Symptoms and Issues

Owners of dogs are not even aware they have warts until other problems arise. Warts in and around a dog’s mouth can impact eating. If you notice your dog is showing a reluctance to eat and drink, check their mouth for warts.

Warts on a dog’s feet can cause lameness. The proximity to the ground also drastically raises the chances of the wart getting cut open.

The lead time of a wart virus is generally on the longer side. It is thought to take about a month or two for warts to develop after a dog is infected with papillomavirus.

Veterinarians can diagnose warts relatively simply through a physical exam and identify risk factors and vectors by getting a life and activity history of your pup.

Dog Wart Treatments

While not usually a risk to your dog’s overall health, they can lead to other complications and discomfort. Surgery may be the only option if warts create issues and do not resolve themselves.

The conventional advice is that if the warts are not affecting your dogs’ ability to eat, breathe or see, you can safely ignore them in most situations.

Dog warts are generally going to cause some irritation in dogs. They can cause an ‘itch’ response, much like mosquito bite does for humans. This itch sensation entices the dog to lick or scratch the area. If this becomes a problem, it can often be managed with a dog cone to limit the dog’s access to the offending wart.

Sometimes, vets treat dogs warts by prescribing medications. Interferon is an oral or injectable medication for the immune system. Imiquimod is a prescription topical cream which has antiviral and antitumor properties.

Other meds often prescribed are Cimetidine, an oral medication that boosts the immune system, and Azithromycin, an oral antibiotic.

Another approach to treating dog warts is to use the dog’s own warts to stimulate the immune system to respond against the virus. Also known as autogenous vaccination, it involves crushing a few warts to release virus particles, which can then be injected to stimulate the immune response.

Effective quarantining is important given the highly infectious nature of warts via touch.

Try to keep positive wart cases away from other susceptible dogs until the virus has run its course. This usually occurs approximately two months after you see the last wart disappear.

At this point, your dog is assumed to be free of the virus and you can allow your dog open contact with other dogs. It is important to note that once your dog does loses their warts and the virus has run its course, they will carry natural immunity against that particular virus.

Final Thoughts

While dog warts are usually not a high risk to your dog’s health, it is important to monitor them as they can sometimes cause irritation or infection, or develop into tumors. They are also contagious to other dogs. Consult with your vet to determine how exactly you should proceed with your dog’s particular case of warts.

Superb Dog Editor

Superb Dog Editor