Lump in mouth??? I'm SO worried!!

DON'T FREAK OUT!!!
First of all, if he looses a tooth, its not a big deal. He has a bunch more!!   I had an abcessed tooth that had to come out a long time ago, and I am just fine. So that is the first thing to keep in your head, is that he will be just fine.
Okay, now that being said, I had the same kind of thing happen last year to Bubblegum but her bump was under her eye,,which was scary thinking it had to do with her eye.  Her teeth looked fine, couldn't see anything wrong there but it still could have been a abcess. Pictures on the Internet of a dog with an abcess, looked pretty much like it.     Took her to the vet, they drew fluid from the lump and she was puzzled  as to what it was. She said it didn't seem to have pus in it but looked like pure blood. She game Bubby prednisone and antibiotics to make cut infection if there was one.  She said to watch it and if it didn't go away in a week to bring her back in for exrays.  In a week it seemed to be going down but it was sure still there,,,I talked the vet into waiting another week because I didn' t really want to have her knocked out for the exrays.   Another week or so it was still there but down a lot so we let it go.  In the end, we decided it was a haematoma because one day thru it all, she was standing at the top of my steps and she went to turn her head and it banged right into the railing...and it looked like her face hit the railing almost exactly at the spot of her bump. So in the end, I bet she injured herself on the railing and of course couldn't tell us. So in the end it was just a lot of worry about nothing!
 

Christine - I agree with Dyan.  I wouldn't freak out at all.  8 months is pretty young to have a problem with teeth or have any type of tumor for that matter.  I'm not saying it couldn't possibly happen, but it's not likely.  It could be so many other things that are more benign and there's no sense worrying until you see the vet. My first guess would be a papilloma.  If you look at this site, you can read more about it and see pics:
[linkhttp://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_canine_viral_papillomas.html]http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_canine_viral_papillomas.html[/link]
 
Good luck and let us know what you find out.

I wouldn't worry, but you are doing the right thing by taking her to the vet.  If the vet does not know what it is, I would insist on doing a biopsy. 
When Jasmine was five months old, a bump started growing near her nose.  The vet didn't know what it was, told me it was probably a wart.  Four months later and it was the size of a dime, and I decided to have the lump removed because of cosmetic reasons.  It was biopsied after removal, and it ended up being a malignant mast cell tumor.  I was pretty mad at my vet for not jumping on it the first time I brought her in.
Anyway, good for you for catching it quickly...and it's good to second guess your vet in this situation!

Also...we have had problems with white cauliflower-like growths in the mouth...something which spread throughout our dog park...Jasmine had them for about six months...Indy's were gone in a month...

ah.. okay   I will try not to freak.  Thanks for the link Cathy.  It doesn't exactly fit the description of a Papilloma given on the sight (it's not bumpy, but rather very smooth) and it's not on the lip or gum.  I don't know.. 
 
I will take all of your advice and if my Vet does not seem worried about it, I will still insist on a biopsy.  (thanks for that advice as well Leslie!) 
 
I guess the fact that it doesn't seem to bother him is also a good sign?  He's been chewing away on a bone and does NOT favor the other side.  He chews back and forth with no indication that anything hurts. 

It was biopsied after removal, and it ended up being a malignant mast cell tumor.

 
OMG - Leslie - what happened?  She's okay, right?  treatment? 

Okay, so here's a picture. As you can see it's pretty big and his are discharging more than usual.. Oh and his breath is "off". I think he has an infection?

Poor Slick - that does look big, but fortunately, not swollen.  I honestly don't know a lot about dogs and abscesses, but if it were a human, the whole upper lip/cheek would be more swollen.  Do you have an appt with the vet Christine? 
 
p.s.  - Slick looks so much like my lab Sassy, but Sassy's eye's are a lighter brown.  Sweet face Slick has though []

There are lymph nodes in the face. So it could just be an infection and he's just plugged up.  Good luck at the vets. Poor slick!
 
Emily

Thank you! I have an appt. tomorrow afternoon. So, it doesn't look swollen? I guess that is good. I swear it's getting bigger every hour, I pray that it's "nothing" and can just be drained. He's such a little trooper, doesn't act like anything is wrong, still playing with his toys, etc. *I* however, need a Valium!!!

Ummm, this looks like an abcessed tooth.  Tyler, who is 8 months old also, just had a huge tooth removed yesterday.  I *thought* that I noticed a tiny bit of swelling Saturday nite.....Sunday it was more obvious.....we looked and his tooth was clearly bad.....by the time he got into the vet Tuesday, she put him right on antibiotics and scheduled him for the extraction.  Dogs have 40 some teeth, so one lost isn't a huge big deal.

It was biopsied after removal, and it ended up being a malignant mast cell tumor
 
OMG - Leslie - what happened?  She's okay, right?  treatment? 

 
All the edges of the mass were clean, so they think they got it all.  No new bumps or lumps since then (almost a year ago).  I did try to get pet insurance on her in case any more malignancies cropped up, but she was denied coverage because of the mass.  Just pray that she gets no more!
 
Good luck to you and Slick at the vet tomorrow!!

Just a few random thots:
 
1.  No a lump that doesn't 'bother' or doesn't 'hurt' isn't a good sign.  Cancer does NOT hurt.  I'd rather have an abscessed tooth, than a mast cell tumor.
 
2.  If a lump or bump is on muscle, if you can put a finger/thumb on either side of it and almost 'pick it up' and it is NOT 'rooted' under neath that is a VERY good sign.  If it is rooted BEAT IT to the vet fast.
 
3.  If it grows FAST get to the vet now.  It's either something like an abscess that could rupture and cause major sickness, or it may be a sign of cancer.
 
4.  If you even THINK it might be cancer, just plain roll into a cancer diet IMMEDIATELY.  A cancer diet is just plain a diet without carbs -- particularly without grain carbs.  That means no kibble -- and it can be as easy as home cooking (which isn't that big a deal really).  Carbs feed cancer and make it grow, so if you are sitting at home fretting about whether something is cancer or not, you can actually "do" something by giving the dog a grain-free/low carb diet right from when you SUSPECT cancer.  At best the dog eats well (and loves it) and you hold back cancer from growing right from the start.  At worst -- it's a little bit of work, and so what if you feed the dog really well for a few days.
 
Cancer is the worst fear all of us face - so if you are feeding kibble THINK ABOUT IT.  I'm not a food nazi -- I'm not saying don't do this or that.  I *am* saying think long and hard if you are feeding your dog kibble that is preserved with BHA, BHT or ethoxyquin -- and that includes Science Diet, Iams, Eukaneuba (even the prescription ones) and anything you buy in the grocery store or Wal-mart. 
 
In most states if a dog food maker doesn't add the BHA, BHT or ethoxyquin to the food they do NOT have to put it on the label!!  So if they buy meat/meat meal from a rendering plant who puts the preservatives using BHA, BHT and ethoxyquin in the meal before the company gets it, they don't have to put it on the label -- they only have to label what THEY add.  This is why in many places companies like Iams and Eukaneuba don't have them labelled -- cos they didn't add it -- it was already in the ingredients they purchased.
 
Just a few thots.  the waiting for results is a killer -- been there, done it -- and on a dog that I had fed Eukaneuba (a prescription dog food from my vet).  *sigh*

Sending positive thoughts and prayers that everything will be okay.