# Ear Hematoma



## Arearis (Jul 17, 2006)

So I just got back from the vet and Buddy without a doubt has a hematoma. So the vet recommended surgery and she said the sooner the better because it will only get bigger. I have to wait atleast a few days til our AC gets fixed because there is no way he can come home from surgery to a hot muggy house. I went ahead and scheduled it for tuesday because my vet stays booked most of the time. Has anyone ever had any experience with this surgery. He has been fixed so I am sure he isnt at that high of a risk for anesthesia but any surgery is major and I am pretty nervous. But my vet is really great and said in 15 years she has only had to redo one surgery for this so that is reassuring. Any advice on when he comes home with the dreaded cone. I have never had to use one on any of my dogs so I am guessing it is going to be stressful for a few days. I am full of questions so any info would be greatly appreciated. I am questioning even having the surgery. What will happen if I just leave it alone? From what the vet said the worst outcome is a mis-shaped ear and if that is the case I really dont want to put him at risk with surgery for something purely cosmetic. Good news is he doesnt have any other problems no ear infections and other than the hematoma he is a big heathly boy.


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## Maggpie (May 21, 2008)

Have they tried draining it with a syringe first before offering surgery as a way to fix it?

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&C=11&A=566&S=1


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## Arearis (Jul 17, 2006)

No she instantly recommended surgery but has I have been researching all day, I came across medically treating it by draining it once a week and antibotics for a couple of weeks, so if it hasnt gotten any bigger by monday, I am going to talk to the vet about trying this first. I am surprised she didnt drain it anyway just to relieve the pressure for awhile . It hasnt gotten any bigger since last night and he isnt shaking his head anymore than he normally does so hopefully it wont get any worse. But I am going to try anything I can before I result to surgery because from what I have read about it isnt anything that is going to seriously hurt the dog and it seems the worse outcome is a floppy ear so I really dont want to put him through surgery to make his ear look better. I was thinking of kinda splinting it up to relieve some of the hanging weight but I am not sure if it will help or make him mess with his ear more and make the hematoma worse.


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## Maggpie (May 21, 2008)

I would call her on Monday and ask her to drain it first and have surgery as the last resort.


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## Arearis (Jul 17, 2006)

Ok so the vet called me and I asked about draining it she said she thought it was to big to just drain it. But from the way she talks she claims it will not go away on its own and will get bigger and bigger so I dont know. I think I might go get a second opinion


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## agility collie mom (Jan 26, 2008)

The hematoma will only continue to fill and became larger. As your dog shakes his head he causes more trauma and more bleeding. The vet will drain and suture the separated layers of skin so that it will heal. 
We have not had a lot of success with draining and wrapping ear hematoma at the clinic I work at. If not kept wrapped properly with pressure bandages the ear just tends to refill. So in the long run usually the surgery is better.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Hmm, Willow used to get ear hematomas all the time, and we never had it drained or surgically remedied. If she was shaking her ears, we wrapped her head up in an ACE bandage, if not, we left her alone. They always went away on their own (a hole would open up and all the nastiness would drain out by itself). We only took her to the vet for it once, and all he did was give her a Cortisone shot, and said we were handling it correctly. I would ask the vet to try draining it with a syringe first....I hate putting animals under anesthetic unnecessarily.


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## Arearis (Jul 17, 2006)

Yea I agree, I refuse to put my put under for something that doesnt have to be done. As long as he is healthly I am happy. I dont care what his ear looks like, he is not a show dog. He is a member of the family and we will love him no matter of his apperence. I am going to call the vet tomorrow about maybe getting him some antibotics just to help it heal if it does open up. It hasnt got any bigger in 2 days now and he isnt shaking his head but I think I am going to start wrapping it with an ace bangage when he goes outside just to prevent further damage to it. It doesnt seem painful to him at all he will let you look at it and touch it with no problems so we will see how it goes but surgery is definitely gonna be a last resort.


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## mylittlebecky (May 27, 2008)

every DVM i've worked for has a different solution for ear hematomas... the best way i've found is to put a teat cannula (what they put in cows' udders when they get mastitis) in the area to constantly allow the fluid to drain by gravity, then the layers eventually adhere to each other. it's the same concept as a drain tube for a laceraction but stiff, if you've seen those. it is done while the dog is awake with local anesthetic. it is kept in place for ~6 weeks and i have never seen it fail except when an owner did not understand the importance of keeping the cannula clear with a toothpick daily and massages to break up any clots (knock on wood). i teach ever new DVM i work for, it's so much simpler and safer than a messy gross looking surgery. the original doc used to also drain and flush and then fill with a small amount of cortisone as another option.
oh and for the record, from my experience, no matter what you do the ear will be different than it was before... if allowed to heal on it's own it will usually be more of a melty cauliflower type shape, if "fixed" it will usually be thickened a good amount. i feel like they might be a little painful when really full just because of heat that comes off of it and i feel like that amount of stretching would be at least annoying. as a person with ear issues ... i am an ear weenie


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## Arearis (Jul 17, 2006)

Yes I know that the tightness of it must be uncomfortable but he doesnt seem phased by it. There is no heat coming from it at this point. I have been checking it every hour or so and both ears feel the exact same temp wise. I guess at this point infection is my main concern. I am going to talk to the vet tomorrow about starting on some antibotics and attempting to let it heal on its own as long as it isnt growing, which it hasnt since friday night. Onething I am curious about, Would it be smart to go ahead and start cleaning the area with hydrogen peroxide incase it starts to open or bust?


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

I've always heard that a dog would get cauliflower ear after having a hematoma, but Willow's ears are completely normal. She's a weird dog.

Yes, we always cleaned Willow's ears with alcohol....she seemed to like the cooling aspect of it, plus it disinfected the area. Peroxide tends to debride healthy tissue, so it shouldn't be used too much.


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## Arearis (Jul 17, 2006)

Ok I am gettting frustrated with my vet. Called her this morning and she is saying that if it busts open he can bleed to death. I have read tons of stuff on this and never heard of a dog bleeding to death from it. I dont know what to do. I get my self all calmed down thinking it is nothing that can hurt him and then the vet goes and gets me scared out of my mind again.


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## mylittlebecky (May 27, 2008)

unless your dog has a serious bleeding disorder in which he cannot clot... that's ridiculous! the vessel that originally burst to create the hematoma has most assuredly clotted and most likely retracted. if it bursts, it would be a good idea to keep pressure on it while keeping it clean and dry... it almost sounds as if she's fed up with your knowledge and questions and is trying to scare you in order to make you do what she thinks is right. only you, with a vet's guidelines can decide that... is there another vet you can consult with?


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## Arearis (Jul 17, 2006)

Well I am pretty sure he doesnt have any bleeding disorders. He got into the trash a few monthes back and sliced his tongue open on a can. At first I couldnt get the bleeding to stop only because he kept licking his paws and wasnt allowing it to clot so I took him tothe ER vet cause it was late and they gave him a shot to make him sleepy within 3 minutes or so of him sleeping the bleeding had stopped. Like you said I think she is just getting frustrated with me and is just trying to scare me into doing what she wants. At this point she is refuseing to treat him unless I have the surgery done so I think it is time for a new vet any how.I am going to hunt around but a few that I have called said they always recommend surgery with a hematoma. So I might have a hard time finding one that is willing to try letting it heal on its own or atleast trying a less drastic treatment first. His ear hasnt grown at all since friday and isnt even remotely hot so I would assume the bleeding has stopped in the ear anyway. He is still running around playing also so I dont think he is to uncomfortable. I am going to take some pics of it soon and post them.

Ok I got some pics of it. It is kinda hard to see but it is at the very tip top of his ear and he was getting mad at me because he was trying to sleep so I couldnt get a great pic. I have seen some really bad pics of dogs with there whole ear swollen but his has gotten any bigger than this. 





































I just talked to another vet that I have used before and he said as long as it isnt growing then it will be fine to leave it alone and let it heal by itself but if it opened to call him and he would give me some antibotics. He also said he had never heard of a dog bleeding out from a hematoma.


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## dee7973 (Oct 5, 2007)

I had a rottie that had one that was rather large... The second vet that you went to is absolutely correct when he says it will heal on its own... Just try to prevent shaking cause that is what causes them to get enlarged, shaking makes the blood go to the spot... My vet had said it was sort of like a blood blister... We were also told that if it got bigger they would give us antibiotics... no fear SURGERY is far from at hand, it should heal... GOOD LUCK!!!


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## Arearis (Jul 17, 2006)

dee7973 said:


> I had a rottie that had one that was rather large...
> 
> 
> > Did you wrap their head at all? I noticed earlier when I took him outside that his ears flops up and down as he trots or runs and also he seems to want to mess with it more and do a few small head shakes after he has came in from outside. I really want to do everything possible to prevent it from growing but I cant keep a eye on him all the time so I was thinking about wrapping it with an ace bandage for when I am not around. I know this would help if I can get him to leave it alone.I am afraid that if I do bandage it, it will only encourage him to mess with it more though. I have a hard time gauging if it has gotten bigger but the vet said that it had gotten bigger I will definitely realize it so I dont think it has.


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## bluedawg (Apr 20, 2008)

I just dealt with this surgery with Blue. I guess I know now that if I had wrapped it before its got to more than twice its normal size its likely he wouldnt have had the surgery. Between the size of the ear and the obvious infection I went for the surgery and followed it up with antibiotics.


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## Patt (Feb 12, 2008)

I know you said you checked the Internet for this problem. Did you see this link? http://www.lbah.com/ear_hematoma.htm Looks like a good way to go. If you leave it alone he may end up with a cauliflower ear and the hematoma may return. I've had to take care of hematomas on sheep, but not dogs. Please be careful wrapping it, you may make it worse. Good luck in whatever you decide.


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## pennyandsandy (Jun 11, 2008)

Does anyone have any suggestions... My 7 year old dog has had 3 hematoma surgeries... The last one being a month ago. She just got her stitches out a week ago and it is back. They want to do another surgery about another $700.00. Does anyone know of any other ideas I can try? I have paid over $2100.00 on surgeries and they said it could come back right away... thanks for anyone that can help!


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## Patt (Feb 12, 2008)

pennyandsandy said:


> Does anyone have any suggestions... My 7 year old dog has had 3 hematoma surgeries... The last one being a month ago. She just got her stitches out a week ago and it is back. They want to do another surgery about another $700.00. Does anyone know of any other ideas I can try? I have paid over $2100.00 on surgeries and they said it could come back right away... thanks for anyone that can help!


I am so sorry. I know they can return but had no idea it would be 3 times. Did you look at the link on hematomas I posted above (post #18)? It shows the docs draining the hematoma first and then if it doesn't work surgery. I'm wondering if they could try draining it rather than cut it open again. Perhaps you should get a second opinion. I don't know what else you can do, it does have to be taken care of, but how I don't know. 

I hope your dog's ear is better soon. Please keep us updated.


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## Arearis (Jul 17, 2006)

pennyandsandy said:


> Does anyone have any suggestions... My 7 year old dog has had 3 hematoma surgeries... !



After that many surgeries I think I would try and let it resolve itself... but that is just my opinion. Have you gotten a second opinion from another vet? 
I found this article and found it interesting.

http://www.dolittler.com/index.cfm/2007/8/13/pet.vet.dog.cat.ear hematoma.veterinary

Buddy seems to be doing fine he doesnt bother his ear at all until he goes outside or I try to touch it then he goes to trying to rub his head againist the couch. It does seem to have gotten alittle bigger though. Unfortunitly the vet couldnt make it today so hopefully he can get here tomorrow and show me how to wrap it to reduce the chance of him damaging it more and get some antibiotics. All in all I am not extremely worried over while I am keeping a close eye on him, in the long run it is nothing serious just looks nasty to use.


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## Patt (Feb 12, 2008)

Arearis said:


> http://www.dolittler.com/index.cfm/2007/8/13/pet.vet.dog.cat.ear hematoma.veterinary


Excellent article, thanks for sharing.


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## pennyandsandy (Jun 11, 2008)

Thank you for the article! It is not the money, it is the pain that my dog has to go through and when I called the vet today and explained how she just got her stitiches out and it is back. They said it was not guaranteed and if we do the surgery tomorrow it could come back as soon as the stitches come out again. I have read everyones messages and we put a ace bandage around her head and gave her some sedatives from the last surgery so she wouldn't take the bandage off. Does anyone know how long it takes to start going down? Thank you


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## Arearis (Jul 17, 2006)

That was my main concern, I didnt want to put him through a painful surgery if he wasnt in that much pain to begin with. From what I have read and heard from people and a vet it could take anywhere from 2 weeks to a month for it to start going down and correcting itself. Did they do the surgery where they cut and tack it all three times? If allowing it to fix itself isnt an option you might want to try the teat cannula mylittlebecky was talking about in post 9, if you havent already. If I dont have any luck with it healing on its own that is going to be my next option. Good luck with it all, it seems to be a pesky little problem that is somewhat hard to get rid of and I know it has sure been stressful on me as well as buddy.

Ive noticed that the last 2 days buddy's eye on the same side as the ear with the hematoma is runny. It is kinda of a whitish drainage from time to time. The eye isnt swollen so I was assuming it is infection from the ear. Is that possible? My jack russell has had a watery eye for that last few weeks on and off from alliergies but hers it a clear watery discharge.


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## Irishgirl123 (Mar 3, 2008)

Is the hematoma on the outside or inside of the ear?


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## Patt (Feb 12, 2008)

How is the ear? I hope it has started to clear up.


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## Arearis (Jul 17, 2006)

Irishgirl123 said:


> Is the hematoma on the outside or inside of the ear?


It is on the inside top of his ear



Patt said:


> How is the ear? I hope it has started to clear up.


It got bigger a few days in but in the last week it has reduced in size. He seems to be doing great. He doesnt mess with it at all so it has been doing fine on its own but we are still keeping up with the vet and having it monitered. He will be coming back out wed. to check it again but all seems good thankfully.


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## Patt (Feb 12, 2008)

Thanks for the update. Will continue to send positive thoughts for a complete healing.


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## chrisfo (Jun 23, 2008)

Hey I will be sure to let my brother know about this thread. His Sharpei just had a hematoma and was treated successfully for it. He may have some helpful advice for you. His username on this forum is shawneo .

I'll try to let him know or you can look up his username if you get some time.

Good Luck, and be slow to go into surgery. I not making a judgement on your vet but some vets just want money.


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## msbanana (Aug 5, 2008)

I am also going through this same dilema. I have also noticed his eye on the same side is excreting some discharge, but I believe the eye was first before the Hematoma. I'll keep checking this thread as hope for another alternative to surgery.


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