My dog's ear is swollen and hot after a bite. Should I see a vet now?

This looks like an aural hematoma, a condition where the space between the skin and the ear cartilage fills with blood. It most commonly occurs secondary to an ear infection. While a veterinarian needs to be involved to treat the hematoma and the underlying cause, it is not necessarily an emergency and I think it would be okay for the dog to wait a couple days if necessary as long as he isn't too uncomfortable. If your neighbor is out of town for more than a couple days you should take the dog to a vet.

I am very sorry to hear about Mickey. I would recommend bringing him in to the vet for an examination of the area. Without having even a photo of the swelling it is very difficult for us to get an idea of what is happening but a bite from an insect, a spider bite, or even a snake bite could be possible. We could also have an abscess, a foreign body reaction from something like a splinter or grass awn, an infected tooth root, or a tumor. If Mickey is having difficulty breathing, is very lethargic, or is in extreme pain then I would bring him to an emergency vet. Otherwise I would call your vet in the morning for an appointment. Best of luck to you and Mickey!

If this presentation is due to a trauma and secondary localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria), a check up, appropriate disinfection and antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Yes I would recommend to have them prescribed by your vet. Disinfection may be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any scratching. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.

It's hard to tell from the photo but if there is swelling in the ear flap it is likely a hematoma. This is a pocket of blood from a broken blood vessel inside the ear. Usually this is from shaking the head from an ear infection. While this is not an emergency it is very uncomfortable. I would recommend taking Kaiser to a vet soon to get him some relief. In the meantime, please do not give any medications over the counter until then. Good luck and kisses to Kaiser!

It certainly sounds like this enlarged area on Bentley is infection, and I would be concerned that he has an abscess. I do not recommend popping it again yourself, as that introduces more infection into the area. He needs to see a vet for this, as he needs the area drained and cleaned sterilely, and he will need antibiotics to treat the infection. Please bring him into a vet tomorrow.

If there is swelling and it feels hot to the touch and painful then these are signs that infection is present (bite wounds/punctures are unfortunately prone to infeciton) and oral antibiotics are likely needed. I would make an appointment with your vet to get the wound examined. In the meantime, applying an ice pack to the area for 10 minutes every few hours may provide some relief to the pain (be sure to wrap the ice pack in a thin cloth/towel so it isn't directly on the skin).

Poor girl. This may be an infected mass or even a cyst. I would recommend having your vet take samples from this to be certain as to what is inside and perhaps the vet can also carefully drain it using a needle and syringe. In the meantime you can do alternating cold and warm compresses on the area for 5-10 minutes twice a day, if tolerated. Otherwise, your vet will need to get involved here to get this resolved. Best wishes with your pet Stormie and I hope you can get this source of discomfort taken care of soon for her. Take care.