Need advice Dr Wants to cut my dogs ear off!

[Rachael x]

Originally Posted by Deuce

I know freak accidents do happen, but a rubber band could not under any circumstance "jump" from a bow located in the center (ish) of his head, to around his ear and cut off circulation. Do you have a child running around your home, have you asked them what they were up to?
I don't' think the "wait and see" is a good method, if 2/3 doctors said amputate I'd take it off, not wait to see if there is an infection and have it spread and instead of just loosing a tip of his ear he looses the whole thing...or his life. With all of these vet consults you've done looking for someone who was on board with you not taking off the ear you could have paid for the surgery, at least in part.
I pray for your little dog, and hope that he does come out of this with his health intact.

I agree. 2/3 vets have advised him that the ear needs to be amputated yet he is going with the vet who is telling him exactly what he wants to hear.

[smepperson]

Originally Posted by joej0225

Hi everybody Im new to the forum. My 2 year old yorkie had a freak accident where somehow he pulled his top knot band over his ear causing an injury.

He lost circulation by the time we found out he had his ear caught and now its a little darker in color than the other ear but its still standing up. We brought him to the vet who gave medicine to avoid infection.

Today he seems absolutely fine and completely comfortable. But the issue is the vet says his ear is dead and insists that it needs to be surgically removed and she is in a hurry to get him in to amputate.

The consequences of not amputating is it may fall off on its own and MAY become painful depending on how it comes off. This surgery will definately be painful, he will need to keep a cone on his head for weeks and it could get infected anyway. I did get a second opinion and they say remove. I just dont want to put him through that if theres a good chance the ear might stay on and not get infected.

I dont trust these vets. I really think he will be fine if we leave it alone and keep an eye on it. He is on antibiodics for now and there is no appearant discomfort. I want to wait it out.. Am I making a bad decision? Maybe the ear will stay on and he could go through life with a numb ear.. Ill admit the $500 cost and the way my dog will look do factor in. But I want to do whats best and am seeking advice from the forum. I am afraid to subject him to unneccessary discomfort and pain.

Hello and Welcome!

I would first and foremost get a second opinion. If it conflicts with the first I would get a third. No, vets are not perfect, so we have to have our pups best interest in mind at all times. This is pretty serious surgery but if the baby is going to be painful without it I would have it done as long as the other vets agree! Hope this helps.

[Vinniedoggy]

Sounds like they are worried about gangrene setting in, a very real possibility if the tissue is dead. If that happens, you're talking a huge vet bill and potentially death, especially if the infection gets into the blood stream. I would follow the advice you've been given.

[JeanieK]

Originally Posted by joej0225

Folks I had sought out additional advice from the local vets and found a new vet I relly like and trust. The office was a much more positive environment compare to the office we had been using.

First I wanted to elaborate on what we think happened in the first place. The rubber band attached to the bow my wife uses might have come loose. Our dog either scratched at it or maybe when rolling around pulled the rubber band over his ear. I know its a freak occurance and we feel terrible. I prefer we dont put anything on his head anymore ever.

So This vet examined the ear and noticed the inside was affected from the loss of circulation the outside remains healthy tissue. So the tip of the ear MAY Likely fall off naturally. Currently the dog is comfortable because the leathery tip is acting like a bandaid. Eventually the inside will fall off like a scab and he will end with a floppy tip of his ear. Worst case scenario is it breaks and re- injures the healthy part of his ear causing bleeding. In which case we bring him in for a bandage and if needed stitching. He had been on antibiodics so we will continue that.

I am so glad I persisted on this. I appreciate the layman's perspectives but my gut said the best thing is not to operate and keep an eye on it. Thats the plan now. I am so glad not to have put my dog through the discomfort of removing his ear, the collar, the fear of another operation the drugs etc.. I am also glad I sought advice and found a better vet.

So Ill post an update if anything happens but I expect this to be a happy ending! Thanks again all!

I'm glad you sought a third opinion. I personally believe many vets are too eager to just amputate things on dogs, where they would not do so with humans. if he is on antibiotics and you are keeping an eye on it, the danger of a severe infection is minimized.

Good Luck and I hope he does well.

[JeanieK]

Actually I can see how this would be possible if he was rubbing his head and got the band caught on something. Then as he pulled away, the band stretched over his ear and then it came loose from whatever it was caught on and the ear was caught in it. A freak think, but I can see where it would be possible

[Rhetts_mama]

Originally Posted by JeanieK

Actually I can see how this would be possible if he was rubbing his head and got the band caught on something. Then as he pulled away, the band stretched over his ear and then it came loose from whatever it was caught on and the ear was caught in it. A freak think, but I can see where it would be possible

I can barely get the band to go over a small amount of hair, let alone tissue, and that's with a lot of trying.

In any case, it takes a lot of time for lack of circulation to cause tissue necrosis. It's not a quick process, it's also quite painful. The body also works to preserve the inside tissue before the outer tissue, so it being dead inside but fine on the surface doesn't make much sense. Also, with tissue necrosis, oral antibiotics aren't that effective because the antibiotics aren't carried to the affected tissue in quantities sufficient enough to prevent sepsis due to the lack of circulation.

[smepperson]

Originally Posted by JeanieK

I'm glad you sought a third opinion. I personally believe many vets are too eager to just amputate things on dogs, where they would not do so with humans. if he is on antibiotics and you are keeping an eye on it, the danger of a severe infection is minimized.

Good Luck and I hope he does well.

We have found that many vets are eager to take the easiest way out as well. Some do not give you alternatives even if they know of them. Research, second and third opinions are the lessons we learned from baby G's renal failure. We will never trust one opinion again. I am thrilled that this is on the road to a happy ending!

[FlDebra]

In the first post you said the first and second opinion was to remove part of the ear. Now you say the second and third vet say no operation. Bit of a conflict there.

You have also skipped over many questions about how long something like this took. How long was the band on your dog's ear? Was it not in pain? How could you not have noticed? How long was the dog unattended? I am still having the hardest time seeing this happening. If you work with these tiny little bow bands at all, I think you have to be in awe that it could come loose and then jump up around the ear tight enough to kill off part of the ear. I have a pretty good imagination but just not seeing this one through.

[QuickSilver]

I think when he said the inside of the ear, he meant the side without hair on it, rather than actually inside the ear flap.

I am glad you are comfortable with this vet and he gave you a good course of action. I am somewhat confused since you said you'd already seen two vets who told you to amputate, and then the "second and third" recommended against it.

I have to agree that I am totally mystified as to how the top knot band could somehow get the tip of the ear in. If you and your wife decide to continue to use bands, please check with a groomer to confirm that it is being put in correctly and that it's the right type of band. Top knot bands are usually tiny, and are also non-stick. Using any kind of rubber band will pull hairs out each time you do the topknot, and eventually your yorkie will go bald.

One consequence of non-stick, tiny bands is that they are usually really easy to get out. Generally speaking, if the yorkie doesn't want to wear a top knot, he manages to pull it off by himself. So I hope you can see why this seems so strange to many of us.

[JasmineNoelle]

Praying that your dog recovers soon.

[joej0225]

Ok so the tip of his ear came off cleanly today. The good news. No bleeding, no crying and he doesnt look any different with the tip missing since his hair still stands up there. We were surprised at how cleanly it came off. So were going to keep an eye out for any irritation but its been an hour and no discomfort.

For those who think the rubber band mishap is suspect. I guess I would think the same if I heard the story/ I also know posting on a message board would draw inferences of us being neglectfull and even abusive. I assure you all thats not even close to being the case. We love our little Nico a lot.

I wanted to hear what others opinions were. I listened to a lot of opinions and in the end listened to my gut, went on a leap of faith that the ear wouldnt have to be cut.

The good news is we likely averted a great deal of discomfort for our little boy and although we need to keep an eye on him, we have a happy ending.. Thanks again..

[JeanieK]

Originally Posted by joej0225

Ok so the tip of his ear came off cleanly today. The good news. No bleeding, no crying and he doesnt look any different with the tip missing since his hair still stands up there. We were surprised at how cleanly it came off. So were going to keep an eye out for any irritation but its been an hour and no discomfort.

For those who think the rubber band mishap is suspect. I guess I would think the same if I heard the story/ I also know posting on a message board would draw inferences of us being neglectfull and even abusive. I assure you all thats not even close to being the case. We love our little Nico a lot.

I wanted to hear what others opinions were. I listened to a lot of opinions and in the end listened to my gut, went on a leap of faith that the ear wouldnt have to be cut.

The good news is we likely averted a great deal of discomfort for our little boy and although we need to keep an eye on him, we have a happy ending.. Thanks again..

So happy to hear that. Thanks for updating. Aftrer thinking about it, I could see how it could happen if he got the band caught. Just because it has never happened to my dogs, does not mean that it couldn't happen in the future.

It is a lesson to all of use to be watchful.

I'm glad it cfame off without trauma and there is a happy ending.

[yorkiesincommon]

Originally Posted by JeanieK

So happy to hear that. Thanks for updating. Aftrer thinking about it, I could see how it could happen if he got the band caught. Just because it has never happened to my dogs, does not mean that it couldn't happen in the future.

It is a lesson to all of use to be watchful.

I'm glad it cfame off without trauma and there is a happy ending.

The previous vet responses sounded more dire and I am glad that you were able to keep your head and seek better guidance for him. The thought of gangreen etc. scared us all to death. One thing I do know, when you are the one there sometime your perspective is more "all-seeing" than we who are in the forum. Our first rule is to do what it takes in the best interest of the puppy and so it sounded like removal was the answer however your seeking further info and being there to weight our thoughts, the vets and other resources makes a tremendous difference. Again, I am very glad you found the best answer for your situation. And thanks for the update. Mary

[marcie]

Thank you for the update and I am so glad things worked out.
And welcome to YT

[Buster Brown]

I am glad to hear Nico is doing better. I am very glad you found a vet you can trust. I do advise getting pet insurance because worrying about the cost should be the last thing when dealing with an emergency. I got covered with Pet plan and they have been great. Even covering LP surgery, bad knees, that some policy's exclude as a genetic predisposition. I keep Buster's hair short. I was always worried that if I tried to do the knot I wouldn't do it right and cause Buster discomfort. Your wife must have felt so bad. I have made mistakes, and still do, in learning how to take care of a yorkie. They are so small they can get into trouble so quickly. I am glad for the happy ending.Good Luck with Nico.