Why does my senior dog have dry nose, lost weight, and ear growths?

Question

Hi my black Labrador. Has dry cracked bleeding nose. And has lost a bit weight. He has a few growths growing close to his ears. I'm a bit concerned. Not sure if it's down to old age. He's 9yrs old now. He is eating and drink loads. Pet's info: Dog | Labrador Retriever | Male

Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS · Accepted Answer

There could be a couple of things going on with Ben. The dry, cracked, and bleeding nose could be due to allergies, such as to plastic. Losing weight despite eating could be due to a medical issue, such as diabetes or kidney disease. The growths by his ears could be benign tumors, but in older dogs, there's always a chance it could be caused by malignant tumors. I would take Ben into the vet first thing in the morning for an exam. The vet can do a physical exam, blood tests, a urinalysis, and a fine needle aspirate (FNA) on the growths to diagnose the causes of his various symptoms. To do an FNA, the vet sticks a small needle into the lump 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.

Why does my senior dog have dry nose, lost weight, and ear growths?

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