Cut ear on dog

[Hound]

One of our cur dogs cut her ear yesterday working cattle. It's just the very tip, but if any of you have experienced this you'll know what a pain in the behind such a small cut can be, and everytime she shakes her head blood goes everywhere. It's not bleeding heavily, but dripping. So far i've tried dipping it in Wound Powder (which works until she shakes her head or scratches her ear), medical tape and gauze (which lasted less than 10 minutes), a snood made out of a sock (she's too big), vet wrapping her ear to her head (best so far, but still comes loose after a couple of shakes). We've had to keep her 12 week old puppy away as she's constantly playing with momma. We don't have any super glue and the store is 50 miles eac way. Any other suggestions?

 

[arabianequine]

Some kind of ointment that is safe for people is generally safe for dogs. Bag-balm, neosporin or triple antibiotic, plain Vaseline?

 

[arabianequine]

I forgot to mention the ears bleed a lot cause there is little tiny capillary veins all though-out their ears so probably one of them got cut. My standard wiener dog likes to chase cats and he don't stop....one time his ears were so cut up from cats he was chasing and deep scratches. The cuts just kept bleeding and bleeding and we tried everything your said too. I would put the wound powder on first and then the ointment maybe that would not come off so easy at least not all of it.

 

[BlacksheepCardigans]

Yeah, no ointment is going to work - what the OP is talking about is the fact that the dog won't let the ear be and is shaking and sending blood everywhere. Been there, done that, and ended up with a kitchen that looked like we butchered a hog in there.

You need a bigger snood. That's the only way I know to do it. If you can't find something like a pair of tights or nylons that will stretch enough, vetwrap her ear down to her neck and then run duct tape around the whole thing. Run the duct tape an inch or two wider than the vet wrap so it sticks to her hair on the edges. (Don't worry; the tape won't hurt. I use duct tape to post puppy ears up and make them stand, and it doesn't hurt the skin.) You only have to keep it on for a day or so until the blood vessels heal.

 

[Hound]

Would i be an awful person if I duct taped the tip of her ear to the back of her head/neck, so it doesn't flap when she shakes? It doesn't help that she has wayward ears.

 

[BlacksheepCardigans]

If it's stopped bleeding, go for it. If she hasn't had a bath for a while you may need to wash and dry it first because the ears tend to be really waxy and can make it not stick. Try it, and if it comes right off wash and dry the ear and neck first. Just be careful when you take it off, because if you've got lots of duct tape touching hair it'll rip it off. If I've put it on washed skin I take it off using oil or adhesive remover.

Edited to say: If the way you need to tape it means the ear will be clamped down over itself and prevent air from getting in the canal, flip the ear over first and tape it open (tape it so the canal is exposed). You can end up with a nasty infection if the ear is taped closed.

 

[Brindlebtch]

Duct tape it. You can always get the adhesive off later. I had one of those in my car on the way to the vet to get it stitched and cauterized and my car looked like an abbatoir. Nasty!

 

[Orchid]

No advice on the ear other than what has been given, but she's sure a pretty girl.

 

[Brindlebtch]

She is lovely! Beautiful face!

 

[()relics]

I carry Blue Lotion with when I am hunting with my dogs. I have German Shorthaired Pointers, they have floppy ears that can get snagged . The blue lotion SomeWhat stops the bleeding, I guess like chemical cauterizing(?)...The cut will still bleed, just not as much. When I get them home I then use a triangle band-aid on the ear...They do scratch it but if you get the good ones they stick, for awhile. Better when the dog is continuosly told "stop that"...is it a pain in the neck for a few days until a really good scab builds especially when the dog lives in the house...I always add a verbal warning to the dog about How they would hate to wear a lamp shade...seems to work