An Unusual Growth on Earl the Mcnab's Ear.

It appeared quite suddenly:  a growth the size of a pencil eraser on the edge of Earl's ear.  The small protuberance had a rough, domed surface and a pinkish-flesh color.  We'd brought Molly McNab home just a week or two before the growth appeared, and within a couple of days of its emergence Molly's needle-like puppy teeth burst it as she and Earl played.  It was flattened like a punctured tire after being ruptured, but within a couple of days it had returned to its previous shape and size.

It was clearly not a wart; I suspected either a malignancy or possibly a manifestation of Valley Fever (coccidiomycosis) in the skin.  It caused Earl no pain, itching or discomfort.

I took this photo to show the veterinarian when taking Molly in for her puppy shots:

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I knew it would be difficult to keep a hyper-exuberant, rambunctious terrorist of a puppy (yes, Molly is now a full-fledged wild child) away from her best friend's wound once the growth -- whatever it may be -- was excised.  As I'm awaiting surgery of my own for a torn rotator cuff, I've been trying to plan (I say that almost jokingly at this point) around my upcoming recuperation.  Can the growth wait before we remove it, I asked?  I want to be able to separate the dogs and manage them properly during Earl's recovery -- and for at least a month after my own surgery I won't be able to use my right arm.  No, Dr. Wyman said; the more it grows, the more challenging the surgery.  Even if the growth increases ever-so-slightly in size, it will be a bigger surgery on a challenging area of the ear.

I scheduled Earl for the following week with Dr. Ashmore.  In preparation, I ordered a "Comfy Cone" for Earl -- a foam-filled E-collar to prevent him (and the puppy) from making contact with the site post-surgery.  Comfy Cones are a vast improvement over the traditional white-plastic cones.  They have folds that allow the dog to rest comfortably, Velcro closures to make it easy to put on and take off, and flexibility and padding enough that when the dog inevitably smacks you on the legs, it doesn't scrape or bruise you.

Two days before the surgery date, the growth suddenly flaked off and flattened out.  It remained a hairless, flesh-colored irregular circle on the edge of the ear, but the bulk of it was gone.  I opted to keep the appointment, still concerned about a cancerous growth.  If Dr. Ashmore didn't believe the growth should come off, he wouldn't have to remove it.

In the morning pre-surgery appointment he looked at me, somewhat puzzled, after inspecting Earl's ear.  Thankfully, I had the photo on my iPad and could show him what it had looked like so I didn't appear to be an absolute helicopter pet-mom.  He said two things came to mind -- a histiocytoma, a benign growth that would be consistent with the fluctuations in size and appearance as the immune system conquered the lesion -- or a mast-cell tumor.

Argos, my dear companion that I lost in April, had suffered mast cell tumor growth as well.  Like Earl's ear growth, the tumor came up overnight and then stabilized in size.  Argos' first mast-cell tumor was huge, set against his ribs on one side, and did not have any hair loss.  Despite having far too much experience with different growths, benign and malignant, on Argos, I didn't recognize Earl's growth as familiar.  Because you've dealt with something before, you can't always assume you're seeing the same thing again -- and vice versa.

As we discussed options, and with Dr. Ashmore's input, I encouraged him to cut the growth off and just be done with it rather than waiting for any biopsy results before determining whether it needed removal.  One of my considerations was the possibility of needing to anesthetize Earl twice; the other factor, my own pending surgery.  If we were to just do a biopsy and then I'd need to schedule Earl the following week for surgery -- and if I were to be scheduled for my own just days later -- I would be unable to manage his recovery during my own.  Better just git'er done.

Because of location, it was obviously going to require cutting into the cartilage of the ear, and there wouldn't be much skin available to pull together afterwards -- meaning there was going to be a half-circle notch in Earl's lovely ear.  Dr. Ashmore told me he'd take a look at the cells before surgery and make the best determination possible as to how aggressive he should be in cutting out the growth.

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Earl Rocking his Comfy Cone

Having a dog named Earl is always great fun in public.  Yesterday afternoon as I waited at the vet's for Earl to come out post-surgery, the others in the room laughed and chanted Earl's name.  One tall, genial cowboy commented that Earl was a "good, manly name."  I laughed. "Earl's not exactly a manly dog," I admitted; "he's a bit … sensitive."

Earl did well during the surgery and, as we anticipated, came out with quite a notch in his ear -- like a huge, flesh-eating cutter bee had chewed a scallop out of the edge.

Copyright © 2014 MJ Miller
Earl's Notched Ear

Above is Earl's sad "new" ear.  It's shaved, of course.  No sooner did I let him out of the car and he made his way drunkenly to Russ -- still woozy from the anesthesia -- did Russ look at him and say, "Welcome home, Chip."  It's Earl's most-reliably-erect ear, too -- so it will be more prominent in appearance than it would have been on the floppy ear.  Earl is getting character-marks.

As for Molly's greeting, she couldn't wait to jump up at Earl with happy snarls and invitations to play -- but all in all, she was much calmer than I was anticipating.  She hasn't shown any interest in licking or gnawing at his stitches, but she risks bumping the incision and breaking it open.  At this point, I'm optimistic that I'll be able to manage them more easily than I expected -- but they'll still require great caution and supervision.  Between the two of them, they have figured out how to remove Earl's stylish, comfortable cone, but it doesn't appear he's going to need it at this point.

A couple of notes on the Comfy Cone:  all in all it appears to be a well-made, useful product.  It has a nifty piping around the edge that is reflective -- handy to have if your dog happens to escape while recovering from surgery.  Keep in mind that their peripheral vision is impaired by the cone and as such they can easily wander into harm's way.

 I didn't anchor it to Earl's collar nor did I put the usual ring of Vet-rap around his neck through the collar's handy loops.  If he appears to need the collar because either he or the little terrorist are worrying the ear, I will affix it to the collar.  It was difficult choosing the correct size collar as varying brands of flexible E-collars have vastly different sizing system.  Despite Earl's neck measurements seeming to indicate a larger size, I opted for the one that would fit more snugly due to the collar's maker noting that it was the right size for "border collies, Australian shepherds" etc.  It barely fits him and is on the last ring of Velcro.  In making my selection, I was concerned about having a collar that wasn't snug enough.  Should you order a Comfy Cone, I suggest ordering based solely on neck measurement in inches and disregarding completely the manufacturer's suggestions based on breed.  Earl is not large for a stock dog yet could use a large sized cone.

Comfy Cone Flexible E-Collar

The Comfy Cone did arrive on time although I chose standard shipping through Amazon.   I ordered on  a Sunday and it was here by Wednesday afternoon -- well in time for Earl's Friday-morning surgery.

We are still waiting, of course, for the results of the histopathology (lab results) on Earl's growth.  In the meantime, keep an eye on those unusual growths on your dogs!  Those of us who've had breeds prone to harmless lipomas -- fatty tumors common in Labs, for example -- may easily recognize some of the less sinister growths.  It's a good idea to know what sort of breeds are prone to specific growths.  Ask your vet what you might expect from your own dog's skin.  If in doubt, always have any new growths checked promptly.  It's much easier to remove a small growth than a large one!

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