My 11-year-old Shih Tzu has a bleeding ear lump. Is it serious?

It would be best to have it looked at as soon as you can him examined. It may just be a cyst but it could also be an abscess or a tumor. I'm glad it is not bothering him but that doesn't necessarily mean it's not something worse than just a cyst.

This looks like a benign skin growth or mole. I do recommend measuring it and taking pictures weekly to make sure it’s not enlarging. I would have it examined by your veterinarian at your dogs next regular exam. Although unlikely this could become a cancerous growth so if it starts to change then I recommend surgical removal and biopsy. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Gizmo.

If this just showed up, I would recommend having a veterinarian take a look at this. It may be a type of tumor that needs to be removed called a mast cell tumor. I would err on the side of caution and have the veterinarian look at this and perform some additional testing on it. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

This lump in Nico's ear could be a cyst, but it could also be a benign tumor or a malignant tumor. Unfortunately in a senior dog, there is always a chance a lump could be a malignant tumor. I would have Nico seen by a vet for this lump first thing Monday. The vet can perform a test called a fine needle aspirate on it. To do this, the vet sticks a small needle into the lump to get a sample of it's cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. Once the cause of the lump is diagnosed, the vet can discuss treatment options.

By it's look only it's not possible to tell what type of tumor it is. this lump needs to be checked and analysed as there are many conditions and types of tumors that could look like that. take Sunny to the vet, they will perform a fine needle aspiration on the growth and send it to the lab for analysis. when the result comes, the vet will advise what needs to be done according to the diagnosis.

I would recommend having Lily evaluated by the vet if this mass is getting bigger. any abnormal growth that is changing in size and shape should be assessed to make sure that it is not malignant. A needle aspirate may give your vet enough clues to determine what this is, or they may recommend surgical biopsy or removal. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It looks a bit like a cutaneous horn. The only way to know for certain is to have it examined by a vet. A cutaneous horn is rarely cancerous, but it can be irritating and it will continue to grow. Removal is commonly recommended for these.