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Your
pet has had an ear canal ablation with a bulla osteotomy. The entire
cartilage ear canal has been removed, and a portion of the bony circular
middle ear (bulla) has been likewise removed.
 This is so we could gain access to the middle ear and remove all of the
abnormal tissue, foreign debris and infection in the ear canal and middle
ear. A rubber tube (Penrose drain) has been placed from the center of the
bony middle ear to exit out the neck region to allow further drainage of
infection post-operatively. The ears may be sutured over your pet's head for
two weeks to allow air circulation to the operative site, to facilitate
drainage, and to prevent swelling of the ear flaps as a result of head
shaking, etc. Two weeks following surgery the drains are removed and the
ears let down into their normal position.
If the drains fall out - don't panic! Cut off the hanging portion of the
drain and two times a day apply hydrogen peroxide to the opening in the
skin where the drain came out.
The bony middle ear (bulla)
sits next to the temporomandibular joint (jaw joint). Some dogs will be
reluctant to eat or will experience mild pain on opening and closing the jaw
post-operatively. If your pet is experiencing reluctance to eat or chew, we
would encourage you to feed soft food.
Many Pets have "dry eyes" with
their ear disease. Also, in some pets the eye lids will not blink for
several weeks following surgery and the side of the face is paralyzed
(Bell's palsy). In these cases, eye lubricants (drops, ointment) must be
applied to the eye several times daily until your pet is able to blink its
eye normally again.
In some cases your pet will
accumulate food in the region between its cheek and gums resulting in a bad
smell from its mouth. You can flush your pet's mouth with water and a
syringe. As your pet regains control of its lip the problem will go away.
If your pet is not too sore,
you can apply warm, moist compresses to the side of the face one to two
times daily for 5-10 minutes to make them feel better. Following this, you
can gently clean the area and then apply Vaseline below the drains to
prevent skin scalding and to make cleaning easier.
Wipe the plastic Elizabethan
collar off as needed to avoid unsightly and smelly accumulation of drainage
and discharge on it from the drains. You can also tape a diaper/etc. to the
inside of the collar to catch the drainage.
Your pet will need antibiotics
for one month following surgery. These can be given in a little food
(meatball, peanut butter or butter) as needed.
If you have any questions regarding your pet's post-operative care, please
don't hesitate to contact us. We have an answering service 24 hours a day
and on weekends. Just call our regular number and follow the instructions.
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