My dog's ear tips are black, hard, red, and tender. What's wrong?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is likely a case of vasculitis. This is sometimes caused by underlying allergy for example. There are medications that can be used to improve circulation to all parts of the ear such as pentoxifylline. I recommend that you have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Hopefully, they can start him on therapy to make him feel better. Best of luck!

It sounds like Gizmo may have a vasculitis on his ears. They are common in small breed dogs, especially Dachshunds. Sometimes the ears can get very crusty and bleed, and it may be in response to an allergy or something else stimulating his immune system (vaccines, for instance). I would have your vet check him out, they may recommend medication and ointment to put on his ears to help them heal. They will likely get better with treatment but sometimes it never entirely goes away. Good luck!

It looks to me like something more serious could be going on, although it can be difficult to tell from a picture. Sometimes vasculitis can cause discoloration and poor blood flow to the tips of the ears - this would need a biopsy for a definite diagnosis. I would recommend rechecking with your vet.

I am so sorry to hear that Gizmo's ear is bothering her. From what you are describing I believe she has an ear infection, and has been scratching at her ear causing the changes you observe. Ear infections in dogs can be very difficult to manage, and are very common. Though cleaning may help prevent ear infections ruins, it won't treat an ear infection that is present. Antibiotics are needed. Unfortunately, there aren't any medications over the counter which would be helpful at this stage. Outer ear infections can progress to inner ear infections. Inner ear infections are very difficult to treat, are very painful and have serious potential complications, such as hearing loss and problems with balance. I would suggest a trip to the vet as soon as you can. The vet will use a tool to look into Gizmo's ears, and may take a swab of the infected ear and send it away for analysis, so that the exact pathogens causing the infection can be identified and therefore a specific antibiotic can be used. 

I hope that this answer was helpful, and more importantly that Gizmo's ear gets better soon. Warmest regards to you both.

It sounds like he could have a bacterial infection on his ears. You could bathe him with a medicated shampoo and see if that helps but he may need an antibiotic treat the problem. Have your vet take a look at him to prescribe the best medication to treat. You could also add Free Form Snip Tips to his diet to keep his coat and skin healthy.

I would recommend doing testing on the ears to find out what is causing the scabs. If your pet is outside a lot, then flea bites are possible and it is recommended to purchase flea bite repellent at your local pet store to start, followed by topical triple antibiotic to get the scabs to heal. If your pet is kept mostly indoors, two common causes of this are demodexx mites or a yeast infection. Also another condition called ear margin vasculitis could be the cause. Ear margin vasculitis is a spontaneous condition where the vessels at the ear tip margin become inflamed creating a scabby appearance to the skin. Since all 3 of these look very similar it is important to get testing done in the form of a skin scrape/cytology and/or skin biopsy because each is treated so differently and it takes out a lot of the guess-work. Therefore scheduling an appointment with your vet is needed for proper diagnosis and treatment.

From the photo it looks like an injury to the ear tip. These often bleed and the scab would make it look black and crusty. It should heal fine without treatment other than what your are doing by applying the antibiotic ointment. It’s best not to rub the area since leaving the scab on will protect the injured area as it’s healing. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Pua.