Red's Benign Tumor

My two-year old dog, Red has a cyst-like bump on her ear. Last week, it looked like a pimple and today it had grown and was a bit bloody. I took her to the vet. My other dog, Blue, plays with Red by grabbing her ear and I assumed it was just a small infection that would need antibiotics. However, when I got to the vet, the vet wanted to do a biopsy - actually a needle aspiration of it. She then examined the slide, while I held Red's ear to clot the bleeding from the biopsy. I was sitting in the same office, actually, as when they took my previous dog, Cashew, to get X-rayed and then told me the news about her cancer. I kept thinking about that and I wished I had brought Red in last week. It was difficult.

It turns out it is benign and quite common in dogs under two. Her breed is not known for it, but the vet has seen it before. It usually clears up on its own, so no additional medical care is necessary. I will bring her back in two months to make sure it has cleared up and if it hasn't they will cut it out, while it is still same. Red was so brave. I held Blue on the table so she could be there with her. I think Red was scared of the attention and procedure, in general, but except for a small whine didn't seem to care about the needle going into her.

I, of course, am glad she is o.k., but it brings back the reality of my upcoming six month tests.