ear hematoma

A friend of mine's dog has an ear hematoma. she has a vet appt. on Wed. but i was wondering if anyone had info on this? Luckily my dogs haven't had any problems with this.

Depending on how big it is they'll either put in a drain (if it's big) or they'll open it and drain it (if it's smaller) and then typically will tape the ear to the head.

Hematomas are typically from trauma (head shaking, scratching the ear, etc.) and non threatening, but if they get too big and are left too long the tissue can be permanently damaged. They usually occur because the dog has another ear issue going on making them shake their ears or scratch their ears too much. Common culprits are food allergies, foreign bodies, and other ear problems.

thanks Mandy, anything that can be done until her vet appt.?

agilepug wrote:thanks Mandy, anything that can be done until her vet appt.?

There's not much that can be done. Arnica can help the swelling, but mainly just preventing the dog from shaking or scratching at the ear is the best method until the vet visit.

Yep--my border collie cross got one and we never did figure out why. It was drained and then taped for a while (can't remember for how long--it was years ago). The ear remained a bit stiff and inflexible for the rest of her life and although I was warned they could recur, hers never did.

I know that Mastiffs get them all the time, but neither Odin or my Bullmastiff ever had one. If Odin flaps too hard he scares him self.....

Our Golden Einstein had one a year or two ago. He had surgery to drain it and the poor guy lived in a cone for 6 weeks afterwards. He was not a happy camper.

TNPUGMOMOF3 wrote:I know that Mastiffs get them all the time, but neither Odin or my Bullmastiff ever had one. If Odin flaps too hard he scares him self.....

Awww!! Sweet Odin!! Give him a kiss for me!