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My dog has a gum growth. Is it serious or will it disappear on its own?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 6 years and 7 months old | 8 lbs

My dog has a small growth in his gum line on the bottom next to his tooth. He is a 6 year old Chihuahua/Jack Russel Terrier mix. It does not bother him he eats regularly and even plays tug of war and fetch with me with his rope? Is this something that will go away in its own? It is smooth and the same color as his gums. The odious owner never noticed it. It has been there for about a month and a half and has never affected him in any way.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jeffrey Milner

Veterinarian

Published on May 27th, 2018

Masses within the mouth, much like other parts of the body, have the potential to be troublesome or of little consequence. Typically, the older the animal the more likely we are looking at something concerning. The most common benign finding often found within the mouth on the gumlines are epulis, which is simply a benign gum tumor. In some instances they require removal in order to facilitate food consumption or provide generalized comfort, but in many cases particularly when they are not growing in size, they can be left alone and can even spontaneously resolve. In other instances, masses in the mouth can be malignant and show up in the form of melanomas or squamous cell carcinomas. If this is the case, complete removal of the mass and the surrounding tissue is always recommended, followed by potentially other ancillary treatments. The only way to know for sure however would be with cytology or removal / biopsy. At six years of age, there is a pretty good chance Phoenix would likely benefit from a dental cleaning and x-rays regardless of the presence of this mass. If placed under anesthesia for this procedure, you can talk with your veterinarian about how you'd like to proceeded regarding potentially removing / biopsying the area. Hope this makes sense.

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on January 14th, 2018

    I'm sorry Buddy has a mass growing out of his gums. Without seeing it in person, I can't say for certain what it is or how best to treat it. From experience, it could be an epulides, which is a tumor like mass on the gums. It could also be a malignant tumor or another type of benign tumor. The best thing to do is take Buddy into the vet to have this mass examined. The vet can diagnose what is causing the mass and how best to treat it, which may include surgical removal. I would take him into the vet this coming week. Good luck, I hope this helps!

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