Help with puppy with warts in her mouth

November 3, 2011 10:22 AM

My poor puppy has warts in her mouth that look like COPV or the canine equivalent to HPV - probably contracted at daycare. The vet says that they will go away in time but probably last for a few months. I've been seeing on the web that L-Lysine and/or Vitamin C can help boost her immune system. Does anybody know anything about this and what dosage to give her of either?
posted by Raichle to Pets & Animals (12 answers total)

Ok well this may be obvious but, go ask your vet. We carried l-lysine at the vet hospital and though I've never seen it used in dogs, they will know the dosage.
posted by boobjob at 10:27 AM on November 3, 2011 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: I went there yesterday and asked about supplements and was told nothing would help. I've seen other evidence online. I'm assuming since they don't believe it's helpful, they won't give me dosage info.
posted by Raichle at 10:30 AM on November 3, 2011

Response by poster: The dog is 11 months old and about 55lbs if that helps.
posted by Raichle at 10:31 AM on November 3, 2011

Best answer: We used the l-lysine as a supplement to her food. It was in some kind of puppy supplement for the immune system. I can't remember the name, sorry. The warts never recurred.
posted by dobie at 11:29 AM on November 3, 2011 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Okay, I just gave her 500 mg of L-Lysine. I hope that's okay and I'll watch to see if it upsets her stomach. I feel so bad for her, it can't be comfortable and wow does it look creepy. I'm home with her all day so I can watch if there are any adverse reactions. I saw posts from people giving 500 mg / 2x a day to smaller dogs so I guess it's safe.
posted by Raichle at 11:46 AM on November 3, 2011

Size and age are not the same!!!! An 11 year old girl who is 150 pounds would not take the same dosage as a 35-year old woman who is 98 lbs... But I'm sure your pup will be fine.

The warts probably don't trouble the pup at all.
posted by Lesser Shrew at 12:21 PM on November 3, 2011 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: They're bothering her a bit, she's rubbing her face on the side they're on a lot. The vet said they could take up to 2 months to clear and she can't go around other dogs while she has symptoms which is difficult and sad for her.
posted by Raichle at 12:56 PM on November 3, 2011

I think generally whole food sources are better and less likely to cause problems for dogs. Here's a list of foods high in lysine. Lots of premium dog foods are made with salmon, which is very high in lysine.
posted by oneirodynia at 2:58 PM on November 3, 2011

Response by poster: She eats the Taste of the Wild food which is supposed to be really good.
posted by Raichle at 3:19 PM on November 3, 2011

There was a study done that suggested that Azithromycin would help reduce the warts. My pup had them, I talked my vet into giving it a try. After about 5 weeks the warts started to get smaller, and were soon gone. I'm convinced the Azithromycin was a factor.
posted by HuronBob at 5:43 PM on November 3, 2011

It may not be the same, but I've given my cat L-lysine to help with feline HPV flare ups. I think I gave her 250mg, twice a day. I just bought capsules at the drugstore, opened them up and mixed the powder in her food. It seemed to help her move through her symptoms faster.
posted by scrute at 6:35 PM on November 3, 2011

Dogs make their own Vitamin C, by the way. The great apes are among the few animal families that don't.
posted by flabdablet at 8:36 PM on November 3, 2011