If a dog's ears develop black lumps, it may be suffering from a gland tumor, and in severe cases, surgical removal of the outer ear may be necessary.
In the past few days, we have shared a story about a deaf cat. That cat was forced to have its outer ear removed because of the gland tumor. Although this disease is not as common as a cold or fever, it is 100% present in dogs that unfortunately suffer from it. It's important to learn more about this topic to be prepared for any eventuality and avoid causing harm to your dog because of this rare disease.
What is a gland tumor?
A gland tumor, or , is a glandular tumor that occurs in the canine outer ear canal. The origin of the tumor is the disease of the outer ear canal cartilage gland. This gland tumor is divided into four different types: gland tumor, polygenic tumor, glandular cystic cancer, and gland tumor cancer. The most frightening thing about this disease is that its malignant tumor accounts for 70% of the cases.
What are the causes of a gland tumor?
There are many reasons why dogs get gland tumors, including mechanical stimulation (earwax, scratches to the ears, foreign objects entering the ears), bacterial infections, allergic reactions, chronic inflammation, and ear mites. All these reasons can lead to dogs getting gland tumors. Therefore, the only way to prevent gland tumors is to maintain the health of your dog's ear canal.
What are the symptoms of a gland tumor?
In most cases, dogs do not have obvious symptoms. Because gland tumors do not occur overnight, most owners think their dogs are still the same as before, often exhibiting restlessness and trying to scratch or rub their ears. If the owner examines the dog's ears, they can find that the earlobes and outer ear canal are red, swollen, ulcerated, and bleeding. There is a lot of earwax in the ear canal with a foul odor. Depending on the cause of the dog's disease, different symptoms will appear.
For dogs with a long-standing disease, the biggest symptom is pain. The pain gradually increases with the severity of the disease. Early pain is intermittent, and later it develops into continuous pain. As the tumor grows, the dog's discomfort gradually increases. The tumor may block the ear canal due to enlargement, affecting hearing. Or it may rupture, causing more severe pain. At this time, the owner can see a fleshy, nodular tumor in the dog's ear canal.
Treatment of gland tumors:
If your dog has the possibility of getting a gland tumor, you should take your dog to a veterinary hospital for examination as soon as possible. Through the living slice examination, determine whether the tumor is malignant or benign, and then formulate a corresponding treatment plan based on the dog's condition. The most common treatment method is to surgically remove the tumor and combine it with chemotherapy. If your dog's gland tumor is located outside the ear canal, it can be simply removed and treated with chemotherapy. If the dog's tumor is in a deeper part of the ear canal, it may need to remove the entire outer ear to ensure the dog's safety. However, in the recovery of the dog, the owner should not be careless, because this disease has a recurring characteristic, even after the first tumor is removed, the dog still has a chance of recurrence.
Gland tumors do not have a good preventive method. The only thing the owner can do is to maintain the cleanliness of the dog's ear canal in daily life. Avoid long-term inflammation and injury to the ear canal, and only eliminate diseased lesions in the dog to better prevent gland tumors. If you don't want your dog to suffer, strengthen the daily care of your dog's ears.
