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I am not a veterinarian. Keep the Tail Wagging is a personal blog where I share my experience raising dogs. While the natural solution shared in this post worked for my dogs, I want to make it clear that this post isn't medical advice; I'm simply sharing my experience. If you have any concerns about your dog's health, please contact your veterinarian immediately.
Back in April, I noticed a growth on our youngest dog's mouth (lips? do dogs have lips?) that I originally thought was a pimple but it started growing which prompted me to check in with Google to see what I was dealing with and how to remove the wart naturally, if possible. In this blog post, I'm going to share what I did to clear up the wart and prevent it from returning. I did this twice (with two different dogs) successfully. It took a few weeks for the wart to go away for each dog.
What are Canine Papillomas / Warts?
Canine papillomas are tumors caused by a virus that is contagious. In my research, which included speaking with a veterinarian, to confirm that my dog wasn't dying and I learned that warts are fairly harmless, but I was told that if one dog shows signs of warts, it's important to keep the dog isolated from the other dogs. I didn't do this because it would have been challenging. Instead, I took a different path. Papillomas look like warts, like a tiny cauliflower on your dog's mouth/lip and they grow rapidly (from a dot to the size of a blueberry or pea). They can also form inside your dog's mouth, which can cause discomfort. In our case, the warts were on our dogs' mouth: first Apollo, then Scout.
Learn more about Canine Papillomas.
Treating Canine Papillomas
Eventually, these warts might go away on their own as a dog's immune system kicks in and our dogs develop an immunity to them. However, some pet parents may prefer to have them removed because they look gross, they can cause discomfort (and sometimes bleed), they can become infected, or they may not go away.
Going to the veterinarian is kind of a pain given that we can't go into the clinic with our pets and while I knew Apollo wouldn't have an issue, I thought I'd try to cure his papillomas at home. This is an immune system problem, right? Then let's boost the immune system. I wasn't willing to wait for the wart to go away on its own because the virus is contagious (it can survive for a long time outside of a host). I didn't want this to spread to all of our dogs.
Treating Canine Papillomas Naturally
The following is what I did with my dogs and it worked. Please keep in mind that I am not a veterinarian nor was my process vetted by our veterinarian. As I stated above, it worked to clear the wart on each of our dogs (two separate times this summer) within 30 days. There wasn't a scar or any sign that there was a wart nor did they return or spread to our other dogs.
What I Used (A Shopping List)
- Naturasil Dog Warts Removal Treatment
- Colloidal Silver
- CocoTherapy Coconut Oil
- Dr. Harvey's E-Mune Boost
Naturasil Dog Warts Removal Treatment has a strong scent (essential oils) and doesn't have a good taste; although it was applied on the outside of our dogs' mouth, they licked the area after application and weren't pleased. I applied it to the wart once daily. I purchased two bottles by mistake and we barely went through one bottle with two dogs. A little goes a long way.
Colloidal Silver is a natural antibiotic and I sprayed it on the wart once daily (opposite end of the day than the Naturasil) to prevent infection. With both dogs, the wart did start bleeding after being hit during play or while running around outside. Also, colloidal silver is said to be effective against various viruses, so it made sense to use it to treat the warts. I also began adding colloidal silver to my dogs' water. Since my dogs share a water dish and clean each other's food dishes, I didn't want to risk the continual spread of the virus.
CocoTherapy Coconut Oil is the best coconut oil on the market and I use it on myself and my dogs regularly. Coconut oil is an antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral. After misting colloidal silver on my dogs' wart, I allow the area to air dry, and then I applied a pea-sized amount of coconut oil to the area.
Dr. Harvey's E-Mune Boost is a natural supplement that supports the immune system. I began adding a scoop of the E-Mune Boost to everyone's raw meals daily to support a stronger immune system. Today, I add it to my dogs' diet four days a week along with fermented fish stock from Answers Pet Food.
If Your Dog Has a Wart…
This isn't a virus that will jump from our dogs to us, so don't worry. However, if your dog does have a wart, I suggest keeping him or her home from doggy daycare, cancel your grooming appointment, and don't plan any play dates until it clears up. In everything I've read, many dogs are exposed to canine papillomas without developing warts because their immune system will kick in, however, if your dog does develop a wart, this is a great sign that they can use a boost, which you can do through diet and supplementation.
Foods that Boost a Dog's Immune System
This is not a complete list of foods that help support a healthy immune system. Instead, this is what I give to my dogs to help keep them healthy.
- Feed fresh food – a raw food diet or home-cooked diet support a healthier gut, which, in turn, boosts the immune system; 70% of the immune system lives in the gut. If the gut is healthy, then the immune system can do its job effectively.
- Fermented foods – fermented fish stock, fermented vegetables, and kefir are all foods that support gut health. Adding one or alternating all of them into your dog's diet will help to boost the immune system.
- Add fresh vegetables to the bowl – fresh vegetables provide a source of fiber and food for the gut bacteria which helps to improve your dog's gut microbiome. Healthy gut, healthy dog. I like to make a vegetable mix that contains low glycemic vegetables (collard greens, spinach, kale, and green beans) and other vegetables like zucchini, broccoli, red bell peppers, and garlic (I now use Springtime granules).
- Use a supplement – Dr. Harvey's is a trusted brand in our home and I love their E-Mune Boost product. After seeing how well it did for Scout and Apollo, it was a no brainer to begin adding it to the rotation along with fermented foods.
So far, Apollo and Scout haven't developed any additional warts and my other dogs haven't had them either.
