My dog has a painful scab on his ear. Is it serious or just a scab?

Question

My Maltese poodle has a pee-sized scab on the tip of his ear. He hasn’t been to the groomers in a couple of months, so it’s not a nick, but when I try to examine it, he runs away. I thought it might be a burr, as he sometimes gets those in his coat, but when I tried to check it out, I determined it wasn’t that and he yelped when I touched it (he doesn’t like removing burrs, but never helps when I take them out. I also noticed some red in the area, so definitely a scab.) He’s 4.5 years old. Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 4 years and 6 months old

Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA · Accepted Answer

If it really is just a scab, then I would leave it alone, since pulling it off will hurt and may cause bleeding. Scabs are there to protect the new tissue that is growing underneath. Scabs can often be confused by small moles, ticks, small papillomas or warts, or even a tumor. When Sven is calm and sitting near you, look and see if it looks like a scab (usually flat) or something else. If it is something else, then you should have it checked out by a vet.

My dog has a painful scab on his ear. Is it serious or just a scab?

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