What’s wrong with my dogs ear?

[Saddog1]

Hi, just hoping someone can help, my dog has a spot on her ear which I’ve just noticed tonight. It’s about 5mm and looks like a pimple but has a black head on it. It’s not hot or swollen and she’s not bothered by it normally but when I was touching it to try and check it out it it was obviously causing her pain for me to touch it. I’m not sure if it’s a tick but I don’t know if this is what ticks on dogs usually look like? Usually I would call the vet but they don’t open until Monday and I’m just wondering what this could be in the meantime. She’s otherwise well in herself. She’s a golden retriever, she 5 and usually in good health. Not sure if it’s just a regular pimple and I’m just worrying about it for nothing! If anyone can help or offer any advice I would be really grateful x

Difficult to say from a picture but looks like some type of sting or a small foreign body (ie thorn) that has stuck in her ear (the black spot) that has caused a mild reaction around it (the white ring). It doesn't look red or swollen, so at this point I'd just keep an eye on it. If she becomes unwell, the ear or area around the spot becomes swollen, red or hot to touch then a weekend trip to the out of hours vet may be warranted (or your normal vet if it happens in a few days time). I would also have it looked at by a vet if it hasn't gone by midweek next week (and sooner if it gets bigger or signs of infection like ones mentioned before develop).

If it is a sting or even a small foreign body it might well work it's own way out. I'd monitor it, perhaps even salt water bathe it if she allows (1/4 of a teaspoon of sea salt, not table salt, in a cupt of boiled water, let cool down to almost room temperature and use some soaked cotton wool, try and keep as much of the water out of her ear, as as a golden retriever I imagine she might be prone to ear infections).

It's not a tick, ticks look like little grey blobs that get bigger over time as they attach and have little legs sticking out on the sides.

It might be just the head of a tick. Perhaps your dog scratched of it's body, and the head (yuck) can still live from the blood. Much harder to remove now. Def go to vet tomorrow.

What was it, do you know?