Whether your pet has upright ears or floppy, folded over ears, an injury to the ear is going to come with a lot of blood. A lot of blood goes through the earflap area — the visible part of a dog or cat’s ear.
Breeds with hanging ears, like Labradors and hounds, tend to have the worst time with earflap injuries — with so much ear, it is easier to get caught, cut, or banged. Outdoor cats are also prone to ear injuries, often from fights with other animals. Most pets don’t have very thick fur on their earflaps, which makes the ears more vulnerable than other parts of the animal with thicker fur.
- Trim the fur away from the injury. Use blunt scissors or an electric clipper to cut away any longer fur, but be very careful to not cut the skin. If the skin is broken, fill the wound with a lubricant like K-Y Jelly before you clip; this will catch the trimmed hair and make it easy to wash away.
- Clean the wound. Especially if the injury was caused by a bite from another animal! Use warm water and soap, then pat dry.
- Stop the bleeding. Place a piece of clean cloth or sterile gauze on the wound and apply direct pressure. The bleeding should stop within five minutes.
- If you have a floppy-eared dog, tape the ears. Cover the injury with cloth or gauze, then fold the earflap up onto the top of the head. Fold the uninjured ear over the injured one. Wrap gauze or a towel (or a bit of an old t-shirt) around the ears, head, and neck to keep the ears in place. Make sure the material isn’t so tight that it restricts breathing.
- Watch for re-injury. A shake of the head can reopen a wound and re-start the blood flow.
If the wound is small and not very bloody, you can apply an antibiotic ointment before bandaging. However, you want to make sure the bleeding has stopped entirely before applying any ointment.
How do you know if you have an emergency on your hands?
- If the bleeding doesn’t stop within fifteen minutes.
- If the wound is on both the inside and outside of the earflap or goes all the way through the ear.
- If the wound is longer than one inch in large dogs and a half inch in small dogs and cats.
- If your pet has an aural hematoma — a bubble-like bruise that fills with blood and serum, distorting the shape of the ear.