Aural haematoma in dog how to#
Aural haematoma in dog skin#

For large haematomas, this is not a good solution at all as the clot forms and gets absorbed very slowly, causing the pet a lot of discomfort during this time. But there’s always the risk that your pet continues to shake their head and they end up with a larger blister. This might be a solution only for very small haematomas and it is the least invasive approach. The first option is to use anti-inflammatories to reduce the bleeding and ear discomfort while leaving the ear alone. What can your vet do? Treatment of aural haematomasĪural haematomas can be challenging to treat because the pets themselves often perpetuate their existence with their head-shaking, ear-scratching behaviour.

Aural haematoma in dog how to#

If you’re not sure your dog or cat has an aural haematoma or not, book an appointment with us using the button below this article and, within 30 minutes, one of our friendly vets will help you determine that and advise you how to proceed further. The blood that gathers up in the ear flap makes it feel ‘heavy’, causing the pet to shake their head even more, extending the bleeding and making the blister grow until it eventually fills the entire ear.

It is strongly recommended to take your pet to the vet when you discover an ear haematoma, even if it is very small and there’s no other problem with the ear. The ear canal entrance might be mucky, red and/or smelly. Some may show pain, whilst others may not, They may have a head tilt, often with the ear with the haematoma towards the ground, The cat or dog may be scratching at their ears, or rubbing them with their paws, or on furniture and floors, There’s a bubble that disturbs the even surface of the ear flap (on either side), of variable size, sometimes soft, but mostly feeling firm, with little give, How to recognise an aural haematoma?īecause ears are easy to see and touch, all it takes to spot an aural haematoma is to look: But recent research suggests that, in dogs, there’s a link between the way a dog's ear cartilage folds and the weakness of the ear blood vessels, which makes their rupture more likely when ears are repeatedly traumatised. Hence the impressive sizes ear haematomas can reach.īecause they were frequently seen together, it was previously assumed that the most likely cause of the bursting ear blood vessels was direct trauma, like the head-shaking and scratching at the itchy ears because your cat or dog has an ear infection, ear mites or an allergic flare-up.

Aural haematoma in dog skin#

When one of these blood vessels bursts, because the elasticity of the skin doesn't offer much pressure, it can leak a certain volume of blood before the space fills up and the increased pressure finally stops the bleeding, allowing the blood to clot. The ear flap is quite a simple structure, being made up of a sheet of cartilage that gives it its shape, lined with elastic skin on both sides, under which runs a network of fine muscles, blood vessels and nerves. Bruises are haematomas as well, though of a less spectacular kind. What is an aural haematoma and what are its causes?Īn aural hematoma is a blister of blood that forms inside the ear flap, ‘aural’ meaning ‘of the ear’ and ‘haematoma’ indicating a build-up of blood in tissue (outside of blood vessels).