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A Papilloma of the skin is otherwise known as a wart and they can be a common concern for dog owners. Warts themselves are generally benign tumours (growths) caused by papillomavirus, which can be contagious to other dogs but not humans. Here is more of Milo’s story.

Milo, a 4-year-old Jack Russell Terrier was brought to Animal Trust Birkenhead by his owner, Mrs Roberts after she had noticed a wart on Milo’s left ear had been growing at a rapid rate. ‘’I first noticed the wart when it was quite small and over the period of 10 days it began to grow into a fairly large one’’; comments Milo’s owner. Mrs Roberts adds that while Milo was fine and well in himself the wart had started to bother him.

‘’Milo would scratch at his ear which would force the wart to bleed and this is when I became more concerned and wanted to have it checked before it could become anything more sinister,’’ says owner Janet.

During a free consultation at the Birkenhead surgery, located on Conway Street, Vet Monica Bruixola examined Milo and diagnosed his wart as a papilloma. The recommendation was for him to undergo routine surgery to remove the mass and Milo returned the next day for the procedure.

dog wart removal
wart removal at birkenhead

Commenting on the case, Monica says; ‘’Papillomas are a lot more common in dogs than they are cats and they are caused by a viral infection that is transmitted between dog-to-dog contact.’’ Monica adds; ‘’While they are benign tumours they can begin to irritate animals and the virus can be transmitted to another canine so we would always recommend coming to us to have them examined and we offer free consultations to everyone for this reason.’’

Papillomas in dogs can appear as dark, red, lumpy masses that resemble the look and texture of cauliflower. Most commonly they can be found;

  • Inside the mouth (oral mass)
  • Around the eyes and ears
  • On the abdomen of older dogs 

In some cases, warts won’t have any effect on a dogs quality of life and they will be able to continue as normal. In this case, the virus is left to run its course and warts will eventually fall off on their own. Although, in other cases, such as Milo’s the wart was beginning to have an impact on his welfare, meaning surgical removal was the recommended treatment option.

Commenting on Milo’s treatment, owner Mrs Roberts said; ‘’I was so impressed with how Milo’s condition was handled. Within 48 hours he was diagnosed and operated on and was then on his recovery journey. He’s doing really well in himself now and I’m so thankful to the vets who acted so fast and took great care of him’’.

If you’re concerned about a wart or mass on your pet, don’t delay in contacting your local Animal Trust surgery for advice. Face to face consultations with a vet are completely free of charge for everyone, even if you haven’t visited us before. All we ask is that you register with us online.

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