Think back to your childhood for a moment. Do you remember having a bloody nose for the very first time? Were you confused? Your initial reaction was likely to call for your parents and have them explain what was going on. As children, we rely on the adults around us, especially when we don't feel well, or something abnormal happens, like a bloody nose.
Dogs are very similar, except they don't grow up in the same way that humans do. There comes a point in time where our parents have to let us fly away from home and figure out how to maneuver around the world on our own. We earn our own incomes, figure out how to structure our schedules, and teach ourselves how to prepare the foods we like.
Dogs, on the other hand, rely on their human parents for their entire lives. So, when your dog comes down with a stomach bug or stubs their paw against the wall, they know they can always turn to you for comfort, assistance, and relief. Bloody noses are less common for dogs, but something your dog might experience is a bloody ear.
This is not the most common circumstance that we run into as human beings, and that's even more of a reason to learn about bloody ears for dogs. The more you know about canine bloody ears, the more able you will be when your dog needs your help.
The first thing to mention is that a dog ear bleed is not incredibly obvious. From dogs with long and floppy ears, to pups with short and upright ears, ear bleeds are hard to spot. Usually, your dog's behavior is indicative of your dog's condition. Even then, you might accidentally mistake signs of dog ear bleeds for normal exhaustion, regular dips in mood, or something else that is typical for dogs.
Not all symptoms of dog ear bleeds are concerning, so we'll walk you through some of the side effects of canine ear bleeds so that you can spot them more easily, should your canine companion exhibit any symptoms of an ear bleed. Without further ado, let’s dive into all the side effects of dog ear bleeds!
- Symptoms of Dog Bleeding from Ear
- The Four Types of Ear Bleeds in Dogs
- How to Find Where the Bleed is Coming From
- How to Prevent Dog Ear Bleeds
- How to Treat Dog Ear Bleeds
- How CBD Can Help Dogs with a Bleeding Ear
- Where to Purchase CBD for Dogs
Symptoms of Dog Bleeding from Ear
Some of the most common dog ear bleeding symptoms include…
- Odd smells
- Blood in the ear canal
- Blood drops coming from your dog's ear flaps
- Constant attention paid to one or both ears
- Abnormal head shaking
- Letting out a yelp when touched on the ear
- Averse to being pet
- Discolored ear wax
- A black goo that dribbles out of your dog's ear
- Difficulty hearing you
- Vertigo
- Trouble walking normally
- Preference
for alone time
- Refusal to open his or her mouth
The Four Types of Ear Bleeds in Dogs
Your initial thought is probably to look around your dog’s ears to figure out where the bleed is stemming from. There are many parts of a dog’s ear, and the logic is that if you find the origin of the bleed, you’ll be able to stop the bleed right away.
But before you search high and low for your dog’s ear bleed, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with the four different types of ear bleeds in dogs. Once you understand the cause of the ear bleed, you’ll be able to determine the best way to treat the bleed.
The four types of ear bleeds in dogs are…
- Cancerous Ear Bleed
- Ear Infection
- Parasitic Ear Bleed
- Traumatic Injury
Cancerous Ear Bleeds
Cancerous tumors and moles can form within your dog's ear. They are also capable of forming externally, but either way, ear bleeds can result from cancer near the ear. A biopsy can return conclusive results about the circumstances surrounding your dog's ear bump, and your veterinarian will order one if he or she is concerned about the bump.
Do your best to not worry prematurely. Doing so will only stress you out. The chances of an ear bleed being caused by cancer in the ear are very slim, so keep your hopes high! It could very well be nothing but a scratch masquerading as something cancerous.
Also, another point to keep in mind is that not all bumps or moles in a dog's ear are cancerous. A lump that causes you to think of cancer might actually be nothing more than a benign wart or polyp. If these types of bumps on the ear are popped open, they can start bleeding.
Ear Infections
Ear infections can cause ear bleeds as a symptom of the uncomfortable health problem. Ear infections can result from a plethora of situations, but the most common causes of ear infections in dogs are the buildup of bacteria, allergic reactions, and yeast infections.
Ear bleeds that are a result of an ear infection are usually deep within the ear. Since ear infections start from within the ear canal, the ear bleed is likely to be located at or around the epicenter of the infection. In cases of ear bleeds that are so far away from the surface of the ear, you should seek professional medical help with resolving ear bleeds of this nature.
It would be even more devastating and painful if you try to poke around in an attempt to find the source of your dog’s ear bleed. You run the risk of popping blood vessels or even causing damage to the eardrum, so it’s best to contact your veterinarian for help in this scenario.
Parasitic Ear Bleeds
One of the most common parasites that dogs come in contact with is the ear mite. Ear mites are pesky little bugs that latch onto your dog's skin and make a home out of your canine's fur. They are not fatal, but they are definitely extremely uncomfortable and irritating.
If the dog ear mite doesn't cause an ear bleed on its own, then the ear bleed began as a result of your dog scratching his or her ear because of the ear mite's behavior. These parasites tend to nip and scratch at the surfaces they latch onto, so your dog might itch his or her ear in an attempt to rid themselves of the discomfort that the ear mite is inflicting upon them.
Other potential causes of parasitic ear bleeds include...
- Fleas
- Ticks
- Flies
Traumatic Injuries
An ear bleed that is caused by trauma doesn't necessarily mean something scary or life-threatening happened to your beloved pup. You know how dogs shake their heads with great intensity after jumping into a pool or getting wet in the rain?
Sometimes, in an attempt to dry themselves off, dogs get a little too into the motion and end up shaking their heads too hard. In doing so, they run the risk of damaging their ear canals or moving their head so hard that their ears begin to bleed.
Dogs can also get a traumatic ear bleed from playing too hard with other dogs. This is more likely to happen in very high energy environments, such as a situation in which your puppy pal is playing with other canines in a dog park.
Dogs get especially excited when interacting with new dogs that they've never met before, so you can take steps to reduce the risk of an ear bleed stemming from trauma by monitoring your dog whenever he or she is around playful puppy friends.
No matter what causes the ear to bleed from physical trauma, these types of ear bleeds tend to be closer to the surface of the skin, rather than deep within the ear canal. Cleaning themselves too aggressively or scratching an itch in the wrong place can
How to Find Where the Bleed is Coming From
Once you determine how your dog sustained an ear bleed, you can start to locate the site of the bleeding. If you’re unsure as to what may have caused your dog’s ear bleed, then we advise you reach out to your pet’s vet. They are trained in emergency situations like locating an ear bleed, so you can trust them to figure out where the bleed is coming from.
The one type of ear bleed that you can usually spot is an external ear bleed. If your dogs ear bleeding at tip, then the ear bleed is most likely resulting from a traumatic injury. Whether another dog bit your canine’s ear mid-wrestle, or if your dog’s ear became caught on a sticker bush while going for a walk, dog ear tips bleeding is the least worrisome ear bleed of them all.
Dog ear tip bleeding can take some time to heal, given the fact that the origin of the ear bleed is out in the open, but thankfully, this type of canine ear bleed is external. This is good news, only because it means that you can keep an eye on your dog’s ear bleed from the outside.
Another way of trying to pinpoint the origin of dog ear bleeds is to identify the characteristics of the ear bleed and then compare them to these descriptions of ear bleeds in dogs. In doing so, you can also figure out the severity of the dog blood. These descriptions are listed in order of seriousness.
As a rule of thumb, if your dog is exhibiting very odd behavior that coincides with a puddle or a pool of suspicious blood, then the situation might require immediate medical attention. Get in contact with a veterinarian or an emergency vet office as soon as possible, and take your dog to the vet as soon as you are able to. It’s far better to address the situation sooner than later, even if it turns out that nothing major is going on. Read on to learn about the various degrees of dog ear bleeds!
Dried Spotty Blood and No Irregular Behavior
If you can see the source of the bleed, take a damp paper towel and lightly dab at the bleeding area. Use warm water so that you can rid the fur of dried blood. Cold water won't make a difference when blood has had time to dry. The likelihood of this type of ear bleed being skin-deep is very high. Your dog probably sustained a cut at the most, which is the preferred outcome of this unfortunate situation.
Small Amount of Dried Blood and Excessive Scratching
If your dog continues to scratch in and around the ear, then the cause of the ear bleed is most likely a parasite. Antibiotics and professional intervention is key in healing parasitic ear bleeds. However, you can test the situation by dropping a small water droplet onto your dog's fur. If a bug swims to the surface of your dog's fur, then the situation is being caused by pesky parasites.
Blood Flowing in a Steady Stream and Abnormal Behavior
This is a situation in which an at-home remedy is not ideal. If blood is still pouring from the site of the ear bleed, seek medical attention for your pet. The fact that the blood has not resolved itself is indicative of a more serious situation, and the sooner you reach
How to Prevent Dog Ear Bleeds
There are many ways to treat and heal ear bleeds in dogs, but the best thing to do when it comes to dogs bleeding ears is to prevent the situation from happening in the first place. Preventative measures are always the best route to take, but sometimes, it can be difficult to know just how to keep these circumstances from unraveling.
In order to keep an ear bleed from occurring inside your dog's ear, we advise that you take your dog to the grooming salon whenever his or her hair starts growing too long. By keeping your dog's fur at a manageable length, your pup won't run the risk of an ear bleed caused by parasites. Ear mites and ticks love to make a home out of overgrown hair, so you will drastically eliminate the possibility of a canine parasitic ear bleed by keeping your dog's hair short and trimmed.
We understand that grooming services can become mighty expensive over time, and each appointment adds up, so if professional grooming is not affordable, consider trimming your dog's fur at home. There are many great resources out there that walk you
How to Treat Dog Ear Bleeds
Preventative measures are fantastic, but they are not always the solution to the problem. If your dog already has an ear bleed, then tips on how to prevent a bleeding ear are not terribly helpful in the moment. So, if you are asking yourself how to stop a dog’s ear from bleeding, then we have the advice you need!
When it comes to treating an ear bleed that already exists, we have you covered. Treatment for canine ear bleeds often entails medication that is manufactured by humans in laboratories. In other words, they are prescriptions that contain a lot of chemicals and artificial additives. These can pose serious complications if your dog does not take well to the medication for the ear bleeds.
Are you wondering how to stop a dog’s ear from bleeding? Do you want to help your dog
How CBD Can Help Dogs with a Bleeding Ear
If your dog is experiencing pain, discomfort, or low energy as a result of an ear bleed, then your puppy pal can definitely benefit from cannabidiol oil. Known as CBD for short, cannabidiol is a dog’s best friend when it comes to a natural remedy for unbearable pain. Even if your dog is not in absolute misery, why suffer through discomfort and pain if you don’t have to?
As a completely natural and plant-based treatment option for ear bleed pain, CBD is one of the most effective botanical supplements for dogs with ear bleeds. Cannabidiol does not contain pure magic, and therefore, it will likely not completely resolve the ear bleed, especially if the ear bleed is deep within the ear. However, CBD is an excellent addition to the healing process of dog ear bleeds.
When you pair your dog’s prescribed treatment option with a botanical supplemental CBD, you’ll likely eliminate the chances of your dog having negative reactions to the medication given to your dog by the vet. CBD causes little to no adverse side effects, with the only real downside to CBD being the fact that it cannot heal ear bleeds on its own.
CBD receives consistent accolades for the way it provides relief while being completely natural. Unlike manmade prescription medications, CBD for dogs with ear bleeds is solely comprised of earth-grown ingredients. Though CBD is derived from cannabis and hemp plants, the phytocannabinoid does not induce any of the sensations so often attributed to marijuana products.
And that’s the biggest takeaway of all. CBD often falls into the category of marijuana, and while that is not technically incorrect, stating that cannabidiol is marijuana completely
- misses the mark. Even worse, that comparison deters many pet parents from considering CBD as an alternative treatment option for their dogs with ear bleeds.
Where to Purchase CBD for Dogs
CBD is available at an impressive and affordable rate from the team at Innovet. Everything in their CBD for pets store is tested time and time again before earning a place on the shelves. You can wholeheartedly trust CBD oil from Innovet. And if you don’t think your dog will bode well with CBD applied as an oil, Innovet also offers a wide array of CBD products beyond oil. From dog snacks and good boy treats, to creams and swallowable capsules, Innovet is sure to have a form of CBD that your dog will love!