Staffie Cross with Growth on gum

[m.clapton]

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My dog is a 16 year old cross staffie.
i noticed that the side of his mouth looked swollen, upon looking at his teeth there is greenish/grey rough looking lump between two of his teeth about the size of a peanut. I thought it was a bit of old food but it is hard to the touch.
took him to the vet today but she had no idea what it is. she has took photos so she could ask around.
do you know what this could be .
yours Martin

 

[eingana]

It could well be a tumour- they do increase hugely as we (or they) get older. Doesn't mean that it's going to be dangerous though. Most tumours of old age are the sort of tumour you die with, not die of.

Is it definitely attached to the gum and not just wedged between the teeth?

There are mouth tumours of all shapes, colours and textures even though the archetypal mouth tumour is pink/red. I'm surprised that the vet didn't arrange to bring your dog in for a biopsy/sampling to work out what is going on with the cells.

 

[m.clapton]

Thanks for your reply it certainly looks like its on the gum.

 

[eingana]

Can honestly say I've never seen a tumour that colour, but then again I'm not a vet. Is it hard like firm tissue or hard like bone?

 

[banana]

Oh - I have never seen anything like it - are they going to remove it?

 

[m.clapton]

It's hard like bone.

The vet was very young so I may get a second opinion.

She said he would need a general anaesthetic to remove it but I don't think he would survive that.

 

[banana]

Is it bothering him like eating etc?

 

[m.clapton]

doesn't seem to be bothering him.

He is going back in on monday so they can see if he is strong enough to stand being put under while they remove it.

 

[banana]

Let us know how you get one

 

[m.clapton]

Its gone.

On the Friday before he went to the vet I thought to myself because the lump is green and he had really bad breath I wondered if it could be gangrene. Any way when I came home from work I noticed that the side of his mouth did not look swollen and the smell had gone.So I had a look and it had gone. the vet said there was a cavity formed where one of his bottom teeth touched his upper gum and it must have been some rotting food that had stuck in it.So no further action required.

Thanks for the comments..

 

[hanneroon]

oh good news! Thank goodness! Shame you never got to find out what it was exactly....

Reminds me of when my sister got really bad breath as a kid, and when my folks took her to the doctor, he found loads of bits of sponge up her nose that she'd been picking out of the back of the car seat, and poking up there... Makes me wonder what your doggy had been chewing on, bless him