An ear haematoma is a painful and itchy swollen blister caused by a blood vessel rupture caused by an external force, causing blood to accumulate between the cartilage and skin of the ear. There are two main methods of treatment for ear haematomas. A syringe is inserted into the affected area to draw out the blood and the veterinarian may administer anti-inflammatory medication to the affected area. However, this treatment may not be curative and can easily recur. In surgery, the veterinarian will anaesthetise the dog before completely removing the clot and blood from the affected area and then suturing the cartilage and skin in place. However, the surgery is performed under anaesthetic and the risk of anaesthesia is relatively high in older dogs.
