Let’s face it—dog warts are unsightly. They look like a tiny stalk of pink, white, beige, blue, or black cauliflower growing from your dog’s lips, gums, tongue, or paw pads. Warts seem to suddenly appear without warning, like mushrooms growing on your lawn.
When one of these unsightly warts shows up on our dog, our first thought is how to remove it. A quick internet search will yield several dog wart removal solutions. Only a small fraction of these solutions will do the trick—or are even necessary.
What Causes Dog Warts?
Most dog warts are caused by a virus called the canine papillomavirus. This virus is spread only between dogs and does not affect humans or other species of animals. Dogs can pick up the canine papillomavirus directly from another dog or through contaminated bedding, bowls, or other surfaces.
The virus can only enter your dog through broken skin or mucus membranes, such as the lips, gums, or tongue. This means that your dog must have a small cut or wound in his mouth or on his paw AND contact with an infected dog or fomite to contract canine papillomavirus.
Which Dogs Are at Risk of Developing Warts?
Dog warts caused by canine papillomavirus typically appear in puppies and dogs less than two years of age. Dogs and puppies in this age category have immune systems that are still developing. Their immune systems are not quite mature enough to fend off the virus and prevent the formation of dog warts.
Adult dogs who are otherwise healthy are able to neutralize the canine papillomavirus and prevent the formation of dog warts. Adult and senior dogs who develop dog warts may have an underlying condition that causes immunosuppression. These dogs should be evaluated by their veterinarian and undergo diagnostic testing to determine what condition may be compromising their immune system.
Dogs who are receiving immunosuppressive medications over a period of months to years are also at increased risk of developing papillomavirus warts. Immunosuppressive medications include corticosteroids and cyclosporine.
Dog Wart Treatment and Removal Options
Dog warts will typically resolve on their own as your dog’s immune system matures. It can take four to eight weeks for dog warts to disappear. It is possible for your dog to transmit canine papillomavirus to other dogs while his warts are present. Your dog may be asked to take a leave of absence from doggie daycare, dog training, or dog parks until his warts resolve.
Most dog warts do not cause your dog any discomfort, but the location of some warts can cause an issue. Oral warts can be inadvertently bitten when chewing food. This can cause warts to bleed or become infected. Warts on your dog’s paws may make walking uncomfortable.
Veterinary Options for Removing Dog Warts
Dog warts that are causing an issue or that persist for three months or more may be surgically removed. There are three surgical methods that can be utilized to remove warts.
Surgical Excision
Surgical excision involves removing the wart with a scalpel and closing the incision with one or more sutures.
Cryosurgery
Cryosurgery involves freezing the wart with liquid nitrogen or nitrous oxide. The wart falls off on its own about one to three weeks following cryosurgery. A single treatment with cryosurgery will typically suffice for most warts. However, some warts may require a second application of cryosurgery for complete removal.
CO2 Laser
Dog warts can also be removed with a CO2 laser. This method is faster than traditional surgical excision and does not require sutures. But it does require specialized training and equipment that is not available at all hospitals.
Non-Surgical Dog Wart Removal
Dog warts that are on the lips or paw pads may be treated with imiquimod cream. Imiquinod stimulates the immune system to neutralize the canine papillomavirus and resolve dog warts. Dog warts typically resolve in two to six weeks with this therapy. The most common side effects are redness and itchiness of the skin around the dog wart. Imiquimod is not for use on warts inside the mouth.
Other therapies that have been studied and used with varying degrees of success or failure include administration of interferons, an antibiotic called azithromycin, an antiviral drug called acyclovir, and autogenous vaccines. Autogenous vaccines are created using samples of your dog’s own warts. The efficacy of these therapies has not been clearly defined and more study is necessary to determine proper dosages and safety.
Home Remedies for Removing Dog Warts
Several home remedies have been described for removing dog warts. These include applying apple cider vinegar, vitamin E, or castor oil to the wart. Oral supplements such as L-lysine have also been suggested. Although dog warts may disappear while administering these home remedies, it is not known if it was the home remedy or the wart’s natural regression that caused resolution.
One home remedy that should never be attempted is manual removal of the dog wart. Pulling or picking at the wart will just cause it to bleed. Tying a thread or floss around the base of the wart will be painful and irritating to your dog. Both of these remedies may also cause the wart to become infected. Neither method is effective at removing the wart.
There is a homeopathic remedy that may hasten the resolution of dog warts. A homeopathic drug containing Sulfur 30C, Thuja 30C, Graphites 30C, and Psorinum 30C was evaluated in a randomized, double-blinded study. The results of this study were published in Veterinary World in 2020 (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7020120/). Dogs treated with this homeopathic remedy saw resolution of their dog warts within one to two weeks.
Preventing Dog Warts
Dog warts are rarely cause for concern but there are a few things owners can do to help prevent them. These include:
- Avoiding contact with dogs who have warts. As mentioned above, canine papillomavirus is contagious and may spread between dogs.
- Regularly cleaning and disinfecting any bowls, bedding, toys, and surfaces used by multiple dogs. This helps prevent the spread of the virus.
- Being aware of your dog’s age and health. Younger dogs with developing immune systems and immunocompromised dogs are less able to fight off canine papillomavirus and therefore more likely to get warts. If your dog falls into one of those categories, limiting exposure to environments where a lot of unfamiliar dogs may be present can help prevent warts and other illnesses.
There is a vaccine for canine papillomavirus that was used as a model for the development of the human papillomavirus vaccine. This vaccine has been shown to be 99% effective at preventing oral dog warts. It has also been used as a treatment for dogs that have a rare, non-regressive and severe form of oral dog warts. However, this vaccine is not commercially available and must be obtained directly from the researchers that developed it.
Are Dog Warts Cause for Concern?
Thankfully, most dog warts caused by the canine papillomavirus will regress and resolve on their own without any intervention. Talk to your dog’s veterinarian if you have concerns about his warts or if he meets any of the criteria in the sidebar (When To Seek Veterinary Care for Dog Warts).
Then what are the things that have popped up on my dogs back and sides since she has turned 12. Some look exactly like seed warts while others are smooth and could be moles of some sort. They are all about the size of a somewhat used pencil eraser.