Dogs ear injury, how can we help it heal?

Hi thanks for accepting my request to join. My dog got bitten in the tip of her ear several weeks back now, it was a small wound , every time it heals she scratches off the scab making it bleed again. The wound has got progressively worse each time she reopens it. She now has a cone in to stop her scratching or knocking the wound but now shakes her head and it gets worse . She has not got a little split in the end of her ear. We have tried to bandage it and secure it so she can’t shake it around, but she just shakes off the bandage again. I really dont know what to do with it anymore. I understand ears have a strong blood supply and long healing time due ti constantly moving around, but it is so much worse than what it was when it started. Any advice on how to help this heal ? I feel like we are fighting a loosing battle with this 😫 thanks x

Hello!  Bite wounds are infected by definition.   Teeth are covered in bacteria;  as soon as they go in, they inject the bacteria into the skin.   For this reason, bite wounds almost always need antibiotics.  Infection stops wounds from healing effectively.  The other thing about ear wounds is that they are painful, which promotes head shaking and scratching and - as you are finding - recurrent injury.  Inflammation can be useful but, beyond a certain point, the more inflammation present, the harder it is for a wound is to heal.  Fourthly, ears get knocked and shaken a lot and are lousy healers at the best of times.  So....

I'm afraid that this is one that is likely to need recurrent visits to the vets, who will assess it properly and give appropriate treatment.   It is likely to take more than.one visit and, depending on how it is healing, your vet may advocate surgery.  Wishing you and your dog the best of luck with this sore-looking wound.

Thanks for your reply, she is on antibiotics for this. Another trip to the vets it is 😫