My cat's ear has dried blood. How do I treat it and what to watch for?

Poor Mishka. Thank you for providing a picture, it's very helpful to me. I would gently clean her wound with warm water and antiseptic soap. To keep her from scratching at it, you can put an Ecollar on her. You can get one at a pet store or make one at home. Keep her indoors for now at all times while this is healing. Do not let her outside, especially not with the Ecollar on. I wouldn't even take it off to let her outside, as she will immediately try to scratch the wound. Keep the wound clean and dry, and monitor it for signs of infection. If you see redness, swelling, warmth to the touch, or pus, then it is infected and she will need to see the vet for antibiotics to treat it. I hope this helps!

It is definitely an injury but whether or not he did it to himself or it was due to another animal I cannot tell. I do not think there are any bugs there. He may be scratching the ear due to an inner ear infection. I suggest you take DJ to your vet for an exam because is there is an ear infection or something down inside the ear canal you cannot fix/treat that at home. In the meantime you can apply a thin layer of antibiotic cream to the ear twice a day and I suggest you put a "cone" collar on him so he stops scratching the ear and making it worse. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Recovery-Collar-PETBABA-Padded-Elizabethan/dp/B00U7DTNB2/ref=sr_1_3?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1517593656&sr=1-3&keywords=cat+elizabethan+collar Hope this helps. Best wishes.

It's probably best to leave it alone for now. Ears tend to bleed a lot when they get cut, but it eventually stops and they don't bleed enough to be dangerous - unless he happens to have a clotting disorder. The more you wipe at the ear or agitate it, the more it will bleed. Also, hydrogen peroxide and other strong antiseptics can cause more damage than good, so it's best not to apply this to the wound. You can try cleaning the wound in 12 hours or so after the bleeding has stopped and he hopefully calms down. The first thing you should do is flush the wound using a syringe or other dispensing device with warm water for five minutes. This may not be easy, because dogs tend to hate water getting near their face. I recommend having someone help you with holding Cruise to make sure the wound gets flushed well. Infection is the biggest concern with these wounds; so after flushing, it's best to apply an antibacterial cream to the wound. In order to keep the wound clean, it's best to flush the wound 1-2 times a day and gently wipe away any big crusts - make sure not to scrub the wound, because this can make it worse. Apply the antibacterial cream after each flushing. If the ear starts to swell or have pus oozing from the wound, then I'd recommend he goes to the vet for treatment. Otherwise, the wound should heal fine over the next 2-3 weeks. I hope that helps and Cruise gets better soon.

Hello. I am so sorry for your worries with Margaret. If she seems comfortable, & is no longer digging at her ear, then you can just watch this for the next couple of days. The cause could be anything from self-trauma due to an intense itch in her ear, trauma from shaking her head & possibly hitting the ear flap on something solid, or rough play with another pet, if there is one in the home. At this point, I would just leave it alone to see if it becomes worse, or just fades on its own. You do not want to treat or put anything on the ear as this might just cause her to pay more attention to the skin. See how this is in a few days, & if it still concerns you, the best thing is to have your veterinarian look at the ear & deep into the canal to rule out any underlying causes. Best to you & Margaret & thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

This is probably self inflicted and due to generalized itch or inflammation infection of the ear canal. A check up would be immediately required to determine specifically underlying cause and treat appropriately. Disinfection may be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any scratching. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

It’s possible that Mellow scratched the inside of his ear after the cleaning even though you can’t see a wound, or if you used a Q tip you may have inadvertently caused bleeding in his ear canal. Occasionally the ear canal can bleed with a severe infection or polyp. If Mellow’s eats seem to be bothering him, if he seems painful, or if the ear continues to bleed you should see your vet.

I wonder if this is actually dried discharge or debris - sometimes the ear wax and debris that can accumulate from an ear infection can look very similar to dried blood. It's also possible that Gracy has a scratch or polyp in her ear. I'd recommend having your vet examine Gracy's ears in person.