My dog's ear hematoma is worsening. When should I go back to vet?

Question

My dog had a lump in his ear and when taken to the vet was told it was a hematoma. They didn’t do anything to it and said it should go down eventually on its own, as it was about the size of a golf ball at the top of his ear. I’m quite worried as it’s been a few days since he’s been to the vet and his full ear has become swollen. I’ve tried icing it to reduce the swelling and tried to get him to wear a cone but he kept pawing at it. It looks really painful and it’s becoming hard. What do I do? Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | 11 years and 7 months old | 62 lbs

Andrea M. Brodie, DVM · Accepted Answer

Your dog needs to wear the e-collar as pawing at the ear and shaking the head will only make it bleed more and increase the hematoma. Icing, unfortunately will not make it down. Your dog will need to be seen again by your vet. Treatment: evacuation of the blood and instillation of a steroid can often stop the bleeding , There are also surgical methods which will stop the bleeding. There is always a chance that the ear will end up shaped differently or "crippled", which is merely a cosmetic problem.

My dog's ear hematoma is worsening. When should I go back to vet?

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