Aural Hematoma?

[Big Brown]

Well, my hound has had a rough couple of days. She was just diagnosed with Aural Hematoma's on both of her ears. She goes in for a quick procedure tomorrow. This is my first dog. She is a 2 year old big brown lab.

Anyone have experience with this? What are the chances of reoccurences? She is actually having them cut and sutured instead of just draining them. I am told that this is the best long term solution.

I get so bent out of shape over the heath of my dog I am convinced that I could not handle a sick child. Is this normal

[LABS4ME]

Is this the Broken blood vessel / "giant" pocket of fluid in the flap of the ear? If so, I had a dog who had them 3 three times in the same ear over 2 years...Vet said it was a weak blood vessel that'd rupture if she shook her head to hard. After the third time it fixed itself, tho' she had a heck of a cauliflower ear that would've been the envy of any boxer. It never seemed to bother her and would slowly disolve after a week or two.

Labs are tough animals, not that you want to see them injured or in pain, but their threshold of pain is much higher than ours and if they're healthy, they heal amazingly well...

Good Luck with your procedure...Ken

[Big Brown]

Labs,

Thanks for the reply. That is exactly what it is. Except she has one on each ear. We are just leaving for the vet. We are going under the knife to prevent future flare ups and the cauliflower ear. I know that is pretty vane but when your dog is better looking than its owner you have to maintain the look!

She got the injury thinking with a boxers mentality though. Got in a big scrap over the weekend with my springer.

I'll let you know how the procedure goes.

Big Brown

[This message has been edited by Big Brown (edited 01-27-2004).]

[Big Brown]

It's been two days and the hound is recovering nicely. Boy does she hate having the ears bound up and the cone on. She ended up have two cysts removed from above her eye as well. She looks like a cross between a seal and beat up boxer at this point. Turns out that the cause was a bacteria infection in her ear that got her shaking her head not the scrap with my springer. Any suggestions on getting these two to play nice. I got married 4 months ago and the dogs have just been thrown together. The springer is 4+ years and the lab is 2 years.

Thanks!