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My senior dog has a growing, painless head bump. Should I worry?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier | Female | spayed | 8 years and 11 months old | 49 lbs

My soft-coated Wheaten Terrier has a bump on her head near the rear of her right ear. It's currently about the size of a marble/grape and until recently it's been growing until it peaked at it's current size. When pressing it, she doesn't seem to notice (it's not painful for her.) She is ~9 years old and has some other unrelated health problems (breathes heavy and is allergic to many things and has a specialized diet). Can you give insight into the bump? See pics (1 top, 2 side, 3 rear)

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1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on February 4th, 2018

Thank you for providing pictures of Ela's bump. There are a couple of things this could be; for example, it could be from trauma if she's scratching her ear a lot. That could be a sign of an ear infection. This bump could also be a benign tumor or a malignant tumor. In a senior dog, unfortunately there is always a chance any bump could be malignant. Given that it's been growing, I would have her seen by a vet for it. The vet can diagnose what is causing the bump and how best to treat it. Good luck, I hope this helps!

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2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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