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Sideways Riding Expert
Posts: 11371
   
Location: ND--it snows, it floods, it snows, it floods | I already called the vet and have an appt. for tomorrow morning. What can I do until then to keep her from shaking her head. The vet didn't think it warranted a emergency visit so I'm just looking for suggestions on comfort. |
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 Experienced Mouse Trapper
Posts: 3106
Location: North Dakota | Clean the ear canal, and medicate if you have meds, that's what probably caused the hematoma in the first place and then maybe a little aspirin to help ease the pain, dose depends on size of dog. |
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Miss Southern Sunshine
Posts: 7427
Location: South Central Florida | You could also give benadril or zertek. Just dealt with this and my local vet told me they don't do the surgery anymore. WHAT? If I insisted it would be $5 or 6 hundred dollars. I was so upset because it's a heeler and he has beautiful ears. Ultimately I treated the primary ear infection, and drained the ear myself several times but then had to brace the ear for a couple weeks. It worked about 90%. The ear stands but has a small dent. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1182
Location: Do I hear Banjos? | Probably too late to be of help but the best thing to do is to immobilze the ear so it can't flap around while the dog shakes it's head. That may help it not to fill with more blood until you get to the vet.
We would use an ace bandage or part of one or even vet wrap. We would wrap the ear down against the head...going over the top of the head and on either side of the other ear. The vet may bandage it that way after draining for the same reason.
As others have said typically they develop an aural hematoma from the vigorous shaking/scratching due to ear infection or ear mites. So the key in the future is to keep the ears clean and healthy. My favorite method is a good ear cleansing flush followed with a little Otomax ointment weekly or after baths/swimming
Good luck...hope they can drain it and get it reduced.
Edited by TrailGirl 2014-08-29 8:28 AM
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 Crazy Doggy Mommy
Posts: 1419
Location: Where Governor's make the liscense plates | take the ear and wrap it atop the dogs head with vet wrap it needs stability and compression. The last dog I know had one that the vet took the tubing on a butterfly cathether and stuck the needle into blood sample tube for the fluid to run into and it was changed every other day without taking the wrap off. |
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Sideways Riding Expert
Posts: 11371
Location: ND--it snows, it floods, it snows, it floods | Quick update.....they drained the ear but no surgery since she is scheduled to get a hard cyst removed this Thursday and the vet didn't want to put her under twice so close together. AnywAys, we tried a pressure bandage ear wrap which didn't last but after the vet drained it on Fri. It stayed down until yesterday when I drained it. We are treating a ear infection and trying to keep the swelling under control until Thursday when she has surgery for lump removal and her ear. |
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