A dog that has warts can pass it on to other dogs, since they are infectious. Viral infections are the cause of warts, which are epidermis tumors. There are two main types of dog warts. The usual type is the one that infects old dogs. In most cases, they will become dangerous only if their size increases or if they become infected. Otherwise, they are benign. If the dog is younger, their health can get damaged.
The medical term for these wars is Canine viral papilloma. They will get from one dog to another through contact between them. These warts are cauliflower shaped and quite small. They can be found on the tongue, muzzle, lips and eyelids. Sometimes, they can also be found near the vulva or rectum. They will show up one or two months after the dog gets them.
In most cases, there are only a few warts and they are harmless. Old dogs will have the warts staying for a longer time, while young dogs will get rid of them as soon as the immune system manages to fight them off. In some cases, these warts will damage the health of the pet, giving them problems when eating or breathing.
Dog Warts Symptoms
1. Bad breath (Halitosis).
2. Too much salivating or drooling
3. Bleeding orally.
Dog Warts Diagnosis
Because they are pathognomonic and distinct, papillomas don’t need diagnostic testing. Still, sometimes they still need to be diagnosed, so that the infection depth and extent can be ascertained. This should also allow for the vet to realize how much was the health of the pet affected. There are two tests that are usually done for diagnosis
1. a CBC (complete blood count) test, a biochemical profile and a urinalysis are usually done for pets that feel discomforts because they can’t eat properly, are in poor health or don’t have any appetite.
2. a surgical biopsy, done only in some of the cases.
Dog Warts Treatments
Usually, you don’t need to do anything to treat these warts, as they will go away on their own. But, there are some cases where treatment should be done, like when the position of the warts gives the dog discomfort or when the owners ask for the warts to be removed.
The ways to treat these warts are:
1. Through surgery: electrocautery and cryosurgery are the two options when it comes to surgery for wart removal. The first one will be used to destroy the tissue by using liquid nitrogen. The second one uses laser.
2. The second option is to crush the papilloma, which should make the body create an immune response. This should help the pet regain his health and the warts should disappear.
3. After half a year of unsuccessful treatment, you can use systemic chemotherapy to try helping him in restoring his health.
Want to learn more about dog warts? On DogWarts.Org you can find articles about dog warts dealing with the main dog warts causes, dog warts diagnonsis and about dog warts treatment.
Related posts:
- Ways of how to treat psoriasis Psoriasis is a disease that affects the skin and joints....
- Roundworms in dogs – What you need to know about canine roundworms Parasites that live inside the small intestine of a dog,...
- Preventing and Dealing With Dog Constipation Constipation is something that everyone experiences in their lives, even...
- Foxtail Grass and Pet Health Several types of grasses can cause problems for your pet...
- Tapeworms In Dogs – Diagnosis, Symptoms And Treatment Tapeworms are also scientifically named Dipylidium caninum. They are just...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
After taking my 1 year old dog Bella to see vet COPV was diagnosed. COPV is Canine Oral Papilloma Virus (aka Warts). An article was published (Turkey 2008) about the use of Azithromycin in dogs with the Papilloma virus. Azithromycin is not an antiviral drug and COPV is a virus so I was hesitant in using it to treat COPV, but after reading the study it seems that the drug may attack a bacterial infection that causes the virus to run rampant or it may actually have an effect on COPV. I decided to get a prescription filled and take that course. The dosage was as follows:
- 5mg per pound in a suspension (suspension is water based formula the vet can explain this to you)
- Bella is 3lbs so her dosage was 15mg per day orally using a syringe plunger (without the needle)
I gave her the Azithromycin every morning at around 9am with food. The study I read indicated they gave the dogs 10 days of medicine but I extended the run to 14 days because the virus hit her hard as a smaller dog. As you can see by the pictures by the 10th day I saw possible improvement and by the 12th day the Papillomas inside her mouth were gone and the larger one outside her mouth crusted up and I gave them a little tug and they ripped off. It was like pulling a loose tooth. It didn’t seem painful to Bella.
Pictures can be found here:
http://adihed.com/bella.html
I wrote this article because a lot of people are dealing with this issue of COPV for months with their dogs and this is a great way to heal your dog quickly. I actually had my vet pull the study that I based this treatment so I could read it and I found that ALL the dogs were cured within 15 days as Bella was. They also did the study using 17 breeds of dog so a wide spectrum was cured. The ones that were not on Azithromycin still had Papillomas after 2-3 months of follow up. As far as I can tell there is no reason not to use Azithromycin to cure your dog. I have read articles about the drug doing harm to the liver but in this short term I don’t see that being an issue. I also read that it does a little havoc to the stomach. Bella being a 3lb dog did fine. On day 4 I noticed she didn’t want to eat in the morning but that could have been for other reasons. So she was not affected negatively by the drug. I also gave it to her in the morning so she would eat and drink right after to rid herself of the taste of the drug and digest it as well. I also got her daily vitamins to take along with the drug every morning for the 14 days and I extended the run to 30 days. I did this to give a little boost to her immune system. The Vitamins were Pet Naturals Daily Best Soft Chews Dog Vitamins from PETCO.
I hope this article helps anybody out there who is dealing with COPV. I did my research and I am glad I found the study that cured my dog and I wanted to share it with anyone out there is search of answers. Don’t bother with the holistic stuff they are peddling on the internet. Just talk to your vet and get a prescription filled so you can have a healthy happy dog! If you have any questions feel free to email me at adihed@hotmail.com.