Crater-Like Lumps on an Older Shar Pei

Lupus is unlikely to look like this. Raised bumps with a crater or plug in the middle are more typical of follicular or sebaceous cysts, benign growths of the oil glands (sebaceous adenomas), or a hair follicle tumor such as a keratoacanthoma, which often has a central pore. These are common in older dogs and are usually benign.

Please stop picking the centers, because that can cause infection and scarring. Some skin tumors, including mast cell tumors, can look harmless too, so the safest step is to have your vet check them. A quick needle sample, done in the exam room, often tells what they are.

Most of these lumps can simply be watched, and any that bother him or keep bleeding can be removed.

See sebaceous cysts on dogs and lumps on dogs.

This is general information, not a diagnosis. Please follow your own vet's advice.