Lilly is an older lab with a history of allergies. When her ears flared up (redness and itching), she began to shake her head. This caused the blood vessels in her ear flap to rupture and caused the ear pinna (flap) to swell up. This also made her ears even more uncomfortable and worsened the swelling.

Ear hematomas happen most commonly with allergies. The diagnosis is made at the examination.

Many treatment options are available. I discuss some of them in the YouTube video below. I typically use a teat cannula to drain the blood inside the ear flap and keep it draining as the ear heals. If something is not done the blood in the ear flap will dry and coagulate and cause the ear flap to shrink and shrivel. This can often close off the already sensitive ear and in my opinion i think it makes future episodes more likely and harder to treat.
the treatment i gave Lilly’s ear is found on my YouTube channel here;

see her video here;

the cost of her exam was $50
ear hematoma drain placement $75
ecollar $15
in some cases I offer oral antibiotics, an oral NSAID, and an otic medication
I, Dr Magnifico, provided this surgery. It is posted with the pet parents permission.