My dog has a painful scab on his ear. Is it serious or just a scab?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This looks like a scab which probably formed secondary to some type of injury or traumatic event. As long as it continues to heal up then Buffy is likely going to be just fine. If at any point you notice any discharge or it becomes open, have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a good day!

If you have noticed Max scratching excessively at the ear that has the scab on it he may have an underlying ear infection. If you look inside his ear and it is red, inflammed or has any odor or discharge he likely has an infection and will need to see your vet so some ear medication can be prescribed. If the inside of the ear looks clean and normal he probably just accidentally injured the outside of his ear. If this is the case I'd recommend continuing the Vaseline or putting some Neosporin on the scab until it heals.

Ouch! That does look pretty irritated, so if it doesn't scab over or continues to look weepy, it's a good idea to have your vet take that look on Wednesday as it may need some anitbiotics. What you're doing at home currently is perfect! I'd continue to use the E-collar to prevent pawing at it, and keep the area clean and dry. You can use a clean compress to gently keep it clean so as to not cause more irritation by rubbing at it or accidentally bumping the scab as excessive cleaning may actually be slowing down the healing process. It should be fine to wait until Wednesday to have it looked at unless it massively swells up, becomes painful to the touch, or starts to ooze any cloudy or green discolored debris (all signs of infection).

If it's only one scab it is just possible that Cobain scraped her ear on something. I would monitor it for any changes and keep an eye out for any additional new scabs forming, excessive itchiness, redness, or irritation on the ear or body as these would indicate something more ongoing that should be seen by your vet (such as an allergy.) If you're trying a new shampoo out, you can also try it on a foot or leg first, and watch for any signs of irritation before using it on Cobain's entire body. If she does have a reaction to it, a second wash in warm water only can help remove any excess shampoo that may have caused skin irritation.

It doesn't appear to be related to fleas. It could be an injury but it could also be the start of a tumor. I would recommend you leave it alone and monitor it for about a week. Don't pick at it or apply anything to it. If it is just a scab from an injury it should be much improved if not all the way healed in that time frame. If it is virtually the same or just a tad bit improved then I would have your vet check that spot out. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

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.

Hello. If things are pretty static it is best just to leave the scab alone. Chances are at some point it will fall off. Most likely another scab will form & the process will repeat itself. The scab is somewhat protective, so I agree with your vet & leave the scab alone. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.