Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

  • Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!

My old dog has a deep ear infection. Is draining it safe for her?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Bichon Frise | Female | 12 years and 10 months old

Hi my dog has a lump near her ear and jaw ! She had an X-ray and seems to be a deep infection in the ear, the lump keeps inflaming and going back down again as it won’t drain! The vet wants to drain this so the infection won’t continue. As she’s an old dog would this be dangerous or is there anything to worry about this ? The vet was very vague and I’m a bit worried

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Image profile

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on December 9th, 2019

Poor Paris! Medical procedures can safely be performed on older dogs. Age isn't necessarily a deterrent to medical procedures. If her vet feels it's safe, I'd have it done. You don't want this infection to continue.

Vote icon

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Questions

Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My Alex is about 11 years old. He get terrible years infections we clean them and they stink right away again is he too old for surgery? To take his canals?
Poor Alexander! Cocker spaniels commonly deal with this issue as a breeder in general. While your own veterinarian is the best one to answer this question as they are most familiar with his medical history and conditions, the short answer is he is still young enough to have the procedure. I recommend to set up an appointment to discuss this with your veterinarian. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
hello my dog is 11years old....and he have swelling around his ear..doctor told blood is filled in ear...he performed some minor operation...i want to know will he be fine with this or is it important to go for major operation and is Anesthesia harmf
Any anesthesia carries a risk, but your vet wouldn't suggest it if he feels that it wouldn't be safe for your dog. Hopefully this minor operation will be enough to fix the aural hematoma (blood in the ear). Best of luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My Rat Terrier dog is about 12 years old. She has a bad ear infection in her left ear now for about 6 months. I can't afford to take her to a vet and I would like to know what kind of medication I can put in her ear to clear this infection up? J. H
Unfortunately there is nothing you can do for Lady at home, and it's quite serious she has been suffering from this bad ear infection for about six months. If left untreated for too long, it will cause hearing loss which can be permanent. At this point, this is a medical emergency and she has to see a vet now. I will give you a number of resources that may help you afford a vet. You can see if your vet accepts payment plans, if there is a low cost clinic in your area, or you can apply for Care Credit online. There is also an organization called Red Rover that give grants for treatment of sick animals, and you can see if you qualify for one of their grants. Best Friends also has a list of resources that offer financial assistance on their website. http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_pet.html?credit=web_id91754962 https://www.redrover.org https://www.carecredit.com http://bestfriends.org/resources/financial-aid-pets http://lessonsfromaparalyzeddog.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hello. About 2 wks ago my dog started shaking her head and tilting it sideways. We saw vet that am and they gave us Gentizol. 48 hrs later she had zero hearing and they gave us a new capsule antibiotic. Last wk they say her eardrums are bulging &
If there is an innear ear infection that is placing pressure on the ear drum then it does need to be popped and flushed. This allows the inner ear to drain and clear an infection faster. It is very effective and basically the same procedure as children’s that get tubes or buttons placed except the dogs ear drinbwith grow back together in a matter of a few weeks
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog has a puss filled knot on her ear, it is about the size of a quarter. Blood and puss come out when the are is touched. I have been putting ointment on it and keeping it clean. The hair has fallen out in the area that is inflamed.
Unfortunately this sounds like an abscess and needs to be drained by your vet followed by oral antibiotics to successfully treat this area. When an abscess is present the body has walled off the area of infection with a thick layer of skin, and although this is beneficial for the pet because it prevents the infection from spreading to the rest of the body, it also doesn't allow topical medication to penetrate the area either. Which is why oral antibiotics prescribed by your vet are ultimately needed here.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Two weeks ago my 11 yr old pit bull got a small bump on his ear flap. We took him to our vet and she says she’s pretty sure it’s a wart. Because of the location of it, he needs surgery to remove it. He’s scheduled to go in for the surgery this Mon
Poor pup! No, I don't think that this looks likely to fall off on its own. In fact, since it has doubled in size and is also open and oozing now, I would consider it even more important to have it surgically removed. It would also be best to have this mass sent off for histopathology to find out if it is cancerous or not, especially given its recent rapid growth.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hi my dog had a period 3 weeks ago and now she's on again and crying alot like she in pain and also she has an ear infection that I've tried to treat but no result my dog name bubble and she 14 years old.
I would recommend that you have Bubble checked out by a vet. Dogs are prone to getting infections in their uterus (called pyometra) around 4 weeks after a heat cycle. If the pain you are seeing is caused by a pyometra then this needs to be addressed with veterinary medical care. Ear infections can be very difficult to treat if you do not address the underlying cause. They can be caused by excess debris in the ear, polyps, allergies, among a few others. A vet can do an ear cytology to see what kind of ear infection is present (yeast vs bacteria) and evaluate Bubble's ears for any underlying disease. Then appropriate treatment can be prescribed. Most often we use a two-part treatment including a cleaner to remove waxy debris and then a medicated ointment to target the type of infection present.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My 9 year old lab has a cyst like blood ball on her ear. It started small and has grown over the years. Keeps bleeding when she plays with our other dog and is growing hair. Does this need cut off?
This mass is probably benign (not cancerous). However it seems to be causing some problems because it keeps opening up and bleeding. This could lead to infection and potentially a more serious problem. Since it is problematic I would recommend speaking to your vet about having it removed. It may be able to be done with only local anesthesia or light sedation.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog has had a really bad ear infection for years, they’ve given him medicine that we gave to him until it ran out but they never got better. If something could be done to fix it what would it be and how much would it cost? He has issues hearing as
It is important to remember that not every medication treats every ear infection. Since this has been an ongoing issue, I recommend asking your vet to perform an ear cytology to microscopically evaluate the ear discharge. This will determine if the infection is caused by bacteria and/or yeast. Cultures of the ear discharge may also be necessary if the infection seems to be resistant to the medication currently being used. Surgical procedures (such as a total ear canal ablation, also known as a TECA) are available, but are generally only performed by specialists. These procedures are generally considered a last resort, as they remove the ear canal and cause deafness in the affected ear. The cost could run several thousand dollars, depending on your location and the availability of specialist surgeons. Before jumping to the surgical route, I recommend further consultation with your vet or a veterinary dermatologist. I hope that all goes well for Wolfey!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Stormie Scratched open was was a bump we think but now we think it was a blood blister. It opened up and I caught it but didn’t think much because she wasn’t bleeding but now her ear is swollen, tender and hard. I thought about squeezing it but when
Poor girl. This may be an infected mass or even a cyst. I would recommend having your vet take samples from this to be certain as to what is inside and perhaps the vet can also carefully drain it using a needle and syringe. In the meantime you can do alternating cold and warm compresses on the area for 5-10 minutes twice a day, if tolerated. Otherwise, your vet will need to get involved here to get this resolved. Best wishes with your pet Stormie and I hope you can get this source of discomfort taken care of soon for her. Take care.
Updated on September 24th, 2025

Related Searches

Dog Ear Care Dog Ear & Eye Medicine Dog Ear & Eye Care Dog Health & Wellness Antifungal Medication for Dogs Dog Medicine and Prescriptions Dog Eye Care Prescription Dog Antibiotics Cat Eyedrops & Ear Medication Diuretics for Dogs Vetnique Labs Dog Ear Care PetAlive Dog Ear Care Vetericyn Dog Ear Care Virbac Dog Ear Care Baytril Dog Ear & Eye Medicine Vet's Best Dog Ear Care Well & Good Dog Ear Care Pet Parents Dog Ear Care Latanoprost Dog Ear & Eye Medicine NaturVet Dog Ear Care
image
Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Sponsored