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My dog's ear hematoma keeps refilling. Is yellowish fluid normal?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | American Staffordshire Terrier | Female | spayed | 8 years and 7 months old | 90 lbs

Hi, my dog (am pit bull terrier) had aural hematoma. Treated at home, it split open in a few different places and drained on its own (all blood) But after, for the last few days it keeps filling back up, but the fluid draining is like watery but slighty yellowish in color. I've researched and info says could take a couple weeks to drain/heal. Is this right..any helpful info for further treatment? Already on antibiotics for another issue (actually opened 2 days after being on antibiotics)

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Daniel Fonza, DVM

Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on November 13th, 2017

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
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Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on May 4th, 2017

    Oh no, poor Gage! He could have a hematoma which can be difficult to treat. I would not recommend you trying to treat this yourself, and instead having him seen by a vet for it. If you keep trying to open it and drain it yourself, you can introduce infection into the area. The vet can drain it sterilely and can give a steroid to try to keep it from filling back up. The cause of this potential hematoma should be diagnosed as well. Hematomas happen due to the trauma, and this is typically caused in the ear when a dog scratches his ear a lot or shakes his head. Those are signs of an ear infection, and I would have Gage's ear examined by a vet to see if he has an ear infection so it can be treated.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Smart Picks for Smart Questions

Vet Q & A
Why is my dog's ear fluid golden and increasing after vet visit?
Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! You may be referring to ear hematomas. This is usually treated with a relatively simple surgical procedure. However, it is hard to know without being able to see this. I would encourage you to contact your veterinarian to let them know that he has not improved to see if that is something that seems likely based on their examination. Good luck!
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Vet Q & A
My dog has an ear hematoma. How long until it heals and looks normal?
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.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Health & Wellness
Why does my dog's ear fluid sac keep refilling after draining?
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.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Health & Wellness
My Bulldog's ear flap swelled again after draining. Will it heal?
This is a very difficult condition to treat. Othematomas can occur when the dog scratches his hear a lot or shakes the head a lot (often because of a mite infection or other ear infection) or other trauma...There are several ways of treating othematoma. One is to remove the blood via syringe and to instill a corticosteroid, It is likely to fill again and will often need a second or third time emptying, Another way is to empty the hematoma and sew in a little catheter and attach a bag to collect blood and serous discharge,and hope the blood vessel stops bleeding. The third method is to fix the problem with surgery. Often the dog;s ear will cripple some, but this will not impair its function.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Vet Q & A
What causes a dog's swollen, fluid-filled ear, and how is it treated?
They will examine Tank’s ear and then discuss the various options. If it is something like a hematoma, they may drain it or offer a surgical correction. The surgical correction generally works best. Draining hematoma is typically requires a few drainings as well as wearing a special sleeve to stop the ear from flapping around. Many times there is an underlying allergy, infection or a mast cell tumor so they will check him for those causes as well. If it is something like a tumor, that is a completely different treatment plan. I hope this helps.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Health & Wellness
Does my dog's ear hematoma truly require surgery for treatment?
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.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Vet Q & A
My dog's ear lump keeps refilling with blood and pus. What to do?
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.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025

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