Bump in the ear -- melanoma?

In followup to my earlier ear infection thread, while one of my beagles was being examined today, our vet noticed a fleshy-colored small bump inside her ear. She mentioned that she recently treated a dog recently who had melanoma in its ear, so she told me to monitor the bump for any size or color changes. She said that the bump looks benign, but if it gets larger, I should bring her back in for another look and possible biopsy.

Naturally, the thought of cancer made me freak out and asked the vet why we shouldn't just do a biopsy ASAP. The vet told me that the bump is so small that a biopsy done via laser would likely disintegrate the bump and no real conclusion could be drawn. She mentioned they could freeze and cut it off, but that would be very bloody and she recommended not doing that, especially since it may not be necessary. The final action plan was to bring my beagle back in a month and have the vet re-look at it. In the meantime, I'll monitor it for size/color changes.

So, I have two questions for the chazhound crowd...

First, does this sound like a reasonable plan from my vet? Two, has anyone heard anything about shark cartilage? Even though the vet said it's likely benign, I've read it's helpful in fighting tumors, etc.

By the way, I posted a picture of her ear here: http://postimage.org/image/jym0ognkn/ -- Note: I really enlarged the picture, so the bump looks huge, but it's really quite small.

Thanks.

My old Mary had all kinds of lumps and bumps but she was just fine. That is all I know. What your vet said sounds ok to me. Victor is only 8 but I have noticed to small ones on him that if they get bigger I will have checked. I asked the vet originally and he said it looked like no big deal to him.

Thanks, smkie. Did your pups have bumps in their ear?

Ive never heard of shark cartlidge.but the bump in your picture, I am feeling 99% safe to say, is NOT melanoma. I have a BS in Biology and we majored in skin cancers.............that my dear is NOT melanoma. It is simply cartilidge. Like finger prints, it is NOT all the same. normal. Howd you even pick that out???

Thanks, Mach1. The vet is the one who picked it out, not me. I hadn't noticed until the vet showed me yesterday. She immediately brought up melanoma because supposedly she just removed one from a dog's ear. But she said in that case the bump was all brown and black. The one in my dog's ear is the flesh-colored. So she is the one who brought up the topic to me, and I started to worry.

I'm hoping it's just a bump and that's it.

One of my dogs has the same thing but it's bigger now and the vet just said unless it bothers him that he keeps scratching it, to leave it alone.

Melanoma is black/brown and crusty. It looks like tar, and grows. It is cauliflower shaped most of the time as well.

Appreciate all the responses. I feel better. Why the vet immediately went to that scenario, I don't know.