# Anyone have expereince with ear seromas?



## MurphyDawg (Jan 27, 2007)

Hi,

I noticed during a routine grooming that my 8 year old golden Murphy has a wierd swelling in his earflap. It feels like an "air bubble" it does not seem painful to him nor has he been excessively shaking his ear. It is not red, hot to touch or showing any sign of bruising or blood collecting there. He did have a mild ear infection the week before which I had to clean and medicate so may be he shook his ear so hard that the lump formed then. He's booked into the vet tomorrow am.

Personally, I think it is a seroma over a hematoma. I've seen both in humans ( I'm an RN)

What is the treatment for this condition? Needle aspiration or does it involve full surgery? Getting Murphy to wear a cone is near impossible...if I put one on him he pitches forward until the cone touches the floor, refuses to move and whines until I take it off. Previously, I've put booties on him post op and watched him like a hawk reserving the cone for when I leave the house.

I feel badly that I missed this but he's a tough old guy and does not show discomfort with most things. He does not seem fussed about this at all although he LOVES going to the vet, he's thinks it's the social event of the year.

Any chance the lump could have arisen from "rough play"? He did have a stay with my folks and my female and Mom's two lab females love to wrestle with Murphy...lots of ear biting is mandatory in a 4 way game of "bitey face" The girls pound on Murphy but he always goes back for more. I have stopped all wrestle matches until we get this dealt with. I am unpopular right now 

Thanks,
Jenn


----------



## missmarstar (Jul 22, 2007)

How big is it? 

The hematoma my dog had on his ear was not bruised or hot to the touch either, but it was indeed a hematoma. It required surgery to drain it, and then large sutures inserted in the ear to create scar tissue to seal the area to prevent it from re-filling with fluid. Expensive procedure, somewhat long recovery time, and yes, the dreaded cone of shame.

Good luck at the vet tomorrow!!!


----------



## MurphyDawg (Jan 27, 2007)

It's about an inch long by a quarter inch wide. It hides beautifully in his furry ears. It's been less than a week since it appeared...it was not there when I cleaned his ears last week. It is stable in size and has not grown since we found it.

I can gently manipulate it and he just sits there, normally anything to do with ears and he runs away and hides.

Poor guy, he's had a few lumps that required surgery in the last year. (benign thankfully) Hopefully we'll get this cleared up in time for swimming season as he would never forgive me if he had to sit on the sidelines. 

Jenn


----------



## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

I don't know anything about a seroma but my Maggie (RIP) had a hematoma when she was around that age. It came out of no where. It was obviously painful so we had the surgery done to drained it. The ear was taped up onto her head. No cone. She hated it none the less! The fluid came back somewhat and the ear flap was never quite right, a little lumpy, but since it didn't seem to cause any discomfort, we left it alone after that.


----------



## Rainheart (Nov 28, 2010)

An ear hematoma is often referred to as 'pillow ear.' It usually feels like a bubble or picket of fluid in the ear. I would get a vet to look at it myself. We usually put a teat cannula in it and allow it to drain fully.


----------



## GoldenMum (Mar 15, 2010)

Clyde just had a hematoma, it definitely wasn't painful. It can be caused by a head shake that causes a small bleed. My vet and I discussed, and where his wasn't looking like it was ready to burst.....we just watched it. My vet said if it gets bad they have to surgically remove the hematoma and put in stitches to keep it from refilling. Quite often they have to be done more than once. It took more than a month, but it disapated on its own. His ear has a lump on the bottom, but at almost 12, he won't be entering any beauty pagents! Good Luck and keep us posted.


----------



## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

My previous dog had a hematoma in the ear. It went from nothing to huge in one day. The vet tried just draining it but it came back and the vet ended up cutting a large slab out of the inner flap and quilting the ear. It healed eventually and never came back after the second surgery. No cone but ear was strapped to her head with an elastic bandage for a while.


----------



## MurphyDawg (Jan 27, 2007)

"pillow ear" definately describes what I'm seeing 

He will see our vet first thing in the morning. He snuck away from me to give his head a vigorous shake (brat) and now it's getting bigger. He's wearing a section of pantyhose over his ears to stop him from worrying it or shaking his ears.

I am not going to feed him tomorrow am...that way if they need to go in they can right away. The vet is 5 min away so getting there is no problem.

He is not phased in the slightest, both dogs have been having seasonal allergies, I think that is what brought the shaking on. He has ongoing issues with wax buildup in that ear and it is also the ear he likes to use when he wants to shoulder roll into something gross :yuck:

Thanks for the info, we are likely facing surgery. Poor guy he loves summer and I was wanting to take him to the lake soon.

Jenn and a sad Murphy


----------



## MurphyDawg (Jan 27, 2007)

It is a hematoma.

The vet wants to try medical management prior to attempting surgery because Murphy has no underlying ear infection and the hematoma is small and does not seem to be causing him any discomfort.

He has anti itch drops for his ear, we have a pressure dressing on his head with the affected ear taped up. I'm using nylon stockings or the stretchy dressing they use to keep elbows bandaged (stockinette) we have a roll from when I had a foot injury and it works well, is not too tight and allows more air to circulate to the ear.

He's also on Benedryl to keep him quiet and stop him from shaking his head.

Saffron went along too and they both got their shots, Saf was sulky because the vet paid more attention to Murphy. Afterwards they both got child sized soft ice cream cones and both are now sleeping.

Hopefully we can stop the ear from getting worse, if not surgery Monday morning. 

Thanks for all the information!

Jenn and Murphy


----------



## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

The hematoma without surgery will heal by scarring and fibrosis. Really usually only a cosmetic issue. In boxers(people who box), they get hematomas that when they "resolve" have a "cauliflower ear.". And in dogs there are many theories as to why they develop, as they frequently occur with no ear disease present. Some thoughts include some kind of immune mediated basis.


----------



## arcane (Sep 18, 2007)

My Adi now has a funky ear as I would not do surgery on a 11.5 yr old golden for this cause...just adds a bit more character!!!!!!!!


----------

