My dog has a swollen, crinkled ear with a bubble. What should I do?

Hello. This is an aural hematoma. A few blood vessels in Grumpy's ear ruptured either from vigorous head shaking or scratching, or somehow injuring the ear from playing ( perhaps a playmate grabbed the ear ? ). You do want your vet to take a look at this in the next few days to make sure there is no underlying ear infection. If not then you have two choices. One is to leave the ear alone & the blood will be reabsorbed ( the ear will not pop ). When this happens, the ear may heal with a bit of a crinkle to it, but will be perfectly usable to Grumpy. The other option is surgery to drain the blood & suture the ear so that it does not refill with blood. The downside to this is of course the surgery, cost & the small possibility of a complication such as an infection. So do not worry about the ear, do not try & drain the ear yourself, & have your vet take a look soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Have him examined by your veterinarian. There may be serious infection and possibly an aural hematoma if she has been shaking her head. A hematoma develops when a blood vessel is broken in the ear flap due to shaking. This results in an ear that looks like a small pillow. Treatment is typically surgical. An ear infection can be diagnosed by examining a swab of the ear under a microscope. This can be done in the clinic. Infection can be caused by bacteria, yeast or a combination of both. The treatment will depend on the cause. "Simple" ear infections can be treated topically and usually resolve within 10-14 days. Place an e-collar (cone) on Nicki to prevent rubbing or pawing until she sees the vet.

That swelling is likely to be caused by an hematoma in between the cartilage of the ear (pinna) and the skin. An immediate check up is required as the swelling could potentially get worse and deteriorate. Primary cause of the otitis inside external ear canal must be identified and treated. Very commonly the gunk is caused by either an ear infection cause by bacteria or yeast proliferation. Ear drops and a buster collar will be required. 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.

This looks like an aural hematoma, which is when blood and fluid builds up between the outer layer of the ear. Unfortunately this cannot be treated at home, Buddy needs to see a vet to have it treated. I'd take him into one today.

This looks like an aural hematoma, a condition where the space between the skin and the ear cartilage fills with blood. It most commonly occurs secondary to an ear infection. While a veterinarian needs to be involved to treat the hematoma and the underlying cause, it is not necessarily an emergency and I think it would be okay for the dog to wait a couple days if necessary as long as he isn't too uncomfortable. If your neighbor is out of town for more than a couple days you should take the dog to a vet.

Poor girl. This may be an infected mass or even a cyst. I would recommend having your vet take samples from this to be certain as to what is inside and perhaps the vet can also carefully drain it using a needle and syringe. In the meantime you can do alternating cold and warm compresses on the area for 5-10 minutes twice a day, if tolerated. Otherwise, your vet will need to get involved here to get this resolved. Best wishes with your pet Stormie and I hope you can get this source of discomfort taken care of soon for her. Take care.

If the ear looks like a small pillow, it could be a hematoma. Blood filling the ear will make it look puffy. The odor can be due to a severe ear infection. Excessive head shaking can cause a hematoma. Treatment is twofold. First, drain the ear or correctly via surgery then treat the underlying ear infection. Daisy will need to be examined by your veterinarian for confirmation and treatment. If it is not a hematoma, your veterinarian should be able to determine what is causing the condition after an exam and diagnostics.