My dog has an ear hematoma. Are there any effective home remedies?

Related Answers from Veterinarians

• Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

  Veterinarian

  Unfortunately there's nothing you can do at home to treat Remu's hematoma. It will likely need to be drained, and that should only be done sterilely at the vet's office. I would take him into your vet tomorrow to have it treated.

  

  0Pet Parents found this answer helpful

• Answered By Jeffrey Milner

  Veterinarian

  Published on August 6th, 2017

  I'm happy that Massimo was able to provide you with some good information, but unfortunately you are not able to address individual experts through our forum directly. In order to do this you will need obtain a consultation. In terms of at-home solutions to aural hematomas, there is a couple of things you might consider trying. I can't really tell how swollen up the ear is, but if it is, you can take moderate sized syringe needle and poke a hole in the ear. Allow the fluid to drain out. Once you have milked out as much fluid as possible. you will want to fold the ear up and onto the top of the head. Take some bandage material and put it around the head so as to make the ear stay in place. This may prevent the ear from filling back up at least until you are able to get to the vet to obtain higher quality treatment. You might also want to obtain an e-collar to prevent your pup from shaking her head around removing the bandage. Hope this helps and that Ceaser is feeling better soon.

  

  1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

• Answered By Jessica Desrosiers

  Veterinary Technician

  Published on March 24th, 2017

  Hematoma treatment is best done under the supervision and care of your veterinarian as at-home treatment may cause the injury to worsen. In worst-case scenarios the ear may need to be operated on to remove the hematoma and prevent it from coming back. At-home care usually involves keeping the ear tied close to the head and preventing your dog from shaking her head to prevent repeated trauma. It is best to seek veterinary care ASAP for treatment of this issue.

  

  1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

• Answered By Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA

  Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

  Published on August 3rd, 2017

  The first step for treating aural hematoma is to diagnose why it happened in the first place. Bacterial or fungal ear infections are the most common cause of head shaking that results in aural hematomas and they should be treated accordingly.
  
  As for the hematoma itself, veterinarian seem to be split 50/50 on the best treatment. Some prefer surgery and some prefer a long-term tapering dose of prednisone. Some veterinarians will choose to drain the blood and fluid from the ears, some will inject steroids into the pocket, and some will tape the ear to the head to prevent further flopping around. Whichever method is chosen, Caesar could definitely benefit from pain medications as the swelling in his ear can be quite uncomfortable.
  
  Neither of the healing options is better than the other, in my opinion. With either method, there is the risk that the ear will have some scarring and may never look normal again. It may even start to flop over.

  

  1Pet Parents found this answer helpful