I. What is ear hematoma in dogs and how should we treat and prevent it

The dog often does a habitual action, that is, scratching the ears with the hind limbs, the reason why the dog does this action, is mostly because of ear discomfort, caused by an instinctive reaction, this action if not particularly frequent, then it is normal, but if the dog frequent scratching ears, then the pet owner must be alert, check the ear canal and the outer auricle for redness, dander, yellow or If there are any of these symptoms, then don't hold your breath and take your dog to the vet right away, because if left untreated, it can cause more serious disease in dogs - ear hematoma.

What is ear hematoma in dogs?

Ear hematoma in dogs is a condition in which the cartilage in the ear is broken by some external force and the blood vessels inside rupture, causing blood to leak out into the subcutaneous tissue, resulting in swelling of the dog's ear.

This disease may not seem painful and does not affect your dog's food or drink, but it can be particularly harmful to your dog and can lead to ear necrosis, ear atrophy, and ear ulceration in severe cases.

What diseases can cause ear hematoma in dogs?
Intrinsic Triggers

Dogs with itchy ear mites
Ear infections caused by fungi
Bacterial otitis media
Fungal external auditory infection
Ear canal tumors, etc.
These triggers can lead to ear discomfort or cause pain and itchiness in the ear, and the dog will frequently scratch its ear with its foot. Unlike humans, dogs do not control their force, and the more they scratch, the worse it gets, and eventually the blood vessels inside the ear rupture.

Due to external forces.
Dogs fighting with each other ear bites
Ear crushed by heavy objects
Contusions caused by the owner stepping on the dog's ear unintentionally
Because of these external forces, the cartilage of the dog's ear is broken and the blood vessels between the skin and the ear cartilage are ruptured, bleeding all the time and forming an ear hematoma.


What are the symptoms of ear hematoma in dogs?

Frequent head shaking
Head tilted to one side
Frequent scratching of the ear with the paw
Swelling and thickening of the ear
The increased local temperature of the ear
Severe ear hematoma with slight oozing
Which dogs are prone to ear hematomas?

Dogs with large and pendulous ears are more likely to develop ear hematomas, such as Pug, Dachshund, Golden Retriever, Teddy, Cocker Spaniel, Labrador, etc.

How should a dog's ear hematoma be treated?
Conservative treatment

This method is suitable for, minor ear hematoma treatment, where the hematoma area is relatively small and there is little exudation, you can try to use this method.

Specific methods.

The area is shaved and disinfected locally.
A large syringe is then used to extract the fluid from the swollen area at the lowest point of the hematoma until it is clean.
Hormones are then injected inside to prevent oozing.
This can be combined with a cold compress in the ear with ice, remember that the ice cannot directly touch the skin, it needs to be padded with something and kept for about 10-15 minutes at a time.
Warm tips.

The advantage of this method is that it is less invasive and does not require anesthesia, but the disadvantage is that it is easy to relapse.
If the dog is particularly obedient, you can make a small incision and then place a drainage strip, which will have a better effect.

Surgical treatment.

Suture compression surgery (less used)
Indwelling drainage tube or drainage strip
Infusion tube compression suture (older, more commonly used method)
Medial auricular incision or partial incision. (Newer surgical method, and currently more popular, which is done through an electric knife)

Surgical procedure.

First, general anesthesia is required
Then the surgical site is strictly disinfected, especially for dogs with otitis media and ear hair, which must be thoroughly cleaned.
The dog is placed on its side with the hemorrhagic ear facing up.
Cotton balls are stuffed inside the ear canal to prevent blood from entering the ear canal and causing severe inflammation of the ear canal.
Cut open the hematoma, squeeze out the blood thoroughly and rinse the cavity inside the wound (there are different surgical methods and different ways of cutting, some are to pass through both sides of the ear, some are to make several holes or cuts in the inner ear because there are more methods, so I won't expand on them one by one)
Nodal sutures with sutures, or compression of the auricle with an infusion tube, sutures must penetrate the auricle when stitching, not subcutaneous sutures (incisions made with an electric knife on the inside of the auricle, or holes are made without sutures)
Thoroughly remove the cause of the disease, such as otitis media just while the dog is anesthetized, and clean the dog's ear canal thoroughly, such as with tumors that must be removed.
Summarize the treatment essentials: clean out all the exudate inside the ear, and use various methods to reduce or stop the continued appearance of new exudate.

Warm tips.
All of the above treatments, (conservative or surgical) have the disadvantage that they can lead to deformation of the dog's ear or atrophy of the ear.
The more severe and prolonged the exudate, the greater the chances of ear deformation. (If you find an ear hematoma, be sure to have surgery promptly.)
The newer electrodebrider surgical approach has a much lower chance of deformation than the traditional compression suture approach.

How do I care for my ear hematoma after surgery?

The dog needs to be given an Elizabethan ring to prevent him from scratching his ear with his foot, which could lead to a broken suture or a secondary injury to the ear.
Disinfect the wound on the dog's ear daily and apply anti-inflammatory ointment to prevent infection.
Every day you need to poke the dog's ear wound open and squeeze any discharge or exudate out of it, consider rinsing the wound. (Never let the wound heal while there is still secretion or the surgery will be in vain)
Along with care, you must pay attention to the treatment of the cause of the disease, such as regular mite shots, fungal shots, and medication inside the ear canal on time. (If you do not do this step of treatment, then the surgery is only treating the symptoms but not the root cause)

Can ear hematoma in dogs be prevented?

Most ear hematomas are secondary to other diseases, so they are completely preventable.

Don't let your dog's ears get wet during bath time, and clean the ear canal after bathing to prevent otitis media, as well as fungal and mite ear diseases.
Dogs with ear discomfort must be treated promptly, especially if the dog is scratching more frequently, so be sure to find the cause and then treat it.
After a fight between dogs with ear injuries, you can apply ice to the ear in advance to shrink the broken capillaries and reduce the chances of ear hematoma.

Ear hematoma in dogs may seem like a simple case, but the treatment process is very complicated and tedious because there are many uncontrollable factors at a later stage, such as the tightness of the sutures and the degree of infection of the wound, all of which can affect the recovery of the dog's ear.

So the best thing we can do is to prevent it in advance. As long as we do our usual preventive work, the ear hematoma will be nipped in the bud and we won't be afraid of this disease.