Why is my Dog’s Ear Swollen?
My retired seeing-eye Golden Retriever, Age 11 has
a painful swelling in his right ear flap that
measures about 3″ x 3″. I don’t know if he
banged it on something, had an insect bite, or
what. . . I clean his inner ears with a solution I
got from my vet to deal with the brownish soil
that irritates him. Don’t know if this is a
related issue or not–thought I’d pass it on
anyway. Ideas??
Gratefully,
Margot
Vancouver BC/now Duncan BC, Canada
I suspect that your dog is suffering from an aural hematoma.
Aural hematomas occur when blood accumulates under the skin of the external ear. They appear as swellings on the outer ear. Aural hematomas are most common in dogs with prominent, loose external ears (that is to say, floppy ear flaps). However, they also occur in cats and dogs with small, perky ears.
The most common cause of aural hematomas is head shaking. And, the most common cause of head shaking is ear infections. The brown debris in your dog’s ears may be related to chronic irritation of the ears, which may have caused head shaking and therefore may be linked to the hematoma.
There are several ways to treat aural hematomas. Common options include draining the hematoma with a syringe, placing an indwelling drain (called a cannula) into the area, or performing a surgery in which the ear skin of the ear is sutured into the proper position. Some veterinarians advocate treating with antibiotics and oral cortisone as a first step.
I advocate trying less invasive options before resorting to surgery. And, no matter what, I recommend addressing the underlying cause of the hematoma. If you don’t, the problem is likely to recur.
Your dog will need to see a vet to confirm that the swelling is a hematoma. You can discuss treatment options and prevention of further problems during the visit.
Photo: Nala recovers from an aural hematoma.
You have questions. 
This is exactly what happened to my dog last year. She is a eight-year-old (was then seven and turned eight during this) yellow lab. She has always had TERRIBLE allergies, and I mean terrible! :P She can’t have meat and her feet, stomach, and privates get red and itchy from grass and pollen. We have to wipe them out every day with a special wipe and put cortizone cream on afterwards, making sure she doesn’t lick it all off. I noticed first when her ear looked like it was sticking out to the side at an angle is wasn’t supposed to. Closer look revealed a lump the was squishy when squeezed ever so slightly, and she didn’t like me to touch. We took her to the vet, and she had to get it drained and a tube put in. We had a Elizabethan collar on her and a bandage holding her ear up, and we had to drain he ear by rubbing all the liquid out of it three times a day. It was annoying, but we felt so bad for her that it wasn’t that big of a deal. What she seemed to hate most was that she couldn’t lick her tummy to ease the itchyness from her allergies. Her ear didn’t heal right the first time, and we had to do it a second time, but she is finally all better again. Now we panic when she holds her head at an odd angle like she did then! :P Funny what we go through for our big lugs!
My dog Petie has an aural hematoma right now. We were at the vet last week and he drained it with a syringe but it filled right back up with fluid/blood and is painful when touched. The doctor said it was due to Petie having ehrlichea from tick bites which affects proper clotting of his blood. I guess the next step is minor surgery on his ear.
I have 2 dogs at present that have aural hematoma. Both have floppy ears. And both have had surgery. We are not sure exactly what caused this to happen but for one we believe it was due to head shaking and the other from rough house playing.. But both have had to wear the elizabethan collars and are currently on anitbotics. In all our years of rescuing and with 20 dogs at present, this was a first. Just when you thought you’ve seen it all, something else happens, but that’s ok. At least eveyone now is loved and well cared for.
My 13 year old rottie mix had an aural hemotoma last year. Our vet didn’t find any sort of infection or irritation in the ear and he wanted to try the suture method to repair it. I am very leery about anesthesia being used on my old boy and after reading several articles online I decided to wait and let the swelling go down naturally. Just as I had read, it does eventually go down (two or three months) though it causes the ear to slightly crumple up when healed. A small cosmetic issue just made more sense than a $1,000 procedure with a chance for surgical complications.
I think my dog Jasper has an aural hemotoma right now. His ear began swelling approx. a week ago. I have not taken him to the vet yet. He had this approx. 4-5 years ago. I felt bad for him then and I feel bad for him now. He is getting up there in age, so I worry about anesthesia being used on him as well. Another problem, I am a college student and lacking on funds. I am wondering if I should let this heal naturally, like the previous response or take him to the vet? Jasper doesn’t act like he is in pain, but he shakes his head as if being annoyed. I guess I would be annoyed if my ear was filled with blood!
I had a aural hemotoma which got fixed.
The vet operated on it the only lasting effect is my ear is slightly califlowered, but my family still loves me as I am.