Jan 15 2009
When your dog’s/cat’s ear swells like a balloon
We in the veterinary community are often presented with the question of why a pet’s ear flap suddenly swelled up like a balloon about to burst.
When the ear flap gets swollen like this, it is from an aural hematoma. This is when the blood vessels within the ear flap burst due to excessive shaking of the head, scratching of the ears, or rubbing them on carpet/furniture/etc. Once the vessels burst, the blood and fluid pools into this pocket you are seeing.
The reason behind its cause is almost always an ear infection. Cats often have ear mites, dogs and cats often get bacterial or yeast infections, sometimes further down into the “L” shaped canal making it harder for you to see it and realize this is a problem.
If having this problem, I would definitely clean the ears by using an ear cleaner specifically made for cats or dogs, available from any pet supply store or online catalog or vet. My personal preferences are Oti-Clens, Derma-Pet and Pan-Otic. Make sure the canal is filled, then massage the base of the ear well, then allow your cat or dog to shake the excess debris out. Wipe the exterior gunk off. Wash the ears daily, but gently until the discharge is resolved.
You are eventually going to need an antibiotic or anti-fungal or ear mite treatment from the vet, depending on what the culprit is causing this. We’ll put a sample under the microscope to determine this. The day of your pet’s vet exam, don’t clean the ears that morning, so some debris will be built up for a good sample.
Until then, continue cleaning daily and do your best to discourage scratching and further irritating the ears.
For the hematoma itself, on occasion they can heal up themselves if the shaking/scratching stops and the infection clears up quick. However, most often it needs to be lanced and drained by your vet, with a drain placed in order to keep the bacteria coming out, not being trapped under the skin.
These hematomas without treatment can sometimes burst, making a big mess, and requiring disinfecting (I like to use betadine 1 part solution to 10 parts warm water to clean 2-3 times daily). The can also sometimes cause some permanent damage to the ear itself. It is always in the best interest of the animal to have it fixed by a vet to prevent permanent damage and for easiest access to the underlying infection.
Christine, LVT
One of my cats has problems with his ears. It may just be wax that’s bothering him, but he scratches at his ears every so often and shakes his head like there’s something in his ears. We clean them out once or twice a week. He’s never had ear mites, and I’ve had a couple of people look at his ears to see if they saw mites in them, and they say they don’t see anything.
What’s the best product/s to clean a cat’s ears who just gets dirt or wax in them?
I’d appreciate any suggestions you might have.
Sierra
http://purrfectpets.today.com
Thanks