My Lab has ear infections and knots in her ears. What should I do?

Hi! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I recommend that you have him evaluated by your veterinarian so that it can be determined if perhaps he still has some remaining inflammation/infection in the inner parts of the ear that could be causing that. Also, they can evaluate his cranial nerves to make sure that it is not primarily a neurologic issue. Good luck!

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.

If the ear is droopy and she is shaking her head she probably has an ear infection. Because of the head shaking and probably scratching as well, blood vessels in the ear are exploding, causing blood and fluids to fill the pinea ans swell. This condition is called "ear hematoma" and needs medical or surgical treatment. The ear infection needs to be treated as well as it is the primary cause, usually ear drops from the vet will solve this, in some cases systemic antibiotics are prescribed as well. Regarding the the droopy ear I personally prefer the medical treatment (steroids for 4 weeks) over the surgical one, unfortunately most vets will still opt for the surgery.

Oh dear, this sounds like Katana has a pretty bad ear infection. The fluid coming from her ear, may be discharge from the infection or could be fluid draining from a hematoma (large blood clot) of the ear pinna itself which can sometimes occur due to heavy shaking of the head during a bad ear infection. Hematomas usually need to be drained and bandaged at a veterinarian's office. Ear infections really need to be treated with a veterinarian as well so she can have her ears cleaned really well and get on an antibiotic and topical ear medication. I have included an article below for you for information affording veterinary care with limited funds. I hope this helps! http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_veterinary_care.html

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!

It sounds like Sheroo has an ear infection. Ear infections in dogs can be caused by ear mites, yeast, or bacteria. I would take him into a vet now to get this checked out and treated. Best of luck.

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.