My dog has a boil-like lump below his ear. What should I do?

Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I am sorry to hear that your pet Tony has vision problems and now what appears to be a mass/tumor or possible seroma (blood filled sac). In order to figure out what this swelling truly is, a visit to your vet is required. The vet can take a radiograph of the swelling to gather more clues and possibly even sample the swelling to identify it. I do hope that everything turns out favorable for Tony in regards to this swelling. Best of luck and take care.

I recommend to take Greta to see her veterinarian. While most skin masses are benign, masses that a red/pink, hairless and raised are a concern for a malignant skin tumor called a Mast Cell tumor. It also appears as though this mass is ulcerated regardless and it needs to be removed. Once masses grow to the point of ulceration, they will heal and break open over and over again which can make them prone to infections not to mention oozing/bleeding. Just like with a human, the doctor will likely take a sample of the mass or remove the mass entirely and microscopically exam it. Thats the only way to know what it is accurately. In the mean time, protect the mass from trauma and wash it daily with an antibacterial hand soap (rinse it well). You can apply a small amount of coconut oil and rub it well into the skin. This may help the wound to heal a little faster. I hope this helps to point you in the right direction. Please feel free to post any further questions!

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.

Hello, my name is Dr. Shines and I am happy to help. Dogs can get all kinds of skin masses as well as things like pimples and ingrown hairs. Most of these lesions will be benign but a few will be cancerous. Unfortunately, you can't always tell from looks alone. If the bump doesn't seem to hurt or bother Bentley, you might try applying a warm (not hot) compress every couple hours for 10 minutes. If this is an ingrown hair or pimple, this might help it to come to a head. If it seems to bother him, have him examined. If the bump is still there in 2 weeks, I'd go ahead and have Bentley examined. There's one type of skin cancer called a Mast Cell Tumor and they commonly look red/pink, hairless and raised. If the doctor is concerned, they'll test it. I hope this helps and please feel free to reach out with any additional questions.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Bertie. Lumps generally fall into a few broad categories including growths/tumors which can be benign (not cancer) or malignant (cancer), granulomas which are a collection of inflammatory cells, abscess/infection, among others. In young dogs, a common benign tumor called a histiocytoma can develop. These are raised growths, often pink and somewhat flat like a button. These growths oftentimes resolve on their own without treatment. I would advise that your veterinarian take a look at Bertie. They can get a detailed history and do a complete physical exam focusing on the area of the growth, They may advise diagnostics such as a fine needle aspirate or a biopsy of the growth to determine what it is. If they suspect a histiocytoma they may just advise monitoring the area but to also be on the lookout for any scratching of the ear/growth. Once a diagnosis is obtained or suspected, a sound treatment plan can be discussed. The ear is a tricky area for growths and their removal because of the lack of skin to close over the incision if they are removed. Thus, a growth in this area warrants a quick analysis by your vet. Good luck with Bertie.

That does look to be a mass. A mass is a collection of cells and can be benign (inflammation, cyst, some tumors) or a malignant tumor. Given the age of your dog this may be a histiocytoma, but as many skin tumors can look alike the best plan to confirm this is for your vet to perform a needle aspirate for cytology. That way you will know for sure if this can be monitored or if it needs any therapy. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Aw poor Tottie! Without examining the lump is impossible to say if it is anything to be worried about. It also sounds like Tottie has an ear infection. I'd recommend taking Tottie to see your veterinarian so that her ears can be checked. Your vet can also check the lump and take a needle sample to determine if it is a problem. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I hope Tottie's issues can be resolved quickly!