Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

  • Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!

My dog has a white bump below his ear that won't pop. What is it?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Australian Shepherd - miniature | Male | unneutered | 4 years and 9 months old | 50 lbs

Hi so my dog is 5 years old is healthy and is a mini Australian Shepard and for the longest time now he’s had this white little bump below his ear that feels like a pimple but is white and I’ve tried to pop it but it hasn’t popped what is it and what should I do?

This question includes photos that may contain sensitive content. Click to view.

View more to consider that the photos may include sensitive content.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Image profile

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on January 21st, 2018

From the pictures, it looks like the little bump below Daniel's ear could be a benign tumor such as wart. Of course, there is always a chance it could be a malignant tumor, so it's a good idea to have it checked out by a vet. The vet can perform a test called a fine needle aspirate on it. To do this, the vet sticks a small needle into the bump 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 bump is diagnosed, the vet can discuss if any treatment is needed. I would take him into the vet sometime this week. Good luck, I hope this helps!

Vote icon

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Questions

Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog had a bump on her ear I just found. It’s white, not too hard but not completely soft. It’s the same color as her skin besides a little bit of gunk around it, looks like dirt. She’s around 10-11 years old. It was hard to show and take pictures
I can see the bumps from the pictures (thank you for providing them!), and it could simply be a benign tumor like a wart. There is also a change in a senior dog that any bump could be malignant, so it's always good to get it checked out by a vet. The vet can perform a test called a fine needle aspirate on it. To do this, the vet sticks a small needle into the bump 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 bump is found, the vet can discuss treatment options with you. Good luck, I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hey, Smokey’s had this red bump on his ear a while and I just noticed it’s got a little black tint to it at the bottom. I also noticed he isn’t acting as happy as he normally is. Do you have any idea on what this could be?
Thanks for posting a great picture! This is a skin growth/tumor. Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing what exactly the skin bump is just from looking at it (even in person). Growths like that can be several things including some benign (non cancerous) growths such as histiocytomas. Histiocytomas often develop on young dogs like Smokey and often are on the ear (or other extremities) and actually can resolve on their own over several weeks. But, other growths that are more concerning can look very similar. Ideally I would recommend having your veterinarian examine the bump. They may use a needle to aspirate (get cells) from the bump and look under the microscope to determine what type of growth this is and whether it is at all concerning or needs to be removed.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog has a bump on his ear and I need help determining if it’s something that will go away or needs an attention of our vet.
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 Boop by Petco!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My puppy has a little bump on his ear. I notice it doesn't hurt him. He has had it for a couple of weeks now and it got a little bigger. Its has a very dry/hard skin on top.
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! This could be a benign or malignant growth. This could even be an infection though it is hard to know without an exam. There is no way of knowing what it is just based on its appearance. This is often differentiated by a test called a fine needle aspirate (FNA) which is a pain free, inexpensive and easy procedure which in most cases will help reach a diagnosis. Sometimes a biopsy is needed for a definitive diagnosis. I recommend that you have him evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. I am really hoping for something benign. Good luck and have a good day!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog has had this pimple like bump near his ear for a few weeks, what is it?
This looks like a benign adenoma, which is just a benign type of mass. Just watch it for now. If it is growing or bothering Pancho, then I would have your vet look at it. If it grows or changes, your vet will need to perform some diagnostic testing so that some of the cells in this mass can be evaluated under a microscope. These results will help to determine if it needs to be removed. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I have a 7 year old pitt he has a bump on his ear I worried that it my be something bad
This may be an abscess, a cyst or a tumor. You should have it examined by your veterinarian, as it is not possible to distinguish these by just looking at a photo. An abscess can usually be treated with antibiotics and/or be lanced, and a cyst can be evacuated. To identify a tumor, your vet may want to do a fine needle aspirate (he takes some material from the bump with a needle and then looks at it under the microscope) to determine whether the mass is concerning.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog has this bump on his ear that has progressively gotten worse and we're wondering what it could be and how urgent we need to be with it. It started as a small pink bump then turned to an irritated red and now its 'shed' a crusty brown skin and
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! This could be a benign or malignant growth. There is no way of knowing what it is just based on its appearance. This is often differentiated by a test called a fine needle aspirate (FNA) which is a pain free, inexpensive and easy procedure which in most cases will help reach a diagnosis. Sometimes a biopsy is needed for a definitive diagnosis. While this is not an emergency, this should be evaluated sooner rather than later. I recommend that you have him evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. I am really hoping for something benign. Good luck and have a good day!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
a little bump under the skin of dogs ear flap behind the ear.
Thank you for contacting Boop by Petco with your question about Bear. This bump could be a benign or malignant growth. Any suspicious lumps should be examined by the vet. 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 its 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 if needed. Give his vet a call to make him an appointment. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog is 1 year old and he has a small hard red bump on the back of his ear, but he doesn’t seem to notice it. He has been acting normal other than that.
This could just be a small, benign tumor on Kingston, but any suspicious lumps should be examined by the vet. 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 its 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 if needed. Give his vet a call on Monday to make him an appointment. Best of luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog is developing a bump on his ear flap since 45 days. It is soft on palpation,fast growing and painless as well. What will be the treatment.?
This kind of lump/growth needs to be ideally assessed by your veterinarian to have a definitive and specific answer. Usually there are two ways your vet can do that a part from examining it directly during physical examination. A biopsy can be taken under local or general anesthetic, otherwise a smaller sample through a fine needle can be aspirated (this technique is called FNA= fine needle aspiration). Differentials include skin cysts, infections, benign or more sinister type of tumors. 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.
Updated on September 24th, 2025

Related Searches

Dog Supplies Dog Food Dog Health & Wellness Dog Ear Care Dog Ear & Eye Care Dog Ear & Eye Medicine Dog Medicine and Prescriptions Dog Eye Care Antifungal Medication for Dogs Prescription Shampoo for Dogs Pup Pop Well & Good Dog Ear Care Well & Good Dog Ear & Eye Care PetAlive Dog Ear Care Earth Animal Dog Ear & Eye Care Dexamethasone Ophthalmic Solution Dog Ear & Eye Medicine Vet's Best Dog Ear Care NaturVet Dog Ear Care Dermalone Dog Medicine and Prescriptions Vetericyn Dog Ear Care
image
Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Sponsored