What is this growth on my senior dog's upper gums? Is it serious?

Question

my dog is 15 years old and he has something wrong on his gums , the top part of his mouth. What exactly is it? Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | neutered | 55 lbs

Lauren Kennedy, DVM · Accepted Answer

This looks like an overgrowth of gingival tissue, or gingival epulis. These are generally benign and can be easily removed when the dog is under anesthesia for a dental cleaning. There is a small chance however that this could be a more serious mouth tumor, like an oral cancer like a melanoma. The only way to know for sure is to have the mass removed and sent off for histopathology. Because of your dog's advanced age I would probably recommend just keeping an eye on it for now. As long as it is not infected, irritating, or causing trouble when he eats it should be ok to leave alone. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

What is this growth on my senior dog's upper gums? Is it serious?

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