My dog's ear was injured in a fight. What home remedies can I use?

Hello. I am sure this must hurt, but you do need to try & clean things up the best you can until she is seen by a veterinarian. You can just gently clean the wound with warm water. If you have any skin antiseptic like Hibiclens ( available at all pharmacies ) then clean things up with this. Do not use soap as you will have a tough time getting all the soap out of her coat. Then, remind your mom you need to take Stella to the vet. She may need antibiotics. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Unfortunately, if you are seeing pus there are no home remedies to fight infection. He likely requires an antibiotic, either topical or systemic. If going to visit a veterinarian is an option, cleaning up the wound as best you can and applying something over-the-counter to the ear is your next best choice. I would also tell you to either obtain an e-collar or make a homemade one (you can view how to do so on a YouTube video, there are several). This will prevent Buster from having any sort of self-mutilation. Ears are very difficult to bandage, particularly to get them to stay on. But, in a situation where a dog is going to be out in the elements, it is critically important to try and prevent worsening infection or even things like maggots. You can find some more YouTube videos on how to best bandage a dog's ear. Since I don't know what ear type (flop, cropped, pointet) your pup has, it is difficult for me to make a video recommendation. Best of luck.

Poor guy. This is a laceration, and it looks like it may be deep. It needs to be cleaned with an antiseptic such as Betadine diluted 50:50 with water or Chlorhexidine solution diluted with water until a very light blue mixture. Then Izzy needs to be placed on oral antibiotics and possibly even suturing of this area so that the skin covers it and allows it to heal. It looks like it is already infected, and infected wounds don't heal, so antibiotics are a must. I would perhaps go to a second vet for another look at this or insist on your current vet treating this wound properly. I hope that Izzy's wound heals up well soon! Best of luck and take care.

Although this seems like an easy question to answer, this might actually be complicated. This wound on an ear could be from many things- is he shaking his head because of an ear infection? Is he scratching because of allergies? Has he recently had a rabies vaccine or been ill? You may not be able to treat this wound without finding out about these possible problems. Also, you may need antibiotics, steroids or other special meds to get this to heal. At home, you can keep the area clean, use a warm washcloth to remove the crusting and apply something like Neosporin to the wound. Other than that, you need to see your vet for more diagnostics and treatment.

It's probably best to leave it alone for now. Ears tend to bleed a lot when they get cut, but it eventually stops and they don't bleed enough to be dangerous - unless he happens to have a clotting disorder. The more you wipe at the ear or agitate it, the more it will bleed. Also, hydrogen peroxide and other strong antiseptics can cause more damage than good, so it's best not to apply this to the wound. You can try cleaning the wound in 12 hours or so after the bleeding has stopped and he hopefully calms down. The first thing you should do is flush the wound using a syringe or other dispensing device with warm water for five minutes. This may not be easy, because dogs tend to hate water getting near their face. I recommend having someone help you with holding Cruise to make sure the wound gets flushed well. Infection is the biggest concern with these wounds; so after flushing, it's best to apply an antibacterial cream to the wound. In order to keep the wound clean, it's best to flush the wound 1-2 times a day and gently wipe away any big crusts - make sure not to scrub the wound, because this can make it worse. Apply the antibacterial cream after each flushing. If the ear starts to swell or have pus oozing from the wound, then I'd recommend he goes to the vet for treatment. Otherwise, the wound should heal fine over the next 2-3 weeks. I hope that helps and Cruise gets better soon.

As you have already said, the blood you are seeing on Khloe's ear could be due to multiple reasons. We could be dealing with self inflicted bleeding due to chronic itching. If this was the case, there is most like an infectious or allergic process taking place that is causing this type of behavior. If you don't go to the vet, you will not be able to verify the presence of absence of an infection under a microscope. There are however several over the counter ear washes and flushes that can be used with antimicrobial / antifungal properties. However, be aware that the use of these products before the ear is inspected for a punctured ear drum can have significant consequences. Should you decide to use them, I would recommend at least a week of use. There should be directions on the bottle. If the bleeding was caused by trauma from a dog bite, systemic antibiotics should likely be administered to prevent and/or treat any infection. I would fashion Khloe with an e-collar to prevent any further damage to the ear that she might inflict out of discomfort. You can obtain one of these at a pet store, veterinarian, or even create a home made one (look for a video on Youtube). I hope you can help Khloe feel better soon!

Unfortuantely this looks like an infection that is not going to respond to just an over the counter. Some possible causes of this are: allergies (ear margin dermatosis), an immune mediated disease, or even fly bites can cause lesions that look like this. You will have to take Ace in to your vet to get this treated. At the very least an antibiotic will be needed here and some discussion on possible underlying causes so that the source is also treated for as well. Until you can get Ace in, its best to clean these areas with Betadine diluted 50:50 with warm water to cut down on the bacterial load and help start the healing process. I hope that Ace's ear lesions resolve soon! Best of luck and take care.