Jillie's going to lose the tip of her ear :(
 

Ugh, as I was combing Jillie out before bathing last night, I noticed some crusted blood on the tip of her right ear. I cleaned it up and discovered it's a tear across the tip of her ear. It looks like a clean scissor cut, but it's been 3 weeks since she's been to the groomer and no one has had a scissors anywhere near her since.

I brought her to vet and she says the tear goes all the way across her ear and the tissue above it is already dying. She said I had 2 options: Surgically remove it or just let it fall off. She said, as disgusting as it sounds, letting it fall off is actually how they treat frostbitten ears.

Since she's also due for a dental, I've decided to do both at the same time. They offered to do it tonight, but I wasn't comfortable allowing them to put her under anesthesia without her fasting so I scheduled it for Thursday.

I'm completely baffled as to how it happened. Vet agreed it looked like a scissor cut, but she says she's not sure. It's possible it got caught on something and tore along a blood vessel.

Why I saw no blood until it had crusted over is beyond me. And if it happened at the groomer 3 weeks ago, you'd think she would have acted traumatized when I picked her up. That wasn't the case. In fact, she's shown no pain at all.

Here are some pictures that show both sides of the ear. From the outside, it looks like only a small tear, but inside the cut goes all the way across.

Here's the pic from outside. The light line at bottom of ear is a clean cut that goes all the way through. It actually extends across most of the ear.

Bless her heart. I'm sure that could not have happened 3 weeks ago without you noticing. She must have gotten it caught on something. I hate that she's gonna lose that part of the ear. When you said tip, I thought tiny, but those pics show a fairly large area from what I can see. :eek: That is another reason you could not have missed it if it happened 3 weeks ago. Tissue without blood flow dies quickly. It could have happened as recently as 12-24 hours, although the edges do look like it might be a couple of days. Keep us updated on how she does! Wishes for a quick recovery from that and the dental.

I'm so sorry this has happened. Not knowing how it happened is tough to deal with. I'm glad though that it didn't cause her a lot of pain. Usually with ear injuries one would see the dog scratching at the site or notice the dog doing a lot of head shaking if it bothered her. Keeping her in my prayers for a safe dental and ear work.

Thanks, you guys. It's nice to hear a good argument that it wasn't the groomer. I hate to think anyone could do that and not let me know. Accidents happen, but lying about it would be inexcusable.

What's nagging at me is there was another incident 6 months ago when Eddie had a wart on his nose, and I warned the groomer to stay away from his nose. When I picked him up, it was bleeding and they told me he must have nicked it while in the crate. That sounded so implausible. I didn't accuse them of lying, but I always suspected it.

I like the groomer. Their prices are great, they do a decent job, and they're only a few blocks away. But I'm having a hard time trusting them.

Oh, and yes. It's more than just the tip she'll lose, but it's less than half. I'm hoping the hair will make it unnoticeable.

Do you leave them at the groomer or do you wait on them? My very 1st groomer experience was a bad one and they didn't follow instructions. Ever since then, I have always taken him to places where I can wait and also hear and see him during the grooming process. Even when not watching, I am attuned for any yelps or other disturbing noises, and it also allows me to hear how the groomer interacts with him when he does yelp with pulled hair, etc. The incident with Eddie would make me suspicious, too, but IMO, this injury to Jillie seems too severe and too obvious to have been missed for 3 weeks.

Oh Mike, how terrible :( I know you would have noticed if this had been going on for 3 weeks. No way could you have missed that. Poor Jillie, one good thing is that it doesn't seem as if she was in any type of pain.
Trust your gut on the groomer situation. Hug Jillie and give her a big ole Mayberry kiss from us. Poor baby girl.

I think you guys are right. This incident couldn't have been the groomer. While I only bathed her once, I've combed her out multiple times, including three previous times well enough for a therapy visit. I would have noticed it.

The only other thing I can think of is a day in the last week that my MIL was dogsitting and said Lucy, my Chessie, snapped at Jillie. I figured it was a harmless false attack after Jillie harassed her, but maybe it was more than that.

I don't wait at the groomer. I drop them off at 9:30 and pick them up at 1. At this groomer, waiting isn't an option and I don't have the time to wait that long.

I may switch groomers anyhow for peace of mind. There's another guy I like. Not as cheap or close, but I've been impressed with his work.

That sounds like a definate possibility.

I guess I should clarify about the waiting. I bathe him myself and do most of his grooming. I take him about 3 times a month for his feet and nails and mustache detangling (easier than the fight that ensues if I try:rolleyes:) and usually only get the full grooming/trim (minus the bath) every couple of months, so my wait time is minimal. I've been lucky to find a small local family owned & run kennel /groomer with really good prices and I never make an appointment, just walk in. (Their kennel is right next to their double-wide...this is north Ga after all...):D

Could it have happen from scratching the ear and cut with a toe nail?

Dang Mike...sorry to see this happened to Jillie. :(
I'm sure if it had been done at the groomers you would have noticed before now...like you said, you've combed her out well several times since then.

I'm with Michelle...give her a big ole Florida kiss from us too!

Poor girl. I am so sorry it happened to her, but glad it did not get infected!

Hugs to Jillie, Mike she will still be beautiful with or without ears

I hope Jillie is ok after her procedure. keeping her in my thoughts and prayers.

I think she would certainly have been pawing at it, especially when it started to heal and itch. And likely she would have been off her feed a bit or tried to isolate a little - though others are especially clingy. Plus, you know you would have seen it, that much of a difference in your dog's looks. Hate to think of the pain but dogs, unlike it, don't want to show pain and can't talk so we often don't know when they hurt - sometimes all we know is that they might - might be acting differently. I'm so glad that you did find it and get her seen. Here's hoping the little one is over most of her pain and fully healed soon. Love that Jillie!

Thanks, everybody.

Poor Jillie. I agree I don't see how you would have missed that for three weeks. Not as active as you are with her. Praying it all goes well.

I am sorry... but you take very good care of your dogs so I am sure it not something that you could have changed.


A couple of years ago my Sam got bit on the ear by a large dog. He was too close toa fence and the dog got his hear and when Sam pulled his head back it tore.

I cleaned it and thought all was well, but I did not see the matt of blood on the underside until the next day (we were visiting a relative so I was limited on what I could do). I rushed him to the vet... day late..and when the vet cleaned it up I could see how bad the tear was. Long story short, part was removed and part healed. He is a floppy ear dog so the har covers it but I have to be careful even now not to catch the brush on a weak spot.

I hope your baby heals as quickly and as well as sammy did.

I don't know...I might be inclined to think it happened at the groomer. When dogs ears get cut, they bleed like mad.....I don't see how you could have missed it if it happened in your home. That knowledge, coupled with the story about Eddie.....I think I would be seriously considering either sitting with them when they are groomed or finding another groomer.

I am so sorry...poor Jilly. They really do ignore and/or hide their pain. At some point, it must have hurt her. :( She will be good as new though once it is fixed! :)

Poor Jillie! I'm glad she isn't in pain.

I think you would have noticed if this had happened 3 weeks ago at the groomer. However it happened, I'm surprised and glad her ear wasn't bleeding profusely. When Crystal's boy had an ear injury, she had to stay up all night working to stop the bleeding.

Jillie will be in my thoughts and prayers when she goes in to have her dental and this taken care of. Sending her gentle hugs.

I think the groomer stopped it. I have never seen an ear injury not bleed....I don't know..could be dead wrong; but it just is not something I would expect. If it stopped bleeding he would not have noticed it....not until it was necrotic. :(

After I read your previous post, I started thinking the same thing. This is what happened to another member here recently. Her dog's ear tip was snipped and the groomer obviously stopped the bleeding. Her dog had a lot less hair than Jillie, so it was detected more readily, but still not immediately.

That is the darndest thing. Bless her heart. I am happy to hear that she didn't appear to be in a lot of pain or anything - and that it didn't get infected!

I just can't believe it was something that happened 3 weeks ago. Surely, it would've been noticed while brushing her since then.

Praying all goes well Thursday. Jillie is gorgeous and with the way her hair goes, you probably won't even notice that part being gone. What a tough girl! Give her plenty of Alabama kisses, too :)

Poor thing, it must have really hurt when it happened.

I agree... when sams' ear was torn the blood matted the hair. I cleaned the top but the next day I realized it had matted the hair under and it was a big blood clott. There was a lot LOT of blood!!!

I have seen too many cases of injuries that groomers did not fess up to...it happened to me many years ago (in the 80s) and I swore to never leave my pups in the hands of a groomer again ever. And I have stuck to my word on that...I go or they don't go.

Poor baby !!! Glad to know all will be ok ! If i were you i would find a new groomer....just for piece of mind ! It would drive me crazy....not knowing

Poor little girl. The not knowing how it happened would be driving me crazy.

Since the vet said it looked like a scissors cut I would have to think about the groomer. Sorry, I would think it is just too much of a coincidence that the ear hair is cut with a scissors and the ear looks like it may have been cut with a scissors. Maybe someone on YT that does professional dog grooming can weigh in on what may have happened to her ear.

She is such a pretty little girl.

:( Poor Jillie. Could it have happened during a rough play session at your little dog meet-up? The back view looks a more like a tear than a cut. I know Eddie's kept you distracted, but I think you'd have noticed that much crusted blood in 3 weeks. I know you took pictures of her on her birthday. Have you tried zooming in on them to see if you notice it?

Excellent idea!

Been thinking too that crusted snow and ice can be very sharp, and dog skin is different than human skin so a puncture from a dog nip and motion could cause a tear.

But Ladyjane is right, I too, have never seen an ear injury not bleed profusely, it\'s very hard to not hit a vein on an ear.

Another thought is could an ice cut being so cold have a freezing effect if done at that time? Betweeen that, cold air, and the fact that the extremities get coldest first and reduce blood flow.... IDK.