Need advice Dr Wants to cut my dogs ear off!

[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.

[ArmaniMan]

I think if you already got a second opinion and both vets said the same thing, you should listen to them. If you really don't trust them that is a different story, you could look for a board certified internist and get one more opinion, but if they think this is best then that is what you should do.

As far as looks... Yorkies have all different ears, some are up, some are down, some have one up and one down...it won't make your little baby any less lovable or cute if he has part of his ear removed.

As to cost.. Look into the care credit card if finances are a concern.

Good luck

[yorkieusa]

Well, if you don't trust the vets and don't want to spend $500 and worry more about how he will look than if the infection spreads from dead tissue, which could lead to his death, then I would advise taking him to a specialist asap for a third opinion. I wouldn't delay as infection can spread through the blood. Did either of the vets discuss this with you? If you don't know of a specialist, ask your vet(s) for a referral. As I said, don't delay.

[yorkiemalt]

I see you're in Wayne, NJ. What Vets did you go to? Have you been to AERA in Fairfield?

[bailie]

HI AND WELCOME TO YT .im sorry to hear that ur little furbaby is not well, but if it was me, i wud listen to the vet, they know best, or you cud get a second opinion from another vet, my boy had his whole leg removed and it healed really well , he gets looks from people but its mostly out of sympathy, but we dont care as long as my wee man is healthy, please keep us posted and hope you enjoy it here, wud love to see photos

[kjc]

If the ear is dead, it will eventually rot off. Flesh without a blood supply dies and disintegrates. Ganggreen could very well set in and kill the remaining part of the ear, and could also cause a systemic infection (travels through the blood to all parts of the body) which would then be putting your dog's life at risk.

Maybe look into prosthetics if the appearance is bothering you too much.

Best of luck...

[megansmomma]

I'm wondering how the topknot shifted in such a way to cut off circulation to the ear without causing great discomfort to your little guy? Could you please explain this to us? Thanks

[LDMomma]

If you've already seen two vets and they gave the same recommendation, I'd bite the bullet and have the ear removed. It's not worth the chance of infection and further damage for the sake of appearance, IMO.

[lil fu fu girl]

Originally Posted by kjc

If the ear is dead, it will eventually rot off. Flesh without a blood supply dies and disintegrates. Ganggreen could very well set in and kill the remaining part of the ear, and could also cause a systemic infection (travels through the blood to all parts of the body) which would then be putting your dog's life at risk.

Maybe look into prosthetics if the appearance is bothering you too much.

Best of luck...

If the a portion of the ear is indeed dead, by leaving it attached to the living portion you are indeed risking your pups life. Once dead, tissues and muscle quickly succumb to bacterial invasion. Therefore, since there is no longer any blood flow in that area there is also no longer any immune support. This will quickly lead to bacterial invasion, first in the dead/gangrene portion, then within the living portion of the body: sepsis, septicemia, and septic shock with penetrating infection throughout the organ systems which will eventually leading to organ failure is the natural progression.

With two vets giving you the same info, I would listen.

[107barney]

I too am curious about how this freak accident occurred. As for the next thing to do, I have no words but hope it works out well.

[azureblue54]

Take your pup to the vet asap and get it taken care of!
Why this is even a question is beyond me.

[FlDebra]

I find it hard to believe you would not take 2 vet's recommendation but look for advice on a forum. We are all just pet owners and some breeders as well. That could never take precedence over 2 vets who have had the dog right in front of them to examine. I know this must be a very dificult decision but I would put the dog's health first and do as the vet's recommend.

I would also like to hear how a horrible accident like this could occur and you not notice? I just cannot imagine how it physically could happen. Even so, it must have taken quite some time.

[Ladymom]

Originally Posted by kjc

If the ear is dead, it will eventually rot off. Flesh without a blood supply dies and disintegrates. Ganggreen could very well set in and kill the remaining part of the ear, and could also cause a systemic infection (travels through the blood to all parts of the body) which would then be putting your dog's life at risk.

Maybe look into prosthetics if the appearance is bothering you too much.

Best of luck...

Please listen to this advice. Losing his ear is nothing compared to losing his life.

[kalina82]

I would DEFINITELY listen to the vets. Dead tissue isn't just tissue that has no feeling, its tissue that has no blood supply. It will eventually turn more colors, rot, and fall off, if it even gets that far. More then likely it will cause a systemic infection in the blood and make your yorkie very very sick, and can become fatal. Again listen to the vets. You got a second opinion, which is great, and they both said to take it off. Better to lose part of an ear then a whole life.

Also i would love to know how your yorkie managed to get that tiny rubber band, which is looped 3-4 times around his top knot, around his ear as well all on his own. without thumbs i'd say its pretty impossible to undo the band enough to get it over his ear and then tighten it again so that it cuts off circulation to his ear.

I think its more likely that whom ever put his top knot in was in a hurry and didn't notice his ear was pinched in. i've seen it happen before to other yorkies, as well as getting their scalp stuck in the band.

[Ringo1]

Wow. I've never heard of such a thing. I can only say - you've gotten two opinions and they both said amputate.

I hope this doesn't make you love him any less; it certainly wasn't his fault and was probably quite painful.

Poor baby.