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Cat ear hematoma

My cats ear became all swollen, so I took him to the vet who said it was a hematoma; and he had also gotten ear mites from a new cat we had just adopted.  She performed surgery on the ear, and my cat "Dillon" didn't do very well; and the ear was all swollen again within about 6 days.  I took him back to the vet, and she did another type of surgery on the same ear; needless to say Dillon did worse with this surgery; was sick to his stomach and mopy for about a week and half and wouldn't let me near him, let alone the ear.  I finally got near the ear today, and noticed that he has the swelling YET AGAIN on the same ear.  I am at a total loss of what to do.  It has been about 1 month since this all started, and his ear doesn't seem to be getting better. The first surgery was where she cut the flap of the ear, drained it and stitched it.  The second was several small spots that were drained and then stitched.   Are some cat ear hematomas not treatable, or is there another surgery that may help him better?   Any help is greatly appreciated
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234713 tn?1283526659
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Have the ears been bandaged flat to the head so that even if your cat shakes his head he will not do any damage?  Does he have an E-Collar to prevent self trauma?

Sometimes, even with oral medications, it may take months to get hematoma's under control.   Topical ear medication is necessary, as is oral antibiotics, anti-fungals, and anti-inflammatory medication, especially, if the topicals can't be used, or they are ineffective alone.

Has your vet given your cat Prednisolone or Atopica to try to stop the cause of the aural hematoma's?   If your cat continues to shake his head and scratch his ears because they hurt or they are very itchy he will continue to create hematoma's due to self trauma.

Some cats do have intractable ear problems due primarily to allergies to food and environment, ear polyps, and chronic ear mite infestation.   These instigating factors cause yeast and bacterial infections in the ear.  A culture and sensitivity of the ear discharge would identify the infectious causes and enable you to treat with appropriate anti-biotic or anti-fungal medications.  A hypoallergenic diet may remove the food allergen from your cat's diet.  

If the problem cannot be identified many end up with hematoma's that eventually become fibrosed down to cauliflower ears.  

It sounds as if your vet is performing appropriate measures for the hematoma's, but if the itching or pain is severe,  additional aural hematoma's will be created.

Helpful - 1
172023 tn?1334672284
Are you using compression dressings after surgery?   Sometimes the hematoma will fill back up if you don't compress the area for a while after surgery.  

Hopefully, Dr. Cheng will have an answer for you.  I think that ear hematomas can be difficult to treat, at least in dogs they can be.
Helpful - 1

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