Growth or lump on the gums in a dog or cat
A growth on the gum is a description of a finding, not a diagnosis. Lumps that look alike may turn out to be overgrown gum tissue, a benign epulis, inflammation next to a diseased tooth or a malignant tumour. Neither colour, nor size, nor a photo can reliably tell them apart: the diagnosis is made by a biopsy with histopathology. That is why “wait and see” is not the right approach here.
Important note for owners
The fact that your pet is eating and shows no pain does not mean the growth is harmless: oral tumours may cause hardly any discomfort in the early stages. Melanoma can be dark, but it can also be pink and unpigmented, so a pale colour is no reason to relax.
Most common possible causes
- —Gingival hyperplasia. An overgrowth of gum tissue, sometimes around many teeth at once. Some breeds, such as Boxers, are predisposed, and certain medicines — for example ciclosporin or amlodipine — can also cause it.
- —Benign epulides. For example, a peripheral odontogenic fibroma — a firm growth on the gum next to a tooth. It is benign, but it cannot be told apart from a tumour by eye.
- —Canine acanthomatous ameloblastoma. A benign but locally aggressive tumour in dogs: it can invade the jawbone, so it is removed together with a margin of healthy tissue.
- —Malignant oral tumours. Melanoma (pigmented or unpigmented), squamous cell carcinoma and fibrosarcoma. In cats, squamous cell carcinoma is the most common oral malignancy.
- —In cats — granulomas. A pyogenic granuloma near the molars, and eosinophilic granuloma. Both can resemble a tumour, so they are also confirmed by histopathology.
- —An abscess or reaction around a diseased tooth. Inflammation at the root of a broken tooth or one affected by periodontal disease can sometimes look like a swelling or lump on the gum.
When not to postpone an exam
- ✓Any new growth on the gums, even a small, painless one
- ✓The growth is getting bigger quickly
- ✓The lump bleeds or has an ulcer on its surface
- ✓Teeth next to it are loose or have shifted
- ✓Swelling of the jaw or face, or enlarged lymph nodes under the lower jaw
- ✓Bad breath, or your pet finds it hard to eat
Urgent help needed
- ✓Active bleeding that will not stop
- ✓Rapidly increasing swelling of the face, cheek or under the eye
- ✓Difficulty breathing
- ✓Complete refusal of food and water
What you can do at home
- ✓Photograph the growth next to a ruler or a coin so its size is clear, and note the date. Repeat photos in the same conditions before the appointment will show whether it is growing.
- ✓Write down when you first noticed the lump, whether there is blood on toys or in the saliva, and whether eating has changed.
- ✓If your pet is chewing carefully, offer soft or soaked food.
- ✓Send the photos for an online consultation on Telegram — I'll tell you how urgently an examination is needed. But a photo does not replace an examination, let alone a biopsy.
What not to do at home
- —Don't cut off or cauterise the growth — it causes bleeding and infection, and incomplete removal can make later surgery more difficult
- —Don't squeeze or pierce the lump
- —Don't apply ointments, gels or “folk remedies” — they don't treat growths and only delay the diagnosis
- —Don't give human medicines or painkillers — many of them are toxic to cats and dogs
- —Don't wait for the growth to “go down” or to become noticeably bigger
What diagnostics may be needed
- ✓Consultation: size, firmness and position of the growth, the neighbouring teeth and the lymph nodes under the jaw
- ✓Dental X-rays under anaesthesia: whether the bone and tooth roots are involved; X-rays can underestimate bone invasion, so a CT scan is often needed to plan surgery
- ✓Biopsy with histopathology — this is what makes the diagnosis; cytology alone may not be enough
- ✓If a malignant tumour is suspected — staging: lymph node assessment, chest imaging
By eye, hyperplasia, an epulis and a malignant tumour can look the same, and part of the growth is sometimes hidden in the bone. Histopathology shows what the tissue is, and its extent is assessed on dental X-rays and, if needed, on CT — and that is what determines the surgery.
Unfamiliar term in the diagnosis?If the report mentions TR, FCGS, pulpitis or a periodontal stage, the glossary explains each term briefly.GlossaryHow treatment may proceed
- ✓I choose the treatment after histopathology: the extent and technique of surgery depend on it
- ✓For gingival hyperplasia — gingivectomy or gingivoplasty: removing the excess tissue and restoring the gum contour
- ✓Surgical removal of the growth with a margin of healthy tissue — sometimes together with the tooth and part of the bone
- ✓Treatment or extraction of the diseased tooth if the growth is a reaction to inflammation around it
- ✓For a malignant tumour, a consultation with a veterinary oncologist may be needed
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Related clinical case
Generalized Gingival Hyperplasia in a Maine Coon Kitten: Gingivectomy and Periodontitis Treatment
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Frequently asked questions
No. From a photo I can judge how urgently an examination is needed, but not what the growth is. Even a vet cannot reliably tell hyperplasia from a tumour by eye — that is done by histopathology of a tissue sample.
I don't recommend it. Lack of pain does not mean the growth is benign, and a small growth is usually easier to remove with an adequate margin of healthy tissue. It is better to have the examination and plan the biopsy now rather than when the lump has grown.
If it is a tumour, incomplete removal leaves tumour cells behind and can make the next operation more difficult. So first the nature of the growth and its extent on X-rays are established, and only then is the extent of surgery chosen. Sometimes the biopsy and the removal are combined into one procedure; this is decided case by case.
Hyperplasia is not a tumour, but plaque collects between the overgrown gum and the teeth, which promotes periodontal disease. Only histopathology can confirm that it really is hyperplasia. If your pet takes a medicine that can cause gum overgrowth, don't stop it yourself — discuss it with the vet who prescribed it.
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