white bump on dogs togue

Question
I would like to start off by stating that I understand that you are not a vet, but am just curious if you have ever seen anything like what I am about to describe. I have a 9 month old German Shepherd and I noticed a tiny white bump on the tip of his tongue in September. The bump was there until the beginning of November and then it became an open sore, but it healed about a week later. Now he has another bump in the same spot. It doesn't seem to bother him; he doesn't ever paw at it, he has no problems eating, he doesn't mind me touching it, etc. Since it doesn't seem to bother him, I haven't taken him to the vet, but I am curious as to what it is. Any ideas?

Answer
Hi Stacia,

Thank you for writing to me.

Without actually seeing the bump, I would guess, and it is only a guess, that this is a wart that you are describing.  Many puppies get warts around the mouth area.  They eventually go away but warts are viruses that can be passed on to other dogs, so it's be to treat them.

The best treatment that I can recommend is Thuja, a homeopathic remedy.  You can get this from your health food store or on line.

The way to give this is 3 pellets, 3 times a day.  Place the pellets inside a paper towel and crush with a spoon.  The towel prevents the shards from flying across the room.  

Take your index finger and place it into your dog's mouth.  Then take the wet finger and pick up the crushed pellets and place your finger in the upper gum between the inside cheek and outside gum.  The purpose of this is to have the Thuja dissolve as slowly as possible.

You should also get tincture of Thuja and place this on the warts themselves.

The warts should disappear within a week or so.

If this doesn't work, I would urge you to have your vet examine the condition.

Best,
Shelley Davis