My cat's ear is folded after surgery. Will it stand up again?

I'm sorry to hear that Baby Kitty's ear has been such a problem for her! Surgery is generally the treatment of choice for aural hematomas, but these issues can also develop scar tissue over a period of at least 6-8 weeks. If Baby Kitty has an ongoing ear infection, this could also exacerbate any head shaking, preventing scar tissue from forming appropriately. No surgery ever offers a definitive guarantee, but it seems that surgically addressing the hematoma would be less invasive, less painful and likely less expensive than removing the entire pinna (ear flap). The only pinna amputations that I have seen have been due to cancerous masses on the ear because the surgery can be very painful and cause a significant amount of bleeding. Consider discussing this with your vet and have her ears checked to assure that an infection is not present and causing irritation. I'm glad to see that she has an e-collar on - keep it up! Avoid using the transdermal medication on her right ear for the time being and be sure to clean her left ear prior to each application. I hope that all goes well!

The outer ear of the dog (the pinna) is made of cartilage, and that is what helps Rolo's ears stand up. It sounds like she experienced some damage to her ears if she had a aural hematoma in them (what you referred to as blood clots), and there is the possibility that the cartilage was damaged enough that her ears will remain floppy. Over time, however, they may heal and her ears could return to standing up. Unfortunately I can't say for certain one way or another, only time will tell. Best of luck.

Great question! She is just fine like this. Ear hematomas do wrinkle the ear flap. Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done to correct it. The best thing you can do is to make sure she doesn't get anymore hematomas by keeping her ears clean.

They will likely not stand up again as the ear hematomas usually heal with a degree of crippling of the ears. Even tho she had surgery, there may not be enough strength or ability there to keep the ears upright. At the end of the day it is a matter of cosmetics, ie we humans think it is pretty when they are upright, but the dog could care less and it may be more humane to just leave the ears alone now.

I'm so sorry that Julia has this problem (and she is adorable BTW). Aural hematomas typically never resolve completely on their own. If left untreated (i.e. undrained) eventually the blood that's trapped between the skin and the cartilage of the ear will be reabsorbed, assuming the ear infection (which is causing the head shaking and thus the hematoma) is properly treated. However, typically this leaves a scarred ear, something called a cauliflower ear, and this can be avoided with proper treatment. First, make sure that the medication that has been prescribed is going to appropriately treat the ear infection. That means a vet needs to do a cytology (microscopic evaluation) of the debris inside the ear. Most ear infections are fungal in nature, and need antifungal treatments to completely resolve. Then talk to the vet about draining the blood inside the ear. This may resolve the problem completely, but be prepared that Julia may need surgery to reattach the cartilage to the skin and resolve the hematoma for good.

I'm so sorry that you're dealing with this with Milo. Aural hematomas can be a challenge to manage. I have frequently bandaged ears after draining to prevent them from refilling, but the only way to do this is to bandage the entire head. Some animals tolerate this and some do not. Another trick that I have tried over the years is a Chinese herbal combination to prevent bleeding called Yunnan Bai Yao. Your veterinarian may carry it. So, I would ask your veterinarian about draining the ear again, bandaging it to the head for compression, and maybe adding Yunnan Bai Yao. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There are a variety of ways to treat an ear hematoma in dogs (oral medications, draining it and instilling a medication, or a surgical "tacking", as well as determining what the underlying cause for the hematoma is). They do need to be treated by a veterinarian, as they do not typically resolve on their own, and can become very painful/infected. After treatment, the ear may be the same, or it may have a "crinkled" appearance. I would recommend your dog be evaluated by a veterinarian to determine what treatment plan would be best. Good luck!