My dog's aural hematoma keeps recurring. What's the best cure?

Ear hematoma occurs due to an ear infection, your dog is probably quite prone to this type of infection. when such an infection occurs some dogs shake their head violently which causes the ear hematoma. There is a medical treatment for ear hematoma (steroids for 1 months), in my experience it is as successful as the surgery.

Surgery is the "gold standard" for addressing aural hematomas. Draining it with a needle and syringe may provide a quick fix, but more often than not the ear refills with blood. Allowing it to resolve without treatment may take weeks and could lead to a deformed ear flap. Surgery can be done to clean out the clotted blood and stop the bleeding. A specific suture pattern is used to keep the ear flap from refilling and in shape. The underlying cause, usually ear infection, should be addressed as well to prevent excessive head shaking.

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 sorry that Remy had a hematoma in his ear! Unfortunately, there is really nothing you can do at home to treat this problem - it will eventually go away on its own, but this can take several weeks in some cases and may cause some scarring or disfigurement of the ear. I do not recommend attempting to drain it at home, as this often introduces infection and makes the problem worse. Your vet can surgically repair the hematoma, or may prescribe a steroid or other medication to help it heal faster if you opt not to do surgery - so it would be a good idea to take Remy Martin in for an exam if you are able to. In many cases, affected dogs also have an ear infection or other underlying problem that needs to be diagnosed and treated as well.

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!

These can be so frustrating for pet parents and veterinarians alike. Eventually it will resolve and scar down on its own leaving the ear looking more crumpled than the other one. The only problem with this is that sometimes this can take weeks and the ear is sometimes uncomfortable. If you monitor just make sure the ear is not bothering her and you can talk to your family vet about having some pain meds on hand to use as needed. Did your family vet try placing an indwelling drain that can be drained at home until it scars down? A veterinary dermatologist is likely to be able to provide the best technique for this as they deal with these a lot. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

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!