How to Recognize and Treat Aural Hematoma in Dogs

Many dog owners become alarmed when their dog begins shaking his head often. It’s apparent that something is bothering him without any cosmetic symptoms. This is a sign of aural hematoma which occurs when blood pools inside of your canine’s ear. Because this condition can be painful to your canine it’s important to understand treatment options.

Things You'll Need

• Vet's phone number

Instructions

1. Watch your dog for symptoms of aural hematoma. Dogs scratch their ears frequently but it may be difficult to determine if you should be worried. Sometimes they have fleas or ticks and sometimes they have something more serious like an ear infection or aural hematoma. If your canine shakes his head vigorously or the ear is painful to the touch an immediate evaluation is needed.

2. Be aware that delaying treatment isn’t a good option for your canine. Although this condition isn’t life threatening to your dog it’s very painful. Leaving it untreated can also cause physical deformities to your dog’s ear.

3. Take your canine to the vet for an exam. Ask your medical provider to give a physical exam and check for aural hematoma. They should examine the ear thoroughly observing your dog’s pain level and any pooling blood present.

4. Understand your options for treatment. Typically you can aspirate the pooling blood or undergo surgery to remove the issue. Although aspiration is less invasive, the chance of reoccurrence is higher. For this reason many experts recommend surgery as a more permanent solution.

5. Treat ear infection if present in your canine. Often ear infection will accompany aural hematoma in your canine. This infection can be caused by bacteria or yeast in your canine’s ear. Oral antibiotics can be a good option to eliminate this type of infection.

Tips & Warnings

• Examine your dog regularly. After your canine has recovered examine his ears regularly to identify future infections. If touching his ear causes any pain you should take him back to the vet.

• Always give the full course of antibiotics. If your canine has an ear infection always finish the recommended course of antibiotics even if your dog begins to feel better. This will ensure the infection doesn’t get worse.

Resources

• Pet place