Dog with ear problem.

Dr. Marie replied:

Oh, the poor little guy. I'm sorry to hear that he is having problems like this.

Most likely you haven't caused damage with a q-tip. A Q-tip wouldn't cause a hematoma, but it could cause a head tilt though. We don't really know what causes an aural hematoma.

This really is a case that needs veterinary care. If we can catch things early it's possible that your dog could be treated with some oral steroids (which are very inexpensive) as well as maybe some medication in the ear. But, if this goes on for a while it's possible that Cyde could need surgery on the ear.

Any sort of ear cleaner or powder that you can get from the pet store is not going to be very helpful. And aspirin is definitely not a good idea. Aspirin can cause dogs to bleed more and it could actually make a hematoma much worse as a hematoma is a collection of blood between the skin and cartilage of the ear.

If finances are a concern, perhaps one of the links on this page would help.

If he will allow it, using a cold compress (such as frozen peas wrapped in a towel) on the swollen part of his ear (i.e. the ear flap) may help reduce the swelling temporarily.

If he does actually have damage to his ear drum as well as a hematoma then getting him on medication right away will really help.

I wish I could give you better advice on what you could do at home, but I can't stress enough how important it is to get your boy to a vet as soon as possible. I really hope he is ok!

Dr. Marie.


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Dr. Marie replied:

This is a tough question to answer! A hematoma doesn't usually get better and then worse like this in such a short time period. And, if you had done damage to his ear drum then he really shouldn't have gotten better at all as this type of damage usually lasts for many weeks.

Unfortunately I don't have an answer for you as to why he seemed to improve.