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My dog's ear scab is bleeding. Is it an emergency or can I treat it?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Female | unspayed | 2 years and 2 months old | 45 lbs

Hi! I've recently adopted Reese, my wonderful dog, about a month ago. This morning I woke up to blood across her face. She's had a scab at the tip of her ear and she seemingly opened it up. I'm trying to determine if this is a concern and whether it's something that may require emergency care. Thanks so much!

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1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Elizabeth

Veterinarian

Published on May 8th, 2020

It's not an emergency likely but it may need to be addressed. For bleeding lesions, apply firm pressure for 10-15 minutes. You can use hydrogen perxoide to clean the area one time but don;t use it more than that because it can impede healing. After that, use soap and water to clean the ear if it gets dirty but otherwise leave it alone. You need to prevent Reese from shaking her head and traumatizing the ear. Sometimes and elizabethan collar can help. This is is though the best product to prevent shaking the ear: https://www.noflapearwrap.com/?variant=1045913141273 Lesions on the ear tips are commonly due to fungal infections, vasculitis or fly bites. You can keep the ear clean and dry. Keep the ear protected from trauma. You can give Reese a supplement for omega 3 fatty acids for pets to help with inflammation. You can apply a tiny dab of organic coconut oil to the lesion 1-2 times a day and rub it in well. If the lesion is not improving within 5 days, if it starts looking worse or if it will not stop bleeding after 15 minutes, have Reese examined by the veterinarian. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

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