Lily's got a lump

Guardian

The Cosmic Force
Lily's got a weird little lump towards the tip of the floppy part of her ear. It's oblong in shape, about an inch or so long. It's not red, or hot, no wound and it doesn't seem to be causing her any pain, I can rub it and move it about and she doesn't react.

The inside of her ear looks fine, not red, swollen or anything like that. I thought that maybe the puppy had bruised it since he likes to use Lily's ears as chew toys, but someone suggested that it could be "blood building up from the cartilage that had torn from years of shaking her head?"

Any advice would be MUCH appreciated. If it hasn't gone down by Monday, I'm going to take her to the vet, but I want to do some research before I do.
 
Dex has one of these on his neck. Its a benign kind of cyst, full of fluid. He had it aspirated, but it came back.

To get rid of it, he'd have to have surgery, which we're saving up for. (Need to get his teeth cleaned at the same time, so its pricey.)

If it doesn't bother her I wouldn't worry about it, but if the puppy is chewing on her, might be good to have it checked. (Or if it gets bigger, that might be a problem.)

It could also be a sebaceous cyst, those aren't a big deal either, but when in doubt, check it out. :flowers:
 
Hi Guardian,

Is it soft and squishy or more firm (fluid vs tissue)?

Oh, the tough life of a walking chew toy. I imagine living with you, having one's ears chewed on is but a small price to pay for not being treated like chattel/livestock.

Gonzo
 
Gonzo said:
Is it soft and squishy or more firm (fluid vs tissue)?

More firm, almost feels inflated.

Oh, the tough life of a walking chew toy. I imagine living with you, having one's ears chewed on is but a small price to pay for not being treated like chattel/livestock.

The very fact that Lily hasn't torn this puppy a new one is quite amazing...he torments her every chance he gets.
 
From what you are describing it looks like small hematoma, very often the small capillaries in the ear bust due to the shaking or constant scratching (or in this case chewing by other dog) and the blood forms a cushion between the skin and the cartilage. Nothing to worry about, if it is small no need to surgically remove it it will recede in a week or so.
 
Yeah, I'd be leaning toward burst vessel as fist guess too. Any discoloration? I can't recall how opaque their skin is in the ear, but if it's thin enough or translucent, you might see discoloration with a hematoma.

Of course, only having experience as a reservist medic for a year and taking over a friend's sheep farm whenever they needed to get away...take it with a grain of salt.

Gonzo
 
Herr Eisenheim said:
From what you are describing it looks like small hematoma, very often the small capillaries in the ear bust due to the shaking or constant scratching (or in this case chewing by other dog) and the blood forms a cushion between the skin and the cartilage. Nothing to worry about, if it is small no need to surgically remove it it will recede in a week or so.

THANK YOU! (again) I was really hoping it's something like that since any procedure that requires sedation is VERY risky at her age. Although the all meat diet and the kid's new puppy have her acting like a young dog again, she's almost 15 which is right old for a dog her size. They play so rough too, but Lily seems to enjoy it. The puppy is not allowed in my room so Lily always has a quiet place to go if she wants a break from him....but she doesn't use it much.
 
Gimpy said:
How's the lump looking? Any better? :flowers:

No, if anything, it's gotten a TINY bit larger. :(

Since it still doesn't seem to bother her, I'm going to give it a few more days. Going to the vet is very traumatic for her, she blows coat, shakes, makes "nervous puddles" etc. so I want to avoid the trip if at all possible.
 
Why not just put some diluted DMSO on it? Dilute with distilled water and apply with a cotton ball.
 
Guardian said:
No, if anything, it's gotten a TINY bit larger. :(

Since it still doesn't seem to bother her, I'm going to give it a few more days. Going to the vet is very traumatic for her, she blows coat, shakes, makes "nervous puddles" etc. so I want to avoid the trip if at all possible.

As I mentioned, my doberman had the little lump for several months (3-4) until it finally started bothering him. He was constantly shaking his head - which inevitably made it worse since that's what started the separation of cartilage to begin with. By the time it really started to bother him, it was about the size of a quarter and probably a 1/2 inch thick).

I don't blame you for not wanting to take her to the vet. I'm not sure what else you could do though since the cartilage is already damaged and will continue to get larger.

Added: Just saw Laura's post re: DMSO. :)
 
Laura said:
Why not just put some diluted DMSO on it? Dilute with distilled water and apply with a cotton ball.

Because I've associated DMSO with pain relief so strongly in my head that I didn't think of it :-[
Thanx for the reminder.
 
1984 said:
I don't blame you for not wanting to take her to the vet. I'm not sure what else you could do though since the cartilage is already damaged and will continue to get larger.

I'm still hoping it's just a "hemotoma" caused by the puppy and will go down on its own like Herr Eisenheim suggested. This seems likely since it appeared very suddenly ...and the puppy thinks her ears and tail are chew toys.

I don't want to risk her life for an ear lump if I can at all avoid it, especially since she doesn't even seem to notice it.
 
I would give it a week, even 10 days. Indeed DMSO may help absorption.
 
At some point hematomas stop expanding due to clotting. Depending on the size of the vessel, this could be seconds to days. But after a few days, if it continues to grow, I'd be inclined to rule out a hematoma.

Other possibilities could include foreign item (thorn, for example) being encapsulated after the body's initial attempt at dissolving or flushing fail. There are also cysts and other growths that could be of concern (and probably several other possibilities beyond my limited knowledge).

My friends' farms get the vet to come on site. Does your vet make farm visits?

Gonzo
 
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