What is this blackhead-like lump on my Shih Tzu's ear? Is it serious?

Hello. Because of this lesions' change in size & color, I would recommend just having it removed. It looks like a melanoma, but would need histopathology to definitively diagnose it. It is small so removal should be pretty easy. This would be a good time to have your veterinarian take a good look deep into Moka's ears. You may not see any infection, but there could be inflammation or even a foreign body like a grass awn down near the ear drum. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

This looks like a wart or benign mass from the photo. Usually malignant tumors grow more quickly, and are not as well defined as this. The only way to know for sure though is a biopsy. If he continues to irritate the growth then certainly I would have it removed and biopsied. If you wish to monitor it I recommend taking a photo and measuring it at least monthly so you’ll know it it starts to grow or become more inflamed. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Boone.

Unfortunately I also can't tell by just a look, but in an 11 year old dog, there is always a concern any lump could be malignant. It's a very good idea to have Dime seen by her vet and have this tested.

Thank you for your question. I would suspect this isn't anything to be concerned about, however, because it is on an ear and likely to become a problem if it grows, I would have your veterinarian take a look. It isn't only the appearance of a nodule that we worry about, but how it feels, and if it is moveable, or attached to the structures below the skin. Those are things that I cannot tell from a photo. This looks like a small little growth that we would probably monitor over time, but it is an odd location, and it is better to be safe and have it checked out. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

This looks like a skin mass (such as an adenoma) or potentially a viral papilloma. I would recommend having your veterinarian examine Zooey to confirm: often no additional treatment is recommended for adenomas unless they are infected or bothering the pet. A papilloma would typically regress without treatment but occasionally medications are started if they are increasing in size or bothering the pet, and viral papillomas are contagious to other dogs.

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!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I do not think the mass has anything to do with being bitten in the area. It looks like a sebaceous adenoma form your picture (benign). It is very small and I recommend, if Lilly is a calm dog, removing it locally with lidoacine and a punch biopsy. It looks smaller than 8mm which makes it easy to take off with out anesthesia. If you decide not to take it off, I think that is fine. Dogs that form sebaceous adenomas tend to form more throughout their lives. Sometimes the dogs will lick or irritate them prompting owners to want to remove them. I hope this helps and I wish you and Lilly the best!