Why is my dog's ear fluid golden and increasing after vet visit?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is difficult to know based on these pictures. However, it does sound severe. This may be due to an atypical ear hematoma. But it could certainly be something else like an abscess or growth. This warrants a re-evaluation so this can be sampled and treated. If it really is a hematoma then surgical intervention may be needed. Good luck and have a good night!

Ear hematomas can take a while to heal and can fill up multiple times after the initial drainage. Many times for the recurrent hematomas, I will need to place a drain into the ear flap and Stitch it in place. This drain will remain there for several weeks before removing it. This allows the ear to actively drain during the healing process so that scar tissue can form to seal the hematoma site. The fluid that you are seeing, is likely fluid that the body is accumulating in the area of the hematoma in an attempt to fill in the Dead Space. As long as this fluid does not look thick yellow or smell it is likely not infectious and is more likely serous fluid. If this fluid continues and does not resolve after several weeks then I would have this rechecked by the veterinarian and consider having further treatment done to try and resolve this problem. If Mimi does not have an anti-inflammatory, I would certainly recommend giving her one to help reduce any inflammation associated with the ear hematoma. I hope this helps solve the problem. Please feel free to contact me with any other questions you may have

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I would not recommend lancing the ear at home as this risks introduction of harmful bacteria that will cause an infection. I would recommend having this examined by a veterinarian as Jack will likely need an oral antibiotic and the ear drained properly. Sometimes the ear needs to have a drain surgically placed into the hematoma site so that it is unable to fill back up. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

It's called the pinna in a dog as well! I'm wondering if you're describing an aural hematoma - this is where fluid and blood collects between the cartilage and skin of the pinnae and causes swelling. It is often triggered by something that causes a dog to shake its head or scratch the ear with ear infections being most common. It can be difficult to treat, and draining is usually temporary. I'd recommend having Stevo examined by a vet - they can determine what's going on and start treatment. An aural hematoma sometimes needs to be treated surgically, or sometimes starting corticosteroids and treating the ear infection can be successful.

This is actually filled with blood. This is a hematoma between the skin layers in the ear flap. They develop when dogs scratch or shake their heads excessively, usually from an ear infection or some type of allergy. Generally this requires a veterinary exam and surgical drainage. They will also check Dozer's ears to see if they are infected or try to find the cause of the hematoma. He will need to wear a cone probably until the ear heals. Without treatment the ear swelling will go down but it may take a month or more and the ear will scar up and become deformed. This can be uncomfortable and there is a risk of infection so I recommend veterinary treatment soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Dozer.

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!

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. This is ear hematoma, most likely self-inflicted by Moose by excessive scratching or rubbing the ear. There are no remedies that you can use at home to help, I am afraid. Moose should be seen by your local vets again to drain the ear and ideally, place some stitches on the ear to avoid recurrence.