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Why does my dog have a red ear bump with a black tint and seem sad?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Male | neutered | 1 year and 8 months old | 100 lbs

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?

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Juliana, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on March 4th, 2018

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.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Dr. Davis

    Veterinarian

    Published on March 18th, 2018

    This looks like a wart or benign skin growth. It’s nothing to be overly concerned about. If it enlarges or bleeds a lot then I recommend surgically removing it. They can do a biopsy then also to make sure it’s not cancer. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Smokey.

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