INCREDIBLE BUT TRUE STORY
--- UNCLOTTED BLOOD IN A DOG'S EAR
The old dog had been having ear pain and discharge and weepy left eye for some months. As the owner wanted to put the dog to sleep, I arranged for the dog transport man to bring the dog to my surgery. His wife objected.
So, the dog was treated. The owner requested his skin growths to be removed. After that I advised the owner to bring the dog back for the ear surgery in 7 days' time as that was the primary problem. At the 7th day, the gentleman phoned: "I will wait a few more days." I said OK.
A few days later, he phoned saying that there was blood inside the dog's left ear. I got the dog transport man to send the dog. Yes, there were fresh unclotted blood in the dog's left ear. The blood was red but would never clot. Now all blood will clot in a normal dog. But the blood simply pool in the ear canal, as if
it had anti-clotting drugs given to it.
The dog must be scratching its ear and has self-inflicted damage to the ear. Yet, normally, there would be an aural haematoma - a swelling of the ear flap. This was just fresh unclotted blood inside the ear canal. I sent the dog back on antibiotics and scheduled to operate 7 days later. This time the owner kept his appointment. Yet there was still unclotted blood inside the left ear. I took a picture for readers to see.
During surgery, I could see grey globules of cells inside the horizontal and middle canals. They could be ear cancerous cells. I did not do a histopathology as it would add up to the veterinary costs and it served no purpose for the owner. All owners want are least cost. The vertical ear canal was removed. Hard as a rock. I had to use a bone cutter to split it.
 Tearing left eye and painful left ear for many months. Hair on body dropped. The owner wanted the skin tumours to be removed first. |
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 Skin tumours removed. The dog was to come for ear surgery soon. But there was no smelly ear. The owner postponed the surgery. |
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 The owner postponed the appointment for surgery on Apr 9, 2008. Blood clotted in the ear canal. The dog went home. Blood appeared in the ear canal in large amounts but did not clot. |
 Unclotted blood appeared daily in the ear canal for at least 7 days after going home. The owner decided to get the surgery done on May 8, 2008. |
 The calcified vertical ear canal ablation surgery. |
 The vertical ear canal is isolated from the surrounding tissues. Hard as a piece of rock. |
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 Grape-like grayish ear canal cells clogged the vertical and horizontal canals. They appeared cancerous. |
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 Salivation for 2 days after surgery. |
 The owner's wife wanted the dog home. On day 9, the dog was sent home. But he disallowed the owner to clean his ear. The ear swelled and the operation area got infected. |
The
owner's wife came to visit the dog on the
3rd day after surgery. She wanted the dog
home after surgery. This was not advisable
as the dog's ear needed careful nursing to
prevent infection and stitch breakdown.
Owners seldom are able to do the nursing
yas they lack experience and may be bitten
by the dog.
Once the stitches break down, there would
be a big hole and the owner would construe
that the vet is incompetent, as owners
seldom blame themselves for the poor
outcome of a surgery.
In such a situation, I would advise that
the husband be advised as the husband had
not asked for the dog to be discharged.
Ideally, the wound should be healed first
and that would take 14 days at least.
However, to save on veterinary costs, the
dog was discharged on day 9. After a few
days, the owner sent the dog back as the
dog had a swollen area in front of his
surgery. The dog had been scratching and
the horizontal canal opening had not been
cleaned. The dog just would not permit the
owner to do it.
So, another 10 days of stay and more
veterinary expenses including the cost of
several trips by the dog transport man.
Fortunately, this was an owner who was
able and willing to pay the expenses which
could amount to a big sum in view of the
to-and-fro of the dog and the
transportation.
Vertical ear canal ablation needs a lot of
nursing. It would have been cheaper to
just let the dog stay at the surgery for
14 days and let the wound be cleaned daily
by the veterinary assistant. The dog was
quite fed up with the ear cleaning which
must be painful for him. But he was
muzzled and was more well behaved.
On the 9th day of nursing, before going
home, I saw him wagging his tail when I
examined him. As if he was happy to be
free of his chronic ear pain. He was the
ideal patient. A dog with no bark and
bites only when he could not tolerate the
pain of cleaning his wound.
As for the appearance of unclotted blood
in his left ear for around 7 days, this
was a mystery to me. Did the cancerous
cells inside the hardened vertical ear
canal produce an anti-clotting chemical or
was there some divine significance? Why
did the blood appear in the first place
and where was its source? Some questions
have no answer.