What's this??

[katiemorgan]

I was petting my dog the other day and I noticed a small pink bump on the back of his head. What Is it and what should I do about it??

[Purduegirl]

I'll second the small cyst. Poodles are especially prone to these, and they stick up out of the skin and usually have well-defined edges, rather than tumor-like lump under the skin.  If it's a cyst and not bother him, it should be fine left alone, but they can grow and rupture and get infected.  They can be frozen off much like a wart, or taken off with a scalple. But as said above, it's probably best to get it checked out.

[ginger899]

Could it be a tick attached to him? (They are like tiny little black spiders when they first get on, but a feeding tick can swell up a LOT.) Take a good look with a magnifier. If it is a tick you will be able to make out little wriggly black legs at the sides of the swelling.
If it is, get some tweezers, grasp the very base of the tick where it's attached to his skin and pull firmly out. Then bathe the area with antiseptic. Make sure you get the whole tick out. If the head is left in it can cause an abscess to develop.

If it's not a tick, then it could be a small boil or abscess. But that would normally be quite painful to touch, and he would definitely wince if you did.

Another possibility is that it is a small cyst. If it is rounded with distinct 'edges' it may well be one. Some dogs are prone to these. My dog is. They are usually ok if left alone, but can sometimes get infected if scratched or damaged. Occasionally the vet may suggest they are taken off surgically.

Because it's on his head, I think if it's not a tick, the best thing would be to take him to have it looked at by the vet.

[katiemorgan]

No he dosen't react to it's touch, he's always been kinda lazy. It does look inflamed, it's about the size of half a pea.

[ginger899]

Oh gosh! I've no idea what it could be, from your description. Is it painful, or tender to touch? What size is it....you say it's small, about how small? Does it look sore or inflamed? Does he have any other symptoms, like tiredness, sleepiness, loss of appetite -all of which could mean he's in pain?