I spent an entire month with my stomach in knots over a Joy look alike with the sweetest family.
Dog had an ear hematoma from a severe ear infection. Coolest case ever, right? I love(d) ear hematomas. They are very fixable, and when the underlying issue is treated, usually allergies or an ear infection, the problem is avoided in the other ear.
We drained and wrapped the ear. We treated the double ear infection.
Six days later (as is often the case) the hematoma was back (or so we thought). It often takes a few tries at draining the ear, and about half the time, surgery, to solve the issue.
Near the tip of the ear flap was a small opening. This was unexpected. But I did not need to poke poor Dog's sore ear with a needle again, so that was a good thing (or so we thought).
*GROSSNESS WARNING* Jen had to leave twice while she was helping!
I pressed gently on the swollen ear flap. The largest amount of purulent material I have seen since treating cat abscesses poured out of the ear flap. This was no longer a straight forward hematoma, it was a severely infected ear flap! I had seen this once in a cat. We drained her tiny triangle cat ear and she healed well. This was a big floppy dog ear. My stomach started to seize. It did not stop for the remainder of Dog's month-long treatment.
We drained and flushed the ear. We started stronger antibiotics and continued anti-inflammatories. The next week the ear flap was as infected, this time with scratches - gouge marks really - from Dog kicking her ear when her protective cone was off. (It happens.)
Every week the infection improved and the ear looked worse. I warned the family the results may not be pretty. They figured.
The second to last recheck, the tip of the ear was very firm and non-bendable. "Oh no," I thought.
Sure enough, the tip of the ear fell off - at home! "We figured," the family said. They were less mortified than I was.
On the last recheck, Dog's ear was shorter than God made it and had scratch scars, but the infection had completely cleared. Just as amazing, the double ear infection, after so many visits and treatments and oral antibiotics for the ear flap, had completely cleared as well.
I was wrong - she was as beautiful as ever.
"I am so sorry you have been through all this," I told the family (again) at their last visit.
"We are not! And thank you so much for all of your team's care. " they said (again).
And then Mr. said, "We just tell people, 'you should have seen the badger!'"