TL;DR: Most ear growths on dogs are benign skin tags or cysts, but a veterinary exam is necessary to rule out serious conditions. Monitor for rapid growth or irritation and take a photo to help your vet track changes.
What should I know about a new growth or mole on my dog's ear?
Finding a new lump or "mole" on your dog's outer ear flap, also known as the pinna, can be a source of worry for any pet parent. While often referred to as moles, these growths are frequently skin tags, sebaceous cysts, or benign tumors like histiocytomas. Because the skin on the ear is thin and highly visible, even small changes can look significant. It is important to remember that while many of these growths are harmless, only a veterinary professional can definitively rule out more serious conditions like mast cell tumors or melanoma.
How urgent is a new growth on my dog's ear?
- A small, slow-growing mole on the ear flap is generally considered a low-urgency situation.
- If your dog is acting normally and the growth is not bleeding or oozing, you can typically wait for a routine appointment.
- Schedule an earlier appointment if the growth doubles in size quickly or if your dog begins scratching the ear excessively.
How does taking a photo of the growth help with veterinary triage?
- A high-quality photo allows the vet to see the texture, color, and attachment point of the growth.
- Visual information helps the vet determine if the growth looks benign or requires a fine-needle aspirate.
- A photo serves as a vital baseline to track any subtle changes in the growth's size or shape over time.
Clinical Context (Merck Veterinary Manual)
In dogs, common pinnal neoplasms include sebaceous gland tumors, histiocytomas, and mast cell tumors; other tumors reported in the external ear canal include inflammatory polyps, papillomas, sebaceous gland adenomas, histiocytomas, plasmacytomas, melanomas, fibromas, squamous cell carcinomas, and hemangiosarcomas. Middle-aged to older dogs are more likely to have benign otic tumors, while dogs over 11 years old seem to have more malignant tumors, often attributed to the chronicity of ear disease. Chronic inflammation of the ear canal may lead to hyperplasia, followed by dysplasia and neoplasia, and inspissated apocrine secretions from hyperplastic ceruminous glands during otitis externa episodes may stimulate carcinogenesis. Neoplastic growths will not resolve with topical otic therapy.
Chapter: Oncology, Dermatology
Source: The Merck Veterinary Manual, 11th Edition (Page 534)