elleathree Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 (edited) I was reading about this type of injury and Bradman (8yo boxer) has only been shaking his head for 2 days and I have only noticed him shake it once yesterday and maybe twice today. I didnt realise that it would be that easy to cause a hematoma, it's quite large and very painful for the poor boy. He also has a lump under his left eye that the vet seems to think is a reaction to a wasp or spider bite and he has put Bradman on an anti inflamatory. Surgery for the hematoma is on Monday. My question: Is it usual that the surgery for the hematoma be that far away or is it normally done sooner? What sort of complications might occur leaving the injury for another 4 days? I will be ringing the vet tomorrow to follow it up but I'm happy to read about anyones experiences. Edited November 24, 2008 by elleathree Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Midol Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Lily has had two, both times they've done it either on the day I ring, or the next. It can get bigger the further away surgery is = more money, even uglier ear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baifra Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 (edited) My cattle dog has just had a large haematoma but she didn't have it operated on. Instead the vet chose to put an elizabethan collar on and the haematoma went down in roughly two weeks!!! I was very happy that she didn't need an anasthetic. Good luck with it. Another dog of mine had a large one a few years ago and they operated on it (the same day). Maybe get an elizabethan collar for your dog in the meantime to avoid more damage and discomfort. Edited November 20, 2008 by baifra Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 yikes if it needs surgery we never left it that long. In one case we taped the ear to the head to prevent movement at all but that was a one off because they couldnt do surgery for a day. I would get that done ASAP before it gets worst. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Anne~ Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 They can heal without surgery. All it is, as you probably know, is burst vessels causing bleeding between the layers of the skin on the ear. The blood can and will eventually be re-absorbed. Leaving it can sometimes cause secondary complications though and it is always best to have it checked by a Vet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 we get them done asap.You can leave them but its often results in a deformed ear. Some vets in Melbourne are using a different method which doesnt require surgery & the resukts are great.I will be finding out this method for future use here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoxyNHemi Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 My future MIL has had her goldens have them, they have drawn it out with a syringe, and injected with quartezone(sp?) and the dog has been fine... no need for surgery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Anne~ Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 cortisone :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elleathree Posted November 22, 2008 Author Share Posted November 22, 2008 Thank you for all your replies. My future MIL has had her goldens have them, they have drawn it out with a syringe, and injected with quartezone(sp?) and the dog has been fine... no need for surgery. How large were the hematoma's - Bradman's is about the size of a 20cent peice but about 3/4 inch thick. I is also situated at the base of the ear flap (at his head) so the vet thinks is was some kind of trauma that caused it. It doesnt seem to be worrying him at all. Surgery is first thing Monday morning - they will also be looking for what caused it, a suggestion was a grass seed or some other ear irritant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blacklabrador Posted November 22, 2008 Share Posted November 22, 2008 Lily has had two, both times they've done it either on the day I ring, or the next.It can get bigger the further away surgery is = more money, even uglier ear. It will only get bigger if the blood vessel is still bleeding. If the vet thinks it's stable and no noticable increase in size happens then the only thing that will happen is that it might reduce a little. It's just a blood clot sitting there and they can resolve on their own if left. Surgery involves making a small incision, squeezing out the clot and sewing it back up. Very straight forward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted November 22, 2008 Share Posted November 22, 2008 Bradman sounds as if he is lucky..It's not that large a one Try and tape it or something to stop any more trauma to it.he may also try & scratch. They can and do heal by themslelves, but as the ear cartilage is damaged/separated.. there is a deformity afterwards (caulifower ear). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elleathree Posted November 23, 2008 Author Share Posted November 23, 2008 Try and tape it or something to stop any more trauma to it.he may also try & scratch. I have been taping it but he gets it off quite quickly. Any suggestions on the best thing to use - I dont have an elizabethan collar. He doesnt scratch it but I was taping it so that when he shook his head it wouldnt flap around and make it worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted November 23, 2008 Share Posted November 23, 2008 He also has a lump under his left eye that the vet seems to think is a reaction to a wasp or spider bite and he has put Bradman on an anti inflamatory. and I am wondering if the lump on his ear is another bite...NOT a true haemotoma ?? Most haemotomas I have seen have been down towards the ear tip..not up near the head... Must admit- with that in mind.... if it hasn't grown any bigger..and he is not rubbing or scratching... perhaps don't draw attention to it by taping, after all??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elleathree Posted November 23, 2008 Author Share Posted November 23, 2008 He also has a lump under his left eye that the vet seems to think is a reaction to a wasp or spider bite and he has put Bradman on an anti inflamatory. and I am wondering if the lump on his ear is another bite...NOT a true haemotoma ?? Must admit- with that in mind.... if it hasn't grown any bigger..and he is not rubbing or scratching... perhaps don't draw attention to it by taping, after all??? Yes I did give that a thought about it being another bite. I will make sure that the vet is aware of that. I gave up on taping his ear... but you are right he is only shaking it a little when his attention isnt being drawn to it, so it is probably not really a problem that I cant keep it secure. I will see if I can get a picture of the hematoma and post it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoxyNHemi Posted November 23, 2008 Share Posted November 23, 2008 Thank you for all your replies.My future MIL has had her goldens have them, they have drawn it out with a syringe, and injected with quartezone(sp?) and the dog has been fine... no need for surgery. How large were the hematoma's - Bradman's is about the size of a 20cent peice but about 3/4 inch thick. I is also situated at the base of the ear flap (at his head) so the vet thinks is was some kind of trauma that caused it. It doesnt seem to be worrying him at all. Surgery is first thing Monday morning - they will also be looking for what caused it, a suggestion was a grass seed or some other ear irritant. Hers started off small, and grew quite large within a few days, about the size of a 50 cent piece. She was an old dog of 11 at the time, and surgery wasnt an option in my opinion, MIL was in england, and she had had success with it in the past, it took me 3 vets to get one that would do it however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elleathree Posted November 24, 2008 Author Share Posted November 24, 2008 The hematoma got larger over night last night, not too large still, and the lump on his face started oozing and loosing hair. Surgery was decided on. Bradman had his surgery and the vet was very pleased with the ear but is now concerned about the lump so biopsy was taken and two teeth pulled that 'may be causing the problem' as there was a track from the lump to the teeth. The lump had only a little pus and was mostly inflamed tissue. Hopefully it is a reaction to an infection. We are going back for a check up in a week. My poor poor baby is asleep on the couch with his lovely head wear on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InspectorRex Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 Hugs and prayers that he recovers well and the biopsy results come back normal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baifra Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 Oh poor baby. Glad all went well and healing vibes sent your way!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 Oh.. so the 'insect bite' was an abscess ? Poor boy. He will not be a happy chappie for a few days.. he will need to be spoilt... Tsk Tsk ;) Glad he is being sorted out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elleathree Posted November 24, 2008 Author Share Posted November 24, 2008 Oh.. so the 'insect bite' was an abscess ? Poor boy.He will not be a happy chappie for a few days.. he will need to be spoilt... Tsk Tsk Glad he is being sorted out! Thanks, I hope so. The vet doesnt really know what it was, only a little bit of pus, mostly swollen/excess tissue, so before they do anything more, we will wait and see if the antibiotics, anti inflamatory and a some time makes a difference. Hopefully the biopsy comes back as nothing. Thanks for the well wishes everyone. He is getting spoilt rotten at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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