My old dog has a deep ear infection. Is draining it safe for her?

Poor Alexander! Cocker spaniels commonly deal with this issue as a breeder in general. While your own veterinarian is the best one to answer this question as they are most familiar with his medical history and conditions, the short answer is he is still young enough to have the procedure. I recommend to set up an appointment to discuss this with your veterinarian. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Any anesthesia carries a risk, but your vet wouldn't suggest it if he feels that it wouldn't be safe for your dog. Hopefully this minor operation will be enough to fix the aural hematoma (blood in the ear). Best of luck.

If there is an innear ear infection that is placing pressure on the ear drum then it does need to be popped and flushed. This allows the inner ear to drain and clear an infection faster. It is very effective and basically the same procedure as children’s that get tubes or buttons placed except the dogs ear drinbwith grow back together in a matter of a few weeks

Unfortunately this sounds like an abscess and needs to be drained by your vet followed by oral antibiotics to successfully treat this area. When an abscess is present the body has walled off the area of infection with a thick layer of skin, and although this is beneficial for the pet because it prevents the infection from spreading to the rest of the body, it also doesn't allow topical medication to penetrate the area either. Which is why oral antibiotics prescribed by your vet are ultimately needed here.

Poor pup! No, I don't think that this looks likely to fall off on its own. In fact, since it has doubled in size and is also open and oozing now, I would consider it even more important to have it surgically removed. It would also be best to have this mass sent off for histopathology to find out if it is cancerous or not, especially given its recent rapid growth.

I would recommend that you have Bubble checked out by a vet. Dogs are prone to getting infections in their uterus (called pyometra) around 4 weeks after a heat cycle. If the pain you are seeing is caused by a pyometra then this needs to be addressed with veterinary medical care. Ear infections can be very difficult to treat if you do not address the underlying cause. They can be caused by excess debris in the ear, polyps, allergies, among a few others. A vet can do an ear cytology to see what kind of ear infection is present (yeast vs bacteria) and evaluate Bubble's ears for any underlying disease. Then appropriate treatment can be prescribed. Most often we use a two-part treatment including a cleaner to remove waxy debris and then a medicated ointment to target the type of infection present.

This mass is probably benign (not cancerous). However it seems to be causing some problems because it keeps opening up and bleeding. This could lead to infection and potentially a more serious problem. Since it is problematic I would recommend speaking to your vet about having it removed. It may be able to be done with only local anesthesia or light sedation.