my lab has a hemotoma on his ear. He is about 11, and I really do not want him to go thru surgery unless i have to.

Is there an option to surgery on the ear?

A steroid injection has a 75% chance of working but the vet must get the right spot. This is what my vet told me and it worked. Twice for 2 different older Labbies.

I checked for any other options, there don't seem to be any others. Surgery or Corticosteroid Injection. Draining doesn't work. They fill right back up.

can you please tell me more about the steroid injection?

was it directly into the hemotoma?

how long does it take to shrink?

thank you so much

I had an old dog, 14 years, who got one and my vet wanted to do surgery. Because my boy was in no pain from it, I opted to do nothing. It looked a little funky when it healed but that was about it.

I had a young bitch with a hemotoma. I would simply take a sterile syringe/needle (22 gauge) and insert it into the softest spot and just withdraw all the puss. After about a week, there was less and less to remove and it healed just fine. No risk of anesthesia. It never returned either. Good luck

A hematoma is normally blood filled. That sounds like an abcess your bitch had that might be secondary to the hematoma. If it has infected fluid it's probably an abcess or could be an infected cyst maybe from ingrown hairs. Puss isn't normally in a hematoma.

*Hematoma: An abnormal localized collection of blood in which the blood is usually clotted or partially clotted and is usually situated within an organ or a soft tissue space, such as within a muscle.

A hematoma is caused by a break in the wall of a blood vessel.*

An ear hematoma doesn't need to be major surgery UNLESS it has been drained repeatedly and continues to recollect blood. I have drained them w a large gauge needle and applied light compression bandage to discouraged recollection. I have also lanced them w a scalpel, milked all the blood out and kept the wound open for a few days to encourage drainage. Only once did I have a girl that needed surgery..... Don't forget hematomas are usually caused by head shaking from a ear infection or a play bite. Please have your vet treat accordingly.

get some DMSO it works like a charm, messy to use but it will absorb all the collected blood in a couple of days, leave no scar and the ear will be as good as new, won't come back. Old fashioned meds work wonders and no cutting.