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Why is my puppy licking a growth on his paw? What should I do?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 25 lbs

My puppy has a growth between his toes on his back paw. He is not limping, he acting completely normal, but he his licking it a lot. What could it be?

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist, Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner

Published on December 4th, 2017

Poor Archie. That looks really irritated. Unfortunately, there isn't any way to tell what a growth is by just looking at it. Your vet can do a simple test called a fine needle aspirate where they collect a few cells with a needle and look at them under the microscope to determine what it is. You don't mention how old Archie is, but if he is young, we do sometimes see a benign growth in young dogs called a histiocytoma which will go away on its own, but may require medication to prevent it from irritating Archie so much. I have attached more information on a histiocytoma below. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1676 I would recommend having your vet examine Archie and collect a sample from the growth to determine what it is. In the meantime, I would recommend an elizabethan collar or bootie to keep Archie from licking at it, so he doesn't make it more irritated. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Maria DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    I would recommend taking Archie to your veterinarian. I would actually recommend discussing with them having the growth removed. The concern is more that the growth with grow and cause pain and discomfort to Archie. The larger the growth is the harder it will be to be removed. After the growth is removed you can discuss with your veterinarian if it is something that should be biopsied to make sure it is benign (non-cancerous). In the mean time I would recommend putting an elizabethan collar on Archie so he doesn't lick at it. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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