Like human beings, our pets are also susceptible to dog warts. These abnormal growths of cells have a distinctive appearance and can easily be distinguished from a tumor or cyst because they grow on the surface of your pet's skin. Unlike tumors and cysts both, warts are of no serious health concern to your pet. For this reason, many pet owners and veterinarians choose to leave warts alone and to not disturb the dog by removing the wart. The only surefire way to remove a wart is through surgery or chemical burning. These procedures are costly and may prove to be too risky to eliminate an otherwise harmless growth. However, some veterinarians are willing to surgically remove dog warts.
When Warts Become a Problem
Many dogs have warts and are completely unaware of them. You may not even notice that your dog has a wart until you discover it while grooming, petting or bathing him. These warts are generally not removed with surgery, as they cause your pet no discomfort whatsoever.
In some cases, however, warts may irritate your dog. It is not uncommon to see dogs licking or chewing at their warts, particularly if they exist on a place that is readily accessible to your dog's mouth and teeth. Sometimes, these warts can begin to bleed or to become infected. In addition to causing your pet pain and discomfort, these infections can spread to other parts of your dog's body and become a more serious health concern. Finally, warts that become bloody and infected can leave a mess around the house.
Wart Removal
Most veterinarians make it a policy to not remove a wart via surgery unless the wart has caused your pet discomfort or pain, or unless it routinely becomes infected or bloody. Even then, many vets will not undergo the expensive and time-consuming procedure of surgical removal for a wart alone. Rather, a veterinarian will typically remove a wart while your dog is already anesthetized for another more major surgery.
The process of removing a wart is a simple one, and can easily be done by a veterinary surgeon in a short period of time. However, to employ a group of assistants and cover the cost of anesthetizing your dog and any associated post-operative care, the total expenses associated with a surgery to remove warts can amount to hundreds of dollars. Because of these factors, it is best to wait until your pet undergoes surgery for another condition before you have his wart removed.
After surgical removal, you will need to follow your vet's instructions closely in order to clean and dress the wound. Your pet must not lick or chew on the wound, and may need to have a muzzle or other restraining device set up during recovery. Additionally, it will be important to monitor your dog for signs of infection or other complications that may result from the surgical procedure itself.