Jack and the Poufy Ear Situation
I'm just now realizing that I haven't posted about Jack's aural hematoma other than a side mention of it the other day during the Skunk Incident of 2014.
D was the one who first noticed Jack had a slightly puffy patch on one ear that was noticeably squishy. I was able to get him into the vet that day (October 16), where the vet explained what it was and that, since it was small and not causing him discomfort, the best thing would be to wait and see if it resolved on its own. Eventually.
[Note: The following is all "as I understand it".]
An aural hematoma is when a small blood vessel is broken inside the ear and it fills with fluid, creating a pocket of blood. If it holds steady, then eventually things will scar over inside, the leftover blood will be reabsorbed, and the ear will deflate, albeit with a new crinkled look from the scar tissue filler. Simply draining it isn't a great solution because without the blocking scar tissue, things just fill back up. Problems arise if it breaks open a larger area and the whole thing gets bigger, causing discomfort and blocking off the ear canal. This is apparently not uncommon, especially among the floppy eared breeds, but I was completely unfamiliar with it.
Jack's was small enough you wouldn't even notice it unless you were looking when we first took him in. It's gotten larger gradually, but after this morning (he may have made it worse chasing a bunny around the property this morning - it was after that he started acting off) it's actually into the top of his ear and there's only a thin strip of unaffected area around the outside. Most significantly, he's restless, holding his head cocked, going from spot to spot in an effort to get comfortable, and clearly unhappy.
I called the vet to set up another appointment, but as soon as I told him the developments, he said it was going to need the surgery we'd discussed at the first appointment and he had time for that tomorrow morning, so did I just want to schedule him in for then? YES. (This is one of those times I'm glad I can just say yes to that question without double checking the bank balance first. This vet is always reasonable, but still: Very grateful.)
Basically, he'll go in, drain out all the blood, and quilt the two halves of the ear together to eliminate the pocket and encourage the formation of scar tissue to block off the broken vessel(s?) and hold the ear together. It'll probably look terrifying; I broke down and Google image searched aural hematoma a week ago and spent the rest of the night going "ohmygod".
So he's to have no food after 9pm - not exactly difficult - and goes in tomorrow at 8:30 am. He'll have the surgery in the morning, recover through the afternoon, and I can pick him up after 5 pm. The important thing here is that he doesn't have to stay overnight because I would be a wreck. As it is, I'm going to have to cut or file off my nails before I start biting them tonight.
Pictures under a separate cut, nothing grisly (you get those after the surgery), but a before and now range.
This is a phone pic that went to D on September 30th, before the problem started.
This was after the vet visit on the 16th. It's his right ear and it's entirely visible in the photo. It was unnervingly warm even at this stage because, of course, all the blood. I kept saying he had an attached heating pad for the cooler weather.
This is from October 24th and a good representation of where it's been holding steady. Obviously filled and you can see the difference between the two ears, but not terrible. (You might have to click on the image and see the larger version.) ... (Also note there's no longer plywood visible in this photo. \o/)
This is his ear as of this afternoon. Clear up past the top of his ear. :(
Crossposted to Dreamwidth. Comment here or there. ♥ Blue :)
D was the one who first noticed Jack had a slightly puffy patch on one ear that was noticeably squishy. I was able to get him into the vet that day (October 16), where the vet explained what it was and that, since it was small and not causing him discomfort, the best thing would be to wait and see if it resolved on its own. Eventually.
[Note: The following is all "as I understand it".]
An aural hematoma is when a small blood vessel is broken inside the ear and it fills with fluid, creating a pocket of blood. If it holds steady, then eventually things will scar over inside, the leftover blood will be reabsorbed, and the ear will deflate, albeit with a new crinkled look from the scar tissue filler. Simply draining it isn't a great solution because without the blocking scar tissue, things just fill back up. Problems arise if it breaks open a larger area and the whole thing gets bigger, causing discomfort and blocking off the ear canal. This is apparently not uncommon, especially among the floppy eared breeds, but I was completely unfamiliar with it.
Jack's was small enough you wouldn't even notice it unless you were looking when we first took him in. It's gotten larger gradually, but after this morning (he may have made it worse chasing a bunny around the property this morning - it was after that he started acting off) it's actually into the top of his ear and there's only a thin strip of unaffected area around the outside. Most significantly, he's restless, holding his head cocked, going from spot to spot in an effort to get comfortable, and clearly unhappy.
I called the vet to set up another appointment, but as soon as I told him the developments, he said it was going to need the surgery we'd discussed at the first appointment and he had time for that tomorrow morning, so did I just want to schedule him in for then? YES. (This is one of those times I'm glad I can just say yes to that question without double checking the bank balance first. This vet is always reasonable, but still: Very grateful.)
Basically, he'll go in, drain out all the blood, and quilt the two halves of the ear together to eliminate the pocket and encourage the formation of scar tissue to block off the broken vessel(s?) and hold the ear together. It'll probably look terrifying; I broke down and Google image searched aural hematoma a week ago and spent the rest of the night going "ohmygod".
So he's to have no food after 9pm - not exactly difficult - and goes in tomorrow at 8:30 am. He'll have the surgery in the morning, recover through the afternoon, and I can pick him up after 5 pm. The important thing here is that he doesn't have to stay overnight because I would be a wreck. As it is, I'm going to have to cut or file off my nails before I start biting them tonight.
Pictures under a separate cut, nothing grisly (you get those after the surgery), but a before and now range.
This is a phone pic that went to D on September 30th, before the problem started.
This was after the vet visit on the 16th. It's his right ear and it's entirely visible in the photo. It was unnervingly warm even at this stage because, of course, all the blood. I kept saying he had an attached heating pad for the cooler weather.
This is from October 24th and a good representation of where it's been holding steady. Obviously filled and you can see the difference between the two ears, but not terrible. (You might have to click on the image and see the larger version.) ... (Also note there's no longer plywood visible in this photo. \o/)
This is his ear as of this afternoon. Clear up past the top of his ear. :(
Crossposted to Dreamwidth. Comment here or there. ♥ Blue :)