Bichons are prone to "old lady warts," as well. Sugar has a lot, all of which have appeared since she arrived here Dec 9, 2006.

Sugar also has one lump which did not have the cauliflower look to it. Sometimes I would hit it with the slicker brush during grooming and it would bleed. Otherwise, it was just "there," and growing at a faster rate than the other stuff. Both my vet and I could tell that this lump looked different to the "warts." My vet knew the others are "warts" right off the bat and did not suggest any treatment unless one appears to bother her.

So today when I went in to the vet with Lacey and Crystal, I took Sugar along and asked them to look at the lump. They did a cystology, aspiration with a needle. The cells are dividing rapidly. We will have it removed, the soonest they can do that is Aug 10th. Then it will go to the pathology lab to see if it is benign (please pray that it is!) or malignant.

Here is a little info I located when I did a google search:

There are many different kinds of skin tumors, some are serious but most are benign. Most skin growths are likely to be either skin papillomas (i.e. warts) or sebaceous gland adenomas. Skin papillomas are common in dogs but rare in cats. Their cause is unknown, although a viral infection appears to be involved in some cases. These growths can appear as solitary or multiple lumps and characteristically have a cauliflower-like surface. There is no way to prevent them from occurring.

Warts can appear anywhere on the body, especially as pets get older, but they cause few problems and are benign. In those cases where a wart causes a problem (e.g .the pet licks it excessively or it becomes infected), it can be removed surgically without difficulty. Usually, warts are left alone.