Why shouldn't I bandage my dog's ear hematoma before seeing a vet?

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Aural hematomas are very frustrating because they often re-fill. I find the best way is to get a tube (like a toilet paper roll or a similar shaped roll that is smaller in size, depending on the size of your dog), and wrapping that in a layer of soft padding. Then place the roll on the inside of the ear, and then you have to wrap the ear around this, and then you often have to wrap this to the head and get an E-collar to prevent scratching the bandage off. You have to use proper bandage material to allow proper air-flow, as well as making sure the wrapping isn't too tight (the blood flow can be cut off and the ear can die and fall off) or too loose (the bandage just falls off). I recommend having this bandage applied by your local clinic. It is a bit of a challange, and even the best ear bandages often fall off and need to be replaced. Best of luck with the ear!

Your dog needs to wear the e-collar as pawing at the ear and shaking the head will only make it bleed more and increase the hematoma. Icing, unfortunately will not make it down. Your dog will need to be seen again by your vet. Treatment: evacuation of the blood and instillation of a steroid can often stop the bleeding , There are also surgical methods which will stop the bleeding. There is always a chance that the ear will end up shaped differently or "crippled", which is merely a cosmetic problem.

There is no at home treatment option appropriate in this situation. You owe it to your dog to go to an emergency clinic and get this sorted out. She will be in extreme pain having her ear cut without anesthetic, and she is at great risk of infection considering an incision was made without proper surgical preparation. There is also the fact that she is continuing to bleed. If you won't take her to the vet tonight I suggest that you carefully bandage the ear to try and stop the bleeding. You will not be able to stop the haematoma reforming so you will have to take her to the vet in the morning.

I would not keep Milo's ears wrapped in gauze. That's not good for him, and all it will do is irritate him. Dogs develop hematomas typically from trauma to their ears, such as scratching it a lot or shaking their heads a lot. Dogs do this when they have ear infections or matted ears. To help keep Milo's ears clean, I recommend getting Epi-otic OTC from your vet's office to clean them on a regular basis. Make sure you have him groomed regularly as well to keep them from getting matted.

Sheesh!! I am surprised that a vet suggested cutting Snoofy's ear. It sounds like she may have an ear hematoma which is a blood blister, often caused by an ear infection. Your vet can try to drain the blood and then apply a bandage, there is also a product called the "no flap ear wrap " that can help prevent it re forming after draining. If you do nothing, she will get scar tissue and have an odd shaped ear. She may need treatment for an ear infection.

This looks like an aural hematoma which is where blood from a capillary bursts and fills up the est between the two layers are cartilage. You can purchase a "no flap ear wrap" online to help with the flapping of the ears. Most commonly this problem needs a procedure done by a vet to allow the blood to drain while the two layers of cartilage re-adhere to one another. Also there is likely an ear infection that caused the shaking of the head to begin with that will likely need to be treated. If the blood is not drained the ear flap will eventually scar down and become a "cauliflower" ear which won't cause too many problems except that it isn't very cosmetic and sometimes they can be more prone to skin infections in the crevices of the cauliflower ear so this isn't recommended. I hope this helps.

I also have seen people leave them be to eventually absorb. However I would not recommend doing this to your pet because it does cause them discomfort and there is a risk of having pressure necrosis develop on the ear flap. I would also not recommend draining this yourself because this requires making a cut in the ear flap and often a mild sedative is needed for the pet to tolerate a procedure like this. Also if there is an infection then antibiotics will be needed in addition. The best advice is to let your vet drain this area at the clinic/hospital. You can place a cold compress on the ear flap, if allowed, to help reduce the blood pooling for now and then get Bear seen by your vet as soon as you can. Best wishes with Bear and his ear hematoma. I hope everything works out well for her. Take care.