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What's this red, crusty bump on my dog's face? Should I see a vet?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Female | spayed | 50 lbs

My dog had a red bump on her face then come the next day it was brown/black in color and crusty. Should I assume it's a wart or bring her straight the vet?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on January 22nd, 2017

I would have Jane seen by a vet. Any suspicious lumps should be examined by the vet. This could be a wart, but it could also be a benign tumor or a malignant tumor. 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 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. I would have her seen Monday or Tuesday :-)

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    Answered By Mallori Kaminski, BVSc

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    I wouldn't assume that the bump is a wart, particularly as it has changed in color. It could be a wart that she irritated and that caused it to bleed and scab over, or it could be an infection of some sort, or a tumor of some sort. The best thing to do would be to take Jane into your vet. He or she can do a fine needle aspirate, which involves sticking a needle in the lump to sample a few cells, and looking at them under the microscope in order to determine what the bump is.

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