Why is my dog's itchy ear crater not healing with medication?

Ouch! If you haven't already, your may want to have a biopsy done of the scab or the affected area and then sent to a lab. This can help determine what is going on with the cells there (whether its abnormal or just poor healing) and can also be checked for bacteria, yeast, etc that may be slowing healing and need treatment.

This looks quite painful and possibly a ruptured pustule or blister? I would expect 4-6weeks for healing given the extent but if the redness has not reduced over the first 3weeks or the pain and discomfort is increasing it may be worth considering biopsy of the area or referral to a specialist dermatologist to rule out more sinister causes such as an ulcerative tumour

Hello! Thank you for your post! It sounds like junior is suffering from quite the ear infection?! If jr. Has been dealing with this for several months, what might help identify the responsible organisms would be a culture of the ear material. This would help determine which antibiotic is going to be most efficacious in resolving this infection. There are multiple ear medications and depending on the Animal Hospital, all vet clinics carry different types of ear medications. If he is so itchy, there are medications that can also help with that. Apoquel is an anti itch drug which may provide junior relief from the itching. I would ask you vet if this is an option. As for the ear infection, you should really consider a culture to pinpoint what bacteria is responsible so it can be treated appropriately. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please feel free to contact me with further questions or concerns. I am also available via consultation

The main reason infections do not clear is they are not treated for long enough or it may have not been the best medicine to treat it due to resistance. Ideally she needs to be rechecked to see if a culture is needed or oral medicine help. You can try to get an ear cleaner to help keep it clean. IF the ear persistently itch then you may want to consider a food allergy

Hello. Otomax is a broad spectrum medication the contains an antibiotic, antifungal as well as a steroid. It is possible that the steroid is preventing the lesion from healing. I would talk to your vet about this & switching to another antibiotic such as silver sulfadiazine. If it still does not heal, the lesion may need to be cultured or biopsied to identify why it is not healing. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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.

Hi there, It would be helpful to know what Elsa what tests were performed, what was diagnosed, and what medication she was prescribed. It may be that her ear infection is truly secondary to underlying inflammation from a food allergy (cutaneous adverse food reaction), and she may need a change in diet, or an environmental allergy and in need of chronic allergy medication to reduce her itchiness. Some dogs also require long term regular ear cleanings and topical ointment applications to keep comfortable. I would recommend scheduling a recheck appointment with Elsa's veterinarian to get to the root of her ear infections. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.