Ear issue - Page 1

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by Ranger2009 on 25 July 2010 - 23:07

My GSD dog had surgery for a hematomia in her ear. The ear no longer stands up. The vet never indicated this was a possibility and now tells me there is nothing that can be done about it.

Does anyone have a suggestion on how to get the ear pricked back up again? The surgery was done less than 1 month ago and thought maybe something could be done before it totally heals. I greatly appreciate any suggestions!

by Avery Hill Kennels on 26 July 2010 - 01:07

My old male had a hema. and after surgery his ear never stood again I believe to much damage to tissue and cartilage. Better get used to a floppy eared dog. Sorry I hoped we could also get my males ear to stand I believe it does give them a little goofy character tho.

by Ranger2009 on 26 July 2010 - 01:07

Darn. I had hoped something could be done. Like put something on it to stand up (while healing) so that it went back to normal (or close to it).

by mybestfriend on 26 July 2010 - 02:07

Ok this may sound pretty hopeless but my shepherds ears were weak but eventually stood up at around 8 months. One ear was stronger than the other but both were standing tall. Then one day while he was playing with the other dogs on our block which he did since 3 months, one of the dogs bit his ear pretty bad and it got infected. Long story short the ears went down. He was a year old.
My husband started massaging him behind the ears and although they don't stay up all the time we can see them getting stronger and catch one or both stand up briefly more and more. Our dog loves getting the ears massaged so maybe one day we will be surprised. He's 2 now.

by Ranger2009 on 26 July 2010 - 10:07

Thank you for the suggestion. We will try it.

by owl01 on 26 July 2010 - 12:07

Sorry to say,this happened to one of mine too and his ear never did stand back up fully but folded at the tip.Mind you he was an old boy by then.Good luck with your girl!

by Ranger2009 on 27 July 2010 - 00:07

Thanks for the info. I have owned many GSD over the years and this is the first time I ever had this.

She is a service dog, so she gets looked at a lot. A lot of comments have been made about it. People feel they have the right to criticize it too. I cannot believe the nerve of some people. She is such a good girl and is my daughter's best friend and vice versa.

by Silbersee on 27 July 2010 - 00:07

My female Gina does not have standing ears anymore either. In Germany, she suffered a tick bite on one ear and it got infected. The infection spread to the cartilage and the vet had a terrible time clearing that up since cartilage is not supported by blood vessels, making it harder for antibiotics to reach the infection. When it finally healed the ear was permanently damaged. I received a vet note in case I wanted to show her. Luckily, she was already breed surveyed for life and it did not matter anymore. That was in 2008.
A few months ago, she got a hematoma in the other ear due to an infection. I tried to treat that one with scar ointment but it did not work. In Germany, small hematomas are often successfully treated with either leeches (alternative medicine) or with Heparin ointment. Both thin the blood which will cause the hematoma to shrink and disappear. Both are extremely difficult to come by over here in the U.S.
Even though my Gina looks kind of funny with both ears down, she is still beautiful to us, lol.
My guess is that you will have to get used to that one damaged ear - also called "cauliflower ear". The only recourse would be to massage it with scar ointment three times a day. Some people had success, I did not.
Chris

by dogshome9 on 27 July 2010 - 01:07

Sadly I have never seen a dog that has had an aural hematoma treated have the ear become normal looking again and personally I don't even think that I would have it treated if one of my dogs had one because the end result is the same ----- a shrunken wrinkled ear.

I wish all vets would tell dog owners that the effected ear will never look normal again at least it would lessen the shock of the end result.

I actually saw an Irish Setter loose her whole ear after infection set in post surgery, It was horrible.

by VomMarischal on 27 July 2010 - 02:07

Here's my older female.....she had puppies when she was 3, and one of them pierced her ear pretty good. It resulted in a hematoma.

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Ear issue - Page 1

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