What's the pea-sized lump in my dog's ear? She's shaking and whining.

It sounds like Gypsy may have an ear infection. This is a very common condition in dogs and is treated with special ear cleaners and medication for bacteria or yeast, depending on what type of organism is causing the infection. I'd recommend taking Gypsy in to the vet right away (although an emergency clinic is unnecessary) for evaluation and to get treatment started. Best of luck!

This lump could represent a cyst like structure or a neoplasia (tumor) or a spot of infection. It is essential to have it checked by your local veterinarian as this could be sampled to determine its underlying nature. Your vet may want to perform an FNA (fine needle aspiration) or a biopsy to sample the bump. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

It would be Rambler has an ear infection. That would cause her to shake her head a lot, scratch at her ear, and whine in pain when scratching the ear. Ear infections in dogs can be caused by ear mites, yeast, or bacteria. A vet is needed to diagnose if she does have an ear infection, what's causing, and to prescribe medication to treat it. I would take her into the vet first thing in the morning. Best of luck.

Yes, it sounds like something is bothering her. Dogs have very long ear canals so what you can see just by holding up the ear flap and looking down there is not even 10% of the ear. It is best to take her to the vet so they can look down into the ear with an otoscope to see if there is something down there.

This looks like an aural hematoma, a condition where the space between the skin and the ear cartilage fills with blood. It most commonly occurs secondary to an ear infection. While a veterinarian needs to be involved to treat the hematoma and the underlying cause, it is not necessarily an emergency and I think it would be okay for the dog to wait a couple days if necessary as long as he isn't too uncomfortable. If your neighbor is out of town for more than a couple days you should take the dog to a vet.

If the ear is droopy and she is shaking her head she probably has an ear infection. Because of the head shaking and probably scratching as well, blood vessels in the ear are exploding, causing blood and fluids to fill the pinea ans swell. This condition is called "ear hematoma" and needs medical or surgical treatment. The ear infection needs to be treated as well as it is the primary cause, usually ear drops from the vet will solve this, in some cases systemic antibiotics are prescribed as well. Regarding the the droopy ear I personally prefer the medical treatment (steroids for 4 weeks) over the surgical one, unfortunately most vets will still opt for the surgery.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It sounds like Snow may have an ear infection, which can be pretty uncomfortable for her. She should be seen by a vet to assess the severity of the condition and begin the appropriate treatment. Treatment may include oral antibiotics or topical antibiotics. I hope this helps and am happy to answer any questions you have!