Mission
Animal Hospital and Ear Hematoma
Affordable Animal CLinic Granada HIlls INC
Located in the San Fernando Valley, 16907 San Fernando Mission Blvd. Granada Hills Ca, 818-363-8143
Our Veterinarians are waiting to help you
An EAR HEMATOMA is a large
collection of blood that forms between the skin and the cartilage in the ear.
This appears as a “lump” or swelling of the ear flap.
The most common cause of this condition is excessive head shaking as a
result of an ear infection. Other
possible causes include allergy or trauma, such as a bite wound or hitting the
head on a solid object. Hereditary
tendencies may also be involved, as some breeds and families within the breed
are more prone to this than others. This condition can RECUR in the same ear or other ear if underlying
problems are not corrected.
A swollen ear flap should be
evaluated and treated as quickly as possible to reduce the chance of permanent
disfigurement of the ear. If the
hematoma is not treated properly, one of two things will happen:
1.
The hematoma will continue to
enlarge until it ruptures and becomes infected.
2.
The blood clot will cause permanent
damage to the appearance of the ear. This
may result in a very thick ear that can interfere with normal ventilation of the
ear canal leading to ear infections. Sometimes
as the clot matures and contracts, it will cause the ear to become
“cauliflower-like” in appearance. This
change is irreversible and results in a “withered-up” appearance to the ear
flap.
Once
the blood clot has formed, the treatment of choice is surgical drainage.
There are several different surgical procedures used to correct this
problem. Currently, we prefer a
technique that utilizes multiple circular incisions to drain the clot.
Although this procedure takes more time to perform, it has a much higher
rate of returning the ear to a normal appearance.
16907 San Fernando Mission Blvd. Granada Hills, Ca. 91344 818-363-8143
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