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Why is my dog's ear swollen, not red or painful? What's wrong?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Lhasa Apso | Male | unneutered | 1 year and 7 months old | 14 lbs

Hi My dog has a swollen lower right ear flap, it is not red or pain full. He is not scratching it and it does not appear to be irratated by it. Thanks Rob

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Amber W

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

Published on August 6th, 2017

Hi Rob, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It sounds like Arlo has an ear hematoma. These are when the ear fills with blood and can be quite painful. A lot of time it can be secondary to an ear infection. It is important to bring Arlo to a veterinarian to have them treat this condition.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Jenny, DVM
Veterinarian
This maybe a hematoma which is a blood clot from shaking or scratching m. This is usually secondary to an infection or allergy. It is worth a trip to your vet for medication to treat it but not on an emergency basis.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Maria DVM
Veterinarian
Published on January 25th, 2019
Is the ear swollen? If so this is an ear hematoma and should be looked at by a veterinarian. If it is not the ear then I would recommend resubmitting this question with up to 3 photos attached. That way we can see what you are talking about. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on April 9th, 2020
This is an ear (aural) hematoma - a blood blister. If it is small, it will sometimes go away on it's own. If it is large, it will need surgery in order to go away. If he has an underlying ear infection that must be treated as well. Typically dogs get these hematomas from shaking their head or scratching the ear from an infection.

https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951446
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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Related Questions

My dog has a large, red, swollen ear that smells bad. What is it?

If the ear looks like a small pillow, it could be a hematoma. Blood filling the ear will make it look puffy. The odor can be due to a severe ear infection. Excessive head shaking can cause a hematoma. Treatment is twofold. First, drain the ear or correctly via surgery then treat the underlying ear infection. Daisy will need to be examined by your veterinarian for confirmation and treatment. If it is not a hematoma, your veterinarian should be able to determine what is causing the condition after an exam and diagnostics.

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My dog's ear is swollen with a large lump. Is it a hematoma? What now?

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.

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Why is my dog's ear swollen like a balloon and head lopsided?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Lucky seems to have developed an aural hematoma, which occurs when the ear is traumatized and a blood vessel is broken open inside the ear flap leading to a balloon of blood essentially. This typically needs to be drained to be treated. The cause is likely due to a severe ear infection. I cannot even tell where the opening of the ear is due to the severe swelling. In addition to the ear problem, I can see that poor Lucky is dealing with a severe skin allergy / skin disease as he is missing a lot of skin on his neck and the skin also appears to be lichenificated (thickened like elephant skin). I would strongly recommend having a veterinarian take a look at Lucky for the ear problems and also the severe allergies he suffers from. There are many options to help treat allergies in dogs such as Apoquel, Cytopoint, Atopica, etc. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

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Why is my dog's ear flap swollen? What should I do about it?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This may be due to an ear hematoma for example. This could of course be something else as it is not possible to know for sure without evaluating her. I recommend you have her evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check and treat her accordingly. Good luck!

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Health & Wellness

Why is my dog's ear swollen, purple, and looks like a balloon?

Hello. This is an aural hematoma. A few blood vessels in Grumpy's ear ruptured either from vigorous head shaking or scratching, or somehow injuring the ear from playing ( perhaps a playmate grabbed the ear ? ). You do want your vet to take a look at this in the next few days to make sure there is no underlying ear infection. If not then you have two choices. One is to leave the ear alone & the blood will be reabsorbed ( the ear will not pop ). When this happens, the ear may heal with a bit of a crinkle to it, but will be perfectly usable to Grumpy. The other option is surgery to drain the blood & suture the ear so that it does not refill with blood. The downside to this is of course the surgery, cost & the small possibility of a complication such as an infection. So do not worry about the ear, do not try & drain the ear yourself, & have your vet take a look soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

My dog's ear is swollen, hard, and thick. Does it need draining?

Hi there. I can't say for sure without being able to examine him, but what you're describing sounds like an aural hematoma - this is basically a pocket of blood in the ear flap. It's usually caused by the dog shaking his head or scratching at the ear due to an underlying ear infection or other problem, which can cause a blood vessel in the ear flap to tear. If he does have an aural hematoma, this can either be surgically drained by your veterinarian, or managed with anti-inflammatory medication and time until it eventually resolves on its own. I would recommend taking Herbie to the vet when you're able to, to confirm the diagnosis and see what your veterinarian suggests as the best course of action.

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My dog has ear pain and a swollen face. What could be causing this?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It does sound like possibly an ear infection. Usually, face swelling is not a commonly encountered sign of an ear infection so if his face continues to get swollen before tomorrow when you can have him evaluated by your veterinarian, consider having him evaluated tonight to make sure it is not something more concerning than an ear infection. In the meantime, try to limit his activity in case he has associated pain. Good luck! I will keep my fingers crossed that everything turns out well!

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

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