Sores at the tips of a dog’s ears usually point to damage in the tiny blood vessels that feed the ear edge. Vets sometimes call this ear tip ulcerative dermatitis. It is not common, and in many dogs no underlying cause is ever found, which vets call idiopathic [2][3].
Two problems sit behind many of these cases: vasculitis (inflammation of the blood vessels) and a rare ear-tip disease called proliferative thrombovascular necrosis [1][2].
If your dog has a sore, scab or dark patch at the ear tip that does not heal, see your vet. Do not put any cream or other product on it unless your vet tells you to.
What the sores look like
Vasculitis. A university dermatology handbook says vets should think of vasculitis when the ear edge shows redness, crusts, or raw areas that go deeper into open sores [1]. These signs set it apart from simple scaling of the ear edge, which is usually not inflamed [1].
Proliferative thrombovascular necrosis. In this disease, small blood clots and changes in the vessel walls cut off blood flow to the ear tip, and the skin there can die [2][4]. This can leave dark, dead-looking skin or an open sore at the tip [2][4]. If enough tissue is lost, the outline of the ear edge can change.
What causes it
Vasculitis has several possible triggers. A university handbook lists lupus that affects the face or the whole body, cold agglutinin disease (a blood problem that gets worse in the cold), frostbite, and cases with no known cause [1]. A 2022 review of ear research adds infections, such as leishmaniosis and Bartonella bacteria, and inherited forms seen in certain breeds [2]. In one laboratory beagle with ear-edge vasculitis, the researchers found Bartonella bacteria in the ear tissue and thought the infection may have helped cause the sores [5].
Proliferative thrombovascular necrosis has no clear cause, and the review lists it as the last condition to consider once others are ruled out [2].
Medicines. A medicine can sometimes be the trigger. In one reported puppy, both ear tips died after a reaction to a deworming medicine, and the tissue looked like earlier cases of proliferative thrombovascular necrosis. The authors suggest that vets keep drug reactions in mind with this disease [4]. Your vet can tell you whether this applies to your dog. Do not stop any medicine on your own.
Other problems that can look similar
Several other problems can damage the ear tips. The 2022 review lists stable fly bites, frostbite, and blood protein disorders that react to cold among the conditions vets rule out [2]. Cold weather damage has its own guide: see frostbite in dogs and cats.
Scaling along the ear edge can also come from ear margin dermatosis, a greasy scaling of the ear edge with no known cause. Dachshunds seem more prone to it, though any breed can get it [1]. Greasy scales stick to the skin and hair on both sides of the ear edge, the hair falls out easily, and in severe cases painful cracks form that can bleed when the dog shakes its head [1]. It is usually not itchy. If your dog scratches its ears hard, mange is a likely suspect [1]; see sarcoptic mange in dogs.
How vets find the cause
Your vet will start with your dog’s history and a close look at the ears. If your dog is itchy, skin scrapings for mites come first [1]. A skin biopsy, a small sample of skin examined under a microscope, is the most useful test for telling apart the different causes of vasculitis at the ear [1]. Blood tests may be added, depending on your dog’s history and signs [1].
Your vet may also test for infections. Experts advise ruling out infectious diseases before giving medicine that dampens the immune system [2][3].
How vets treat it
Vasculitis. When a trigger is found, such as an infection or a medicine, dealing with it is part of treatment [4][5]. In the beagle with Bartonella, the sores cleared fully during a course of antibiotics [5]. When no cause is found, vets often use medicine that calms the immune system [2][3]. Some dogs relapse when treatment stops, so rechecks matter [2].
Proliferative thrombovascular necrosis. One option is surgery to remove the diseased tip of the ear, and an effective medicine gives an alternative to that [2]. Surgery does not help if the real problem is an autoimmune disease or vasculitis, so vets work through the other causes first [1].
Your vet chooses the medicine and the dose.
At home, as directed by a vet:
- give all medicines exactly as prescribed, and do not stop them early;
- do not put any cream or product on the ear unless your vet tells you to;
- keep the area clean and protected only in the way your vet shows you;
- stop your dog from scratching or shaking at the ear in the way your vet advises;
- go back for every recheck, since this problem can come back.
For dogs with ear margin dermatosis, the handbook also advises keeping them from sleeping near heating vents, wood stoves or other dry heat, which can make it worse [1].
Outlook
Outcomes vary between studies:
- In a group of 25 dogs whose long-standing ear-tip sores had not responded well to other treatment, the sores cleared in 22 dogs within one to three months on one immune-calming medicine. Several dogs needed it for a long time [3].
- A review of that study notes that four dogs relapsed within a month when the medicine was stopped, and one needed long-term treatment to stay clear [2].
- Ear margin dermatosis is usually not curable, but it can be kept under control [1].
These are figures and statements about groups of dogs in particular studies. They do not prove that a treatment caused an outcome, and they cannot predict how one dog will do. Your vet can explain what this means for your dog.
When to see your vet
See your vet if your dog has:
- a sore, scab or crust at the ear tip [1][2];
- redness or raw areas along the ear edge [1];
- dark or dead-looking skin at the ear tip [4];
- a notch or change in the shape of the ear edge;
- cracks at the ear edge that bleed when your dog shakes its head [1].
See your vet again if the sore gets bigger, bleeds, smells, or comes back after treatment.
FAQ
Why does my dog have scabs on the tips of its ears?
Ear-tip sores often point to damage to the small blood vessels there, from vasculitis or other causes [1][2]. Other problems, such as fly bites, frostbite and ear-edge scaling, can look similar [1][2]. Your vet can find out which it is.
Can a medicine cause ear-tip sores?
It can happen. One puppy’s ear-tip damage was linked to a reaction to a deworming medicine [4]. Your vet can tell you whether this applies. Do not stop any medicine on your own.
Will my dog’s ear heal?
It varies, and no one can promise it. See the Outlook section above. Some dogs need long-term treatment, and some need surgery to remove diseased tissue [2][3].
Will the ear shape change?
It can, if tissue at the tip dies or has to be removed [2][4].
The bottom line
Sores, scabs and dark or dead-looking skin at a dog’s ear tips often point to damaged blood vessels, from vasculitis or the rare disease proliferative thrombovascular necrosis. Causes include immune problems, infections, cold injury and drug reactions, and often none is found. Other problems such as fly bites, frostbite and ear-edge scaling can look similar. A vet visit, often with a skin biopsy, is the way to find the cause. Treatment can be long term, so keep every recheck.
This article is for general information only and does not replace advice from your veterinarian. If your dog has a sore at the ear tip that does not heal, see your vet.
Sources
- Torres SMF. 3.10 Canine Ear Margin Dermatosis. Small and Large Animal Dermatology Handbook, Vol. 2. University of Minnesota, 2025. CC BY 4.0. https://open.lib.umn.edu/animaldermatology2/chapter/idiopathic-keratinization-disorders-canine-ear-margin-dermatosis/
- Harvey R. A Review of Recent Developments in Veterinary Otology. Vet Sci. 2022;9(4):161. CC BY 4.0. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9032795/
- Colombo S, Cornegliani L, Vercelli A, Fondati A. Ear tip ulcerative dermatitis treated with oclacitinib in 25 dogs: a retrospective case series. Vet Dermatol. 2021;32(4):363-e100. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34250688/
- Nuttall TJ, Burrow R, Fraser I, Kipar A. Thrombo-ischaemic pinnal necrosis associated with fenbendazole treatment in a dog. J Small Anim Pract. 2005;46(5):243-6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15909448/
- Southern BL, Neupane P, Ericson ME, et al. Bartonella henselae in a dog with ear tip vasculitis. Vet Dermatol. 2018;29(6):537-e180. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30318847/