I think most people don't want the dreaded "cauliflower" ear look after one heals on it's own...

I've had a few strays with them...gives them character...<LOL>

LorriM May 27th, 2008 07:02:00 PM

Do you try and treat with Pred?

Alli May 27th, 2008 07:35:00 PM

Oh! I've never seen a human with an ear hematoma! Ew!

robyn w May 27th, 2008 08:23:00 PM

Thanks for the advise. I wasn't aware that it wouldl heal on it's own. I had a dog that the vet sewed the ear, and if Socrates should get it, I'll play the waiting game..
Barri & Socks

barri May 27th, 2008 08:30:00 PM

We don't bandage them, but we do sort of make an ear pinna sandwich using to pieces of needlepoint canvas. It still takes 3 weeks to heal.

DrSteggy May 27th, 2008 08:56:00 PM

I used to have a cat who, before I took him in, had been a battling tom. Both his ears were notched and tattered; I thought it gave him an attractively piratical appearance, at odds with his mild-mannered nature (where humans were concerned, that is). I don't know what the effect of a cauliflower ear would be, but I don't think I'd be put off by it -- all scars add character, right?

T.T. May 27th, 2008 10:33:00 PM

Gross as it sounds, how about using medical leach to remove the excess blood there? They work and with pets would not need to sedate the patient to avoid patient squeamishness.

rose May 28th, 2008 01:17:00 AM

Rose: Don't think we haven't considered it! Leeches are making a comeback! The problem with an ear hematoma is keeping the slimy critter there long enough to let it do its dirty work.

Dr. Patty Khuly May 28th, 2008 08:46:00 AM

Dr. Steggy: i tried that flash-sterilized plastic needlepoint canvas technique once and it worked well. The problem was keeping the dog (in that case) from flapping the "sandwich" everywhere, weapon-like. An e-collar helped but the clients were aghast. Any tips?

Dr. Patty Khuly May 28th, 2008 08:48:00 AM

Can dogs with upright ears get these things?? I'm sure they can, but less common?

ashleigh May 28th, 2008 02:19:00 PM

As far as flapping healing ears, why not tape them under the dog's chin? Use in conjunction with an e-collar if it's necessary to keep them from scratching at the ears. The technique is used to get that perfect fold in natural-eared Dobermans, but would work equally well to immobilize a post-surgical ear.

Andrea May 28th, 2008 02:39:00 PM

Thanks for the pics, I've always wondered what "it" looked like. ashleigh, I've know Scottie folks dealing with this, although not frequently. What would be prescribed treatment in lieu of surgery?
Warm compresses & antibiotics?

Barbara A. Albright/New Hampshire May 28th, 2008 07:19:00 PM

In lieu of surgery we simply treat the underlying condition.

Dr. Patty Khuly May 28th, 2008 07:58:00 PM

Ashleigh: Yep. Upright ears, floppy ears, folded ears, silly ears, cute ears....

Dr. Patty Khuly May 28th, 2008 07:59:00 PM

Harv had an ear hematoma recently from shaking his head, and it took a long time to figure out that his problem was a tooth root abscess. In the meantime, we drained the hematoma, injected some steroid into it, and pressure wrapped it for a few days. It filled up a little bit after we took the bandage off, but it did heal on its own. And Harv had his tooth removed, so no more head-shaking.

katie May 29th, 2008 12:48:00 PM

Here is a thought - I was introduced to using a teat canula (yes for the cows) and basically punching a little hole in the ear and inserting it. You can do with lidocaine jelly or lidocaine bleb and little other sedation is required. The top has a little screw cap and you can open and drain as much as you want. You keep the pet on antibiotics and in an Ecollar but it works pretty darn well - even for the big hematomas. :)

Jessica May 30th, 2008 03:35:00 PM

I would rather not go in for surgery- is there any oral medication I can use? Or external application?
Thanks
Gita

Gita June 22nd, 2008 09:42:00 PM

Our lab Jack is trying to recover from this surgery and not having a goodd time of it. We are taking him in again this afternoon becuase the ear is still swollen a little and we think ozing from a stich or two.

Can someone comment on the after care needed dureing the healing period? Cleaning the ear, pain killers (he just lays around crying and wimpering). The surgery was Friday, today is Wednesday.

Also, what type pf underlying causes should we recoomend to our vet to look for?

Many thanks!

Peter July 9th, 2008 01:37:00 PM

I second the teat cannula. It's noninvasive, very easy to do and to heal (takes about 4-6 weeks). No need to put the animal under anesthesia, if needed, we can just sedate. No need for a messy surgery. I have yet to see one fail for any other reason than home care which simply entails cleaning the cannula with a toothpick and keeping the cap off the cannula to allow the fluid to drain.

becky July 23rd, 2008 11:59:00 AM

My dog Zeena, an anatolian shepherd, 12 years old, had surgery Thursday and after two miserable days, she got much better, Then tonight, six days later, I noticed it swelled again, bubbling ooze coming out, and painful all over again. The pillow stiches were oozing too. Do these actually ever get better? She doesn't have ear problems, or ear infections, so we figured she hit it on something. My vet said these things just get bigger cause the dog keeps shaking her head, making it worse, so I did surgery.
Now my dog is miserable tonight and stopped eating, so we will be at the vet in the AM. Anybody have a successful out come on an older dog?

Lorri August 27th, 2008 11:45:00 PM

I used homeopathy and some of the natural cures mentioned online and my dogs ear healed (went down) really fast- and it has not re-occured. However she still has a flea problem.

gita October 21st, 2008 08:11:00 AM

Fleas can be repelled somewhat by adding garlic to food. Along with flea washes and yard pest control, strong smelling, not Kaolic, use only powered or cloves (chopped) garlic on the food eliminates the need to reapply all the chemical flea washes.

Lorri October 21st, 2008 11:32:00 AM

I would love to hear from you what natural remedies you used that where successful. It has been a few months, my dog Zeena still has a small pocket of hematoma that formed after the removal of the tube in her ear lobe. So I still need treatment ideas....

Lorri October 21st, 2008 11:34:00 AM

Hi, My 8 year old pitbull has a hematoma at the top of his flap. Not affecting the ear canal. I took him to the vet and they drained the ear and sent home with no medications. Of course, it came back then we drained again and kept dressing on for at least 12 hours. Today, I once again took him back for a draining and requested they put a steroid injection in it. He then..get this.. took a tampon in the cardboard wrap and stuck it in his ear canal and wrapped up. He expected this to stay for 5-7 days. There is no way. My dog, Chaos, can not handle anything touching this part of his ear and has constantly shook his head. We have removed this dreaded tampon and applied pressure to the hematoma and rewrapped. I am so stressed about this. I have read your site over and over about these hematomas. My vet of course says if this doesn't work then he will need to do surgery. To me right now financially is not an option and reading some of the horror stories I just don't want to put him through that. I just need some advice as to what I should do. The hematoma will fill up tight but it has not grown in size, doesn't seem to bother him too bad. Should I continue with the drainings or just let the pressure build up and leave it alone. The cosmetic defect of the ear won't bother me or him, I just don't know what to do in the meantime. Thanks in advance for you suggestions.

Angie December 26th, 2008 11:06:28 AM

where can I find pictures of "cauliflower ear" dog--where the hematoma is left to naturally heal on its own?? My 9 year old OES just got a hematoma...scared me when I first saw it..now looking at the surgery pics scares me..seems so drastic... ...I treat her once in awhile for ear infections..but think the cause may be trauma from our new westie pup that seems to think her ears are at the right height to play with.... trying to weigh my options on how to best treat her... THANKS

Eliz January 15th, 2009 12:32:28 AM

My cock-a-poo just got a hematoma a couple of days ago.....I took her to the vet last night and they wanted to do surgery.. I dont have $420.00 so I said no...what else can we do... My friend suggested just having the vet lance it....So, I suggested that to the vet and she said ok.. She came back out and said she tried but that my dog wouldnt sit still enough....... I dont understand why they cant just hold her down...she weighs 19 pounds. So then she said we can just leave it alone if I wanted to and that it should heal on it's own but her ear may look funny.. I dont care. I dont know what else to do.

Lisa January 23rd, 2009 11:22:55 AM

is there anything out there that can help with the discomfort of the hematoma while we wait for it to heal on its own?

Aimee m. March 8th, 2009 05:48:54 AM

Glad to have found this site. My Golden has a hematoma that was apparent to me when stroking his ears on Saturday. It feels quite large but after reading some of these other examples it's not that big. I'm inclined to go the heal itself route and as a matter of fact that is exactly what his breeder recommended. Massaging gently a few times a day for several weeks. I will, however, take him to the vet to make certain we find the underlying cause, i.e., ear infection, and then go from there.

Carole March 9th, 2009 11:33:43 AM

My German Shepherd has this Problem. It scared the crap out of me. I used a thick Sewing Needle(sterilized with peroxide then alcohol first) to pop it, it drained a little then filled back up. So, I used a human Syringe Needle, the real thick one. Blood shot out like crazy. The swelling went down about 85% but there is still more in there. I started her on antibiotic Three days ago. I pet my dog everday so I know, I popped it the first day she got it. Then popped it everyday for three days. So my questions are will this thing heal, is she gonna have a floppy ear for life and will the antibiotic heal any part of this. I checked for mites didn't see any indication, no fleas either. Maybe she popped it by shaking water off? Thank you Please respond.

Mark March 16th, 2009 12:47:01 AM

My Shepard had a hematoma, and recieved the teat canula, but our new vet wants another 400 to take it out.  I have some medical background, and want to know if and how I can remove the canula on my own.  I am on a fixed income and really can not afford another 400.00 (as that is what they charged me to put it in and say that it will cost same amount to take it out (did not tell me that part until after it was done.).  Your help is greatly appreciated.  Have access to tramadol, and dog will allow us to do pretty much anything to him without a fight.  He weighs 98.lb and is 9 yrs old and in good health

Thank you

Amy

amy March 22nd, 2009 01:50:48 PM

Are there any home remedies we could use to help our poor German Shepherd? Or any medication we could use as an alternative to surgery? Please advise, thanx!!

Danette March 29th, 2009 05:23:36 PM

For a week now my cat Tigger, 22 years old, has one on her ear.  I have talked to 3 vets and they all say to lance or do surgery.  I lanced 3 times and it fills up although seems not to have gotten worse.  I have also been treating for ear mites, even though I think she just has allergies.  I have treated her for mites before but she always comes back with waxy ears.  I had never heard of this oddity and now in dealing with it at her age and reading these posts, I am inclined not to put her through the surgery because of the anesthetic and her age.  She is still eating, and purs and otherwise seems happy.  Any other suggestions are welcomed.  I also read that putting witch hazel on the ear helps with inflamed capilaries.  The ear so far is not red, just swollen.  I can still see a tiny opening to her ear canal.  If I try to clean inside her ear, she itches it further and shakes her head about it.  So I am just leaving it alone now as much as possible so not to cause her to shake her head.  wow, such a dilema. 

pam April 13th, 2009 12:41:51 PM

thank god i came across this page i was about to dump 600$ for a surgery .

brenda o April 20th, 2009 02:43:28 PM

I made a post on 12/26/08 about my horrific time with Chaos' hematoma. Luckly to say after that last horrible trip to the vet to have it drained and put steriod injection in the pocket and oral steroids to date...knock on wood, no reoccurance. There is just a small rough area under his ear, other than that never could be better or any more rotten.

Angie April 27th, 2009 01:11:44 PM

i have a 5 month old doberman that has a hematoma. i bought him from a man in atlanta 3 weeks ago that had already had "dino", the dog, ears clipped. i guess he kept shaking his head because he did not like the way the man had his ears wrapped. anyways, my question is... after suffering from a ear hematoma, will my dogs ears ever stand again?

brookew June 15th, 2009 04:01:09 PM

i've had two cats with these...one a battling tom we took in to neutered and a family pet with an ear infection...both cases surgery was done and the cats came out looking earless on one side.  ... after reading this article and posts...i think i'll take my chances on how the ear will look when it's healed...after all what do the stray cats do that get them...have been putting ice packs on it hoping that helps with the pain...any other suggestions...i'd thank you for.

Starre July 14th, 2009 06:38:49 PM

My German Sheperd is 10 years old and in March he got one of these hematomas on his right ear. He had ear infection in his ear at that time...but wasn't scratching or shaking his head...We went into the vet and she tried a myriad of steroids and medicines. All to no avail. We then lanced the ear, drained it and inserted a drain in the ear. the ear drained for months...finally the drain came out and I had to keep the incision open using HydrogenPeroxide and "milk" the ear everyday to release the remaining fluid. Its now July and the ear has only just healed up...its still barely leaking, but the ear has scarred now and the result is a no longer straight german sheperd ear, but a floppy ear.  Unfortunately we just went into the vet again becuase he has now developed another hematoma on his left ear. this time there is no ear infection, no infection of any kind. This time it was causing him so much pain from the pressure that I had the vet lance it immediately and we're back on meds and ice packs. Our vet can't figure out why this is happening now in BOTH ears...she was mentioning Vasculitis and there being a possible problem with blood clotting...but usually that also involves an infection. She's and I are doing some research since this other possible diagnosis would involve taking a scan of the dog's head to see if everything is draining propoerly...We have another appointment next week to discuss further. However, the scarring and the floppy are expected. Which is fine as long as he isn't in pain anymore.  Just FYI, more than likely if your dog has straight ears and they get a hematoma...they probably aren't going to stand straight anymore...

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my pit bull puppy 2 months old has this hematona very large in one ear and the other is barely startin 2 get big i dnt no what 2 do with him he doesnt show that he is in pain but his ear iz turnin colors i tryed 2 poke it with a needle and drain it my self 2 releave sum of the pressure is thios a big mistake?? i dnt want 2 infect him and make it worse and  i cant affored surgery. but am begining to think that its not a good idea.

can yew plz contact me and help me out. any advise yew have for me would be great! thanx

aguirre_310@yahoo.com

plz any advise any one could give, from a personal experiance would help =/

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Rockwell February 16th, 2010 08:40:39 PM

My advice: LEAVE IT. My 14-year-old schnoodle recently got a hematoma on about half of one of her ears. The vet drained it, and I drained it at home twice over the next ten days or so, but it kept refilling. Eventually I read lots of advice online and decided to give it a chance to heal by itself. I wish I had done that right from the start. Inside a week, most of the fluid had been reabsorbed and her ear is now almost back to normal - the only thing left is a slight thickening of part of the pinna where the hematoma was - invisible.

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