My shepherd has zit like bumps in her ears. They only bother her if touched. What should I do? Is this something serious?
Optional Information: Age: 8; Female; Breed: German Shepherd mix
Is your dog outside a lot?
Are the lumps small and BB sized or bigger and seeming like they are fluid filled?
I finally figured out how to get this working. The dog is an inside dog. We go outside only for walks and bathroom breaks. They are about BB sized, hard, and the center is white. They look very much like a pimple.
OK if you want to try something at home you can see if these spots respond to using Neosporin or Triple Antibitoic ointment put on them a couple times a day. If they are small infections that might do it.
If your dog is not on flea or tick prevention these might be reactions to flea or tick bites.
I've seen lumps like this from a dog that has fly bites on the ears too which is why I asked about him being outside.
Dogs can get small lumps (and large ones) from scratching at the ears due to ear infection or mites and blood vessels breaking. You can read about this here
http://marvistavet.com/html/body_aural_hematoma.html
If home care doesn't get you anywhere in clearing these up I'd have your vet do an in person exam. If you suspect this might be from tick bites you'd want to have your vet screen for tick carried diseases with a blood test.
Your description sounds like what I see when there is a bite by some 'bug' or another to the ears though.
You can read about other possible issues here
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1593&articleid=426
and more on skin issues here
http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/health/skin.htm
Hope this helps you!
They don't look anything like any of the pictures on those links. The dog is on flea/tick medication. These bumps have been there for several months now. She does not scratch them. She does not even seem to notice them unless I touch it. I will try neosporin and see if that helps. Is there anything else this could be? Or is there anything else I should do?
The might be scars or they could be an indication of a vascular problem. If they have been there for months without changing then you may just want to discuss them with your vet the next time you see them. If you are seeing more of them then you might want an in person exam sooner. Lumps are usually worth checking out so you can feel sure they are 'nothing' and if they are something that needs to be treated or removed doing it while as small as possible is usually the best choice.
Experience: 30+ yrs dog home vet care & nursing, rescue, behavior&training, responsible show breeding, genetics