Ear Hematoma

This dog was presented to All Pets with a large swelling in his right ear. The dog's entire ear flap was swollen. The dog was diagnosed with an aural, or ear hematoma.

An ear hematoma is a collection of blood, blood clots, and/or fibrous tissue that gets trapped between the skin and cartilage of the ear. They are common in animals that have ear infections. Ear infections are often very itchy and uncomfortable and cause animals to shake their heads and scratch at their ear. The blunt trauma results in bleeding in the space between the skin and cartilage. The blood pools in this space and causes the ear to be heavy and uncomfortable.

Treatment is two-fold. First the hematoma must be opened to allow the blood to drain. Any blood clots and fibrous tissue are removed. The picture at the left shows blood clots and fibrous tissue.

Sutures are placed along the incision to close the dead space and prevent the reaccumulation of fluid. Proper placement of staggering sutures forces blood to drain from the incision. The incision is left open and allowed to heal over the next few weeks. The second part of treatment involves treating the underlying cause of the hematoma. Most often this is an ear infection. Without treatment, ear hematomas will eventually resolve. However, the ear will often scar and shrivel. Proper surgical treatment allows for a more rapid resolution of clinical signs and maintains the normal ear shape.