Why do my dog's ears feel hot?

A dog's ears can feel hot from several reasons.  First of all, our pets' ears can feel hot due to running a fever, such as from a systemic infection.  Secondly, a dog's ears can feel hot due to infection of the ear canal itself, from bacteria, yeast, or ear mites.  A third cause of the dog's ears feeling hot is if the ear flap itself has sustained a bruise and subsequent bleeding within the cartilage layers; this produces a swollen, pillow-like appearance to the ear flap, and makes the ear very hot and tender.  This condition is described as a hematoma.  Any ear problem involving ear infection or hematoma can cause permanent scarring and disfiguring of the ear flap.

Does your dog's ears feel hot to the touch?  If so, you need to have your pet examined by one of the staff doctors at Windmill Animal Hospital as soon as possible.