Let's talk about dog warts!

Warts? Yes, dog warts! ****None of the Pug Life merchandise come into contact with our pugs. 

In the almost 50 years that I've had dogs as part of my life, not a single one of them ever came down with a case of Canine Oral Papilloma Virus (COPV). Imagine my surprise when I looked down at Patty and saw some huge white thing in the corner of her tiny mouth. It literally popped up over night.

The first thing I did was touch it and make sure it wasn't something lodged in her skin. No, it was just a gross, nasty cauliflower wart. Then I googled dog warts to make sure I wasn't imaging things. She's a little older than most dogs who get warts (that aren't in a shelter) so we took her into the vet to confirm it was benign. Vet confirmed it was just COPV and that she'd probably get more. She didn't. The next day it was gone. Three whole days of wart.

We continued sterilizing all the toys, water dishes, food bowls, and floors for the next two months. No shared dog bones and no visits with other dogs. We hired a last minute dog sitter so the pugs wouldn't take it to their doggy friends they visit while w travel. We cancelled a major trip. That brings us from last November to early February. None of the other pugs came down with any warts and we loosened restrictions just a little. General consensus is that most dogs can go around other dogs about seven days after the last wart drops off, but the virus can take 1-2 months to develop and show symptoms. Once a dog has the virus, it should be immune for life, which is great for Patty. COPV can sit on colder surfaces for up to two months, although relatively little heat kills it quickly. We basically took no chances.

Then a couple weeks into February, the puppy got a wart. In the exact same spot. Yes, rinse and repeat on poor Lyapuff. Except Lyapuff didn't get just get one, just now has two and a suspicious pimple on her lip. And it's been almost two weeks. They're holding strong. More trips cancelled and more sterilizing, although at this point all of our pugs have been exposed from each other and we just don't want to spread it to any other pug, because dog warts aren't friendly. It is quite bizarre that Puff's wart popped up so long after Patty's wart. And yes, we've been examining all the pugs daily.  

WHERE DID IT COME FROM?

Our best guess, since it came in via Patty, is that she picked it up at a dog Halloween event. She licked an empty water bowl as we were trying to leave. The people in front of us suddenly blocked the door and I didn't catch Patty before she went for the bowl. Likely one of the other pugs there had dog warts, and the owner either didn't care or didn't know. I hope it was the later. 

HOW DO YOU TREAT DOG WARTS (COPV)?

Well, for the most part, if they don't block airways, hinder eating, or spread across the whole face, you don't. If they are persistent or chronic, surgery or laser treatment may be required. So you just wait until the wart falls off, while trying to prevent the spread. At least in the US. As with most veterinary advances, the EU is so far ahead of the US. You might be able to have a prescription sent from abroad--Spain seems to be the best bet.

If you take them to a vet, they'll likely suggest crushing the wart to stimulate the immune response. This crushing happens naturally during the examination. It's not recommended to do this with any force at home, because you can end up damaging the skin or ripping the growth off before it's ready, leading to infection.

There has been small success with the antibiotic azithromycin, but that is usually reserved for the worst cases. There is a website selling a treatment called Nzymes Oral Growth Support Program. We did not try this so have zero insight into it, other than it's out there. Let us know if you try it. 

There have been studies done on homeopathic treatments, so if you have a homeopath as a vet, you should be able to pick up an ointment or oil that is safe for oral use. I could only find topical treatments and would not put this in any pug's mouth. The studies all used a combination of herbs and drugs like Licorice and Lemon Balm. Thuja popped up quite a bit.We used to have a natural vet, but she retired and we haven't made it to another one, so we don't know what she would have recommended. 

SO WHAT DID YOU DO?

Since Lyapuff's warts don't seem to be disappearing as fast, we are working on boosting her immune system with supplemental treats and sticking some Thuja capsules in her cheek. We chose Thuja 30C as so many studies mentioned it. We started the Thuja on Saturday, so we are on day three of the homeopathic drug. 

Meanwhile, we are isolating the pugs away from other dogs and keeping their shared toys to a minimum. That is the number one thing I recommend: Keep you dog away from other dogs for at least a week, but a month if you can, to avoid infecting other dogs.

*I wanted to write this because in hunting for information on dog warts, so many of the cases shared were way heavier than what our pugs showed, so I know there must be other people other there looking for information when it's just one or two big ol' white dog warts. I also wanted to share some photos, because some of the dog warts out there don't look like these. I will continue to update as Lyapuff's warts stick around or disappear!