Help - Bleeding Ear

[Guest Roadtripper]

Hi, Cairo nicked her ear yesterday eve somehow. It bled a little, then clotted & I thought she'd be ok. Then this morning she somehow re-opened it & the ear wouldn't stop bleeding. I was finally able to get some cornstarch on it, wrap her ears & head in a dish towell & then secure that with a vet wrap. She's worn out & sleeping (she was freaked out earlier, I think by her own blood, & kept darting around my apt & then hid under my bed before I was able to calm her down & wrap the wound).

 

It looks like its just a small nick @ the ear tip, just in a place that bleeds easily I guess. I'm wondering if I should still take her to the vet (ER, since it's Sunday--these things never happen when my usual vet is open)? Can they do magic that will keep it from re-opening? Is there a way I can treat it just as well from home? I hesitate moving her now that she's resting, but also worried what her rambunctious puppy-self will do when she wakes up. My apt is already covered in blood spatters. And poor Cairo looks like a victim of a murderous Betty Crocker, covered in blood, cornstarch, and a blood stained dish towell.

 

Thanks,

Amy

[Batmom]

Ears and tails bleed a lot. Bandaging that ear to her head/neck should help. If it's just a tiny nick, shouldn't need the vet.

[KF_in_Georgia]

Got an old sweatshirt you can sacrifice? If so, you can try cutting the sleeve out of the shirt. Pull the sleeve on over her head, with the wrist-ribbing on the top of her head, and see if you can get her to wear the sleeve like a snood. (Put it on her, then treat and pet her to distract her for a bit until she's comfortable with the feel of it.) With the sleeve, if she shakes her head and slings her ears around, the damaged ear won't "sling" with as much force and will be less likely to be re-opened. (And the sleeve will contain the blood.) This may be more tolerable for her than a bandage. (If the ribbing is too tight to fit comfortably, try cutting a slit into it on the part that will be under her chin.)

 

I think a vet wouldn't stitch it. They'd probably super-glue it.

 

You also can try styptic powder (or the styptic gel) that's available at some pet stores.

 

Check her toenails to see if there's a sharp/rough spot that could have caused the problem when she scratched an itch.

 

ETA: When she wakes up, pull the sweatshirt over her head to check the fit before you cut the sleeve. No use sacrificing a sweatshirt if it doesn't fit.

Edited April 15, 2012 by KF_in_Georgia

[Guest Roadtripper]

Thanks for the reassurance. When Booj, my grey/shep mix, got happy-tail a few years ago, I didn't even think about going to the vet--just dealt with it. But Cairo seems so much more fragile, I worry I'm doing the right thing.

 

KF--you're brilliant! Sacrifing a sweatshirt is the least concern right now. When Cairo finally came out from under the bed, she jumped on top of it & laid down on my pillows. Looks like I murdered someone in my bed. Thanks for the great tip!!!!

[macoduck]

Gracie had a hematoma that settled at the end of her ear. One vet drained it - looked like a bucket of blood flowing out. Dr applied styptic powder and had to hold pressure for a long time. It was lightly dressed.

Two days later our regular vet treated her. She had to be sedated. They fileted the inner skin of her ear, cauterized and stitched. The stitches didn't cross over the sliced area, but rather like eyelets for a shoe lace: :-:-:-:-:-: Vet didn't even mess up her tattoos.

Hematoma settled in the tip of her ear and was half the size of an egg.

The ear was folded over her head. The dressing was wrapped all the way around. A few head shakes might have burst it open again.

 

Her head was kept wrapped for several weeks. Once a week the vet would remove only a few of the stitches.

Still a bit loopy post-op.

[TheFullHouse]

Bandita did this 2 weeks ago. She's fine now. Just kept it wrapped up for a while until it formed a scab and it healed fine.

[Guest Roadtripper]

Macoduck--Yikes! Poor Gracie

 

Sigh--while off in search of a sweatshirt & scissors, Cairo woke up. I guess she worried that she couldn't see me, and ran around enough the dish towell came off. Fresh blood everywhere, including all over me (I've already showered once). She calmed down immediately when I sat next to her & let me put on her new sweatshirt snood, even though it took 3 tries to get the fit right. She's sleeping again with her head in my lap--meanwhile Booj is busily licking up blood from the floor but I don't want to disturb her again until this stupid nick clots up. At least I have my iPhone with me so I can surf GT.

 

Not how I planned to spend my Sunday morning.

Thanks again! (Note to self--stock first aid kit with cheap thrift store sweatshirts!)

Amy, Vampire-Booj, & CSI-Cairo

[KF_in_Georgia]

Macoduck--Yikes! Poor Gracie

 

Sigh--while off in search of a sweatshirt & scissors, Cairo woke up. I guess she worried that she couldn't see me, and ran around enough the dish towell came off. Fresh blood everywhere, including all over me (I've already showered once). She calmed down immediately when I sat next to her & let me put on her new sweatshirt snood, even though it took 3 tries to get the fit right. She's sleeping again with her head in my lap--meanwhile Booj is busily licking up blood from the floor but I don't want to disturb her again until this stupid nick clots up. At least I have my iPhone with me so I can surf GT.

 

Not how I planned to spend my Sunday morning.

Thanks again! (Note to self--stock first aid kit with cheap thrift store sweatshirts!)

Amy, Vampire-Booj, & CSI-Cairo

 

Reminder: The sacrificed sweatshirt has a second sleeve. You can swap sleeves out when one needs to be washed.

[macoduck]

Before slipping the sweatshirt sleeve on, did you fold the ear over the head? That will help prevent a hematoma forming at the ear tip.

[Guest Roadtripper]

Before slipping the sweatshirt sleeve on, did you fold the ear over the head? That will help prevent a hematoma forming at the ear tip.

 

No. Crap. I didn't know about that.

 

Thanks. Guess I'll re-wrap it when she wakes up. I need to re-charge first since I'll also be cleaning blood off every surface in my house (anyone know how to get blood out of a matress? And carpet? That sounds suspicious, doesn't it).

 

I'm not sure I'm smart enough to keep a grey puppy alive. Are all new moms this clueless?

 

Thanks again.

[HopeForHounds]

Hydrogen Pyroxide will get the blood out of your mattress, check a small area of your carpet before trying there.

 

Years ago Foxy degloved the middle of her ear, likely trying to rub her muzzle off on the fence. We had blood everywhere 3 times before we got the wrap right (KF where were you with the sweatshirt idea then? ) We ended up wrapping her ear to her head with vet wrap, couldn't do it inside out either because of where the flap of skin that was still attached was. The skin fell of a week later and Foxy grew a pretty crop of new fur to cover her scar.

[BatterseaBrindl]

Ruby degloved the top of her ear 11 days ago.

There was a flap of skin almost 2" long ..... and a huge amount of blood splattered everyhwere.

 

 

It could not be stitched or glued. Our vet was happy to cut the flap off, but that would have required some serious sleepy juice.

Being an old horsewoman, I opted ot just leave it alone and let nature take its course.

 

We just kept it clean and kept removing the skin as it died off. All the dead tissue is gone now.

 

It looked like this on Friday after I cleaned it up...

 

It has scabbed over nicely now.

[Guest Roadtripper]

I need advice on how to wrap her ear/head & have it stay put.

 

Her snood keeps sliding down off her ears. I tried to wrap over it with an ace bandage, but 1st time seemed to tight--Cairo made noises like it was hard to swallow. I loosened it just a bit, but as soon as she moves at all, it just slides down (I love her teeny seal head & velvet kitten fur, but it's not helpful right now).

 

The last time the snood came loose, she started dripping blood again. She seems to panic when this happens, runs around, & is only calm when I sit right next to her on the floor.

 

I got a good look at her ear finally, before the last bit of bleeding started. Is "degloved" when the top layer of skin comes off? It looks like Ruby's ear in the pic, but only a fraction of the size (1/2 of my thumbnail). But I can't believe how much blood is coming out!

 

I just have a towell pressed to her head until I figure how to wrap it right. I've run out of gauze bandages & vet wrap, so I may call my mom to ask her to make a supply run & bring it to me. Can you tell me what I need? Should I put syptic powder on it to stop the bleeding (and is that the same as Quick Stop)? Anything else?

 

Thank you!

Edited April 15, 2012 by Roadtripper

[BauersMom]

Use the good ear to 'anchor' whatever wrap you are using. Cut a slit and pull the good ear through. Should help stabilize the wrap without it needing to be too tight.

 

Here is Berkeley, post-ear stitches.

 

[Guest Roadtripper]

Use the good ear to 'anchor' whatever wrap you are using. Cut a slit and pull the good ear through. Should help stabilize the wrap without it needing to be too tight.

 

Thank you--that seems so obvious but I didn't think about that. My poor girl--I now have a sanitary pad wrapped onto her ear/head with an ace bandage. I've adjusted it so her good ear is sticking out to hold it. Hopefully that'll stay put for a bit. We're both worn out & she's sleeping again.

 

I appreciate everyone's help, especially when this is so minor compared to what others are going through in this forum.

 

Amy

[XTRAWLD]

For a little nick (thought you said little in your original post) that continues to bleed, I'd recommend finding surgical tape that sticks to itself type thing, usually clear. Kasey had his ears scraped by the vet to determine if he had scabies and to stop the bleeding after applying pressure, just out tape on it. If you are able to get it to stick to the tip of the fur on his ear, you might be able to have it stay on long enough to stop bleeding. Worked for us. Kasey regularly scratches his ears to bleed due to allergies and I always have polysporin on hand to make sure it doesn't get infected.

Edited April 16, 2012 by XTRAWLD

[BatterseaBrindl]

I was able to get an extra large human bandage to stick to Ruby's ear flap....just folded it over and it stuck to the 'under' part of her ear

 

 

 

We had it on for the first day and it really helped keep the bleeding contained.

Edited April 16, 2012 by BatterseaBrindl

[Guest Roadtripper]

For a little nick (thought you said little in your original post) that continues to bleed, I'd recommend finding surgical tape that sticks to itself type thing, usually clear. Kasey had his ears scraped by the vet to determine if he had scabies and to stop the bleeding after applying pressure, just out tape on it. If you are able to get it to stick to the tip of the fur on his ear, you might be able to have it stay on long enough to stop bleeding. Worked for us. Kasey regularly scratches his ears to bleed due to allergies and I always have polysporin on hand to make sure it doesn't get infected.

 

 

I was able to get an extra large human bandage to stick to Ruby's ear flap....just folded it over and it stuck to the 'under' part of her ear

 

 

 

We had it on for the first day and it really helped keep the bleeding contained.

 

Thanks! The bleeding finally stopped early this morning around 1:30 & so far hasn't restarted. I'll definitely be adding these items to my first aid kit so that if there is a next time, hopefully I'll be able to deal with it better.

[Guest DragonflyDM]

Boomah has this problem. It kept reopening and eventually he started loosing little slivers of ear with each reopening. We had to do antibiotics and a small ear bandage. But as said before..ears and tails bleed a lot and easily.

[kikibean]

We keep Poise Pads on hand for bleeding. I had a foster that got his ear bitten by a cat. I put the poise pad on it and then wrapped it with a belly band tied with a bandana (all I had). When we got to the vet she couldn't even tell where the cut was because the bellyband / bandana had done such a good job w/ the pressure.

 

They also work great on cuts on legs. Poise Pad, vet wrap and you can get to the vet w/out blood spurting everywhere. My vet even went out and bought some for bleeding.

 

Hope her ear is feeling better!