Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook.pdf - Mr. Walnuts

Sometimes a drain will be installed under the skin of the ear to serve this same
purpose. If the blood is not removed, the cartilage will curl down and deform
the ear as the clot retracts inside.
The treatment of abscess is discussed in Cellulitis and Skin Abscess, page
161.
FLY BITE DERMATITIS
Biting flies can attack the face and ears of dogs, sucking blood and inflicting
painful bites over the tips or bent folds of the ears. These bites are typically
scabbed and crusty black, and they bleed easily. German Shepherd Dogs and
other breeds with erect ears are most susceptible.
Treatment: Keep the dog indoors during the day until the wounds are
healed. If you are unable to do so, apply insect repellant to the ear tips.
Products approved for use around horses’ eyes work well, such as Farnam’s Fly
Off Ointment. Keep the ears clean and dry to discourage flies. Infected ear tips
should be treated with a topical antibiotic ointment such as triple antibiotic.
FROSTBITE
Frostbite affects the ear tips of dogs left outdoors in severe winter weather,
particularly under conditions of high wind and humidity. The ears are especially
vulnerable to frostbite because they are so exposed.
Initially, the skin of frostbitten ears appears pale or even blue. All the frostbitten
tissue may survive, or a sharp line of demarcation may develop between
normal skin and black, dead skin. This demarcation line may not be obvious
right away—it can take days to know what tissue will survive. If this happens,
seek veterinary help.
The emergency treatment of frostbite is discussed in Frostbite, page 18.
EAR FISSURE
THE EARS • 211
Ear fissure occurs in breeds with floppy ears. It results from intense scratching
along with violent head shaking, which causes the ears to snap. The ear tips
are denuded of hair and often become bloody. With continued trauma, the
tips of the ears split and a crack in the skin, called a fissure, appears.
Treatment: The underlying irritation, often an external otitis (see page
212), should be sought and treated to eliminate the head-shaking. Treat the
ear tips by applying an antibiotic-steroid ointment such as Panolog once or
twice daily. If the fissure does not heal, it may need to be surgically repaired.
Bandaging techniques that prevent ear movement may help speed up healing.