05/14/2026
✨There were some great guesses in the previous post!
Yes, that bone is called the malleus! 🦴 It's the first auditory ossicle in all mammals, and transmits vibrations from the eardrum towards the cochlea (inner ear).👂🏻
It was removed during a Total Ear Canal Ablation and Bulla Osteotomy (TECABO), which is an advanced surgical procedure that removes the entire diseased ear canal. The bone surrounding the tympanic bulla is also partially cut away in order to clean out all the infected tissue of the middle ear (that's where the malleus lives!)
This is considered by most veterinarians to be a specialty procedure and is not commonly performed in general practices.
This is because - although very effective for improving quality of life - it is not without risk! In fact, it could have some debilitating complications if not done very carefully.
Thankfully, however, with proper case selection and careful tissue handling, these surgeries tend to go well and are life-changing for our patients.
👂🏻 FAQ: Can they hear after surgery?
Oftentimes they couldn't hear before surgery anyway. However, anecdotally, we have seen that many patients can still hear to some degree after they heal (perhaps a bit muffled). After all, the ossicles are usually still in place, and the cochlea is still present in the inner ear! Kind of like a microphone without a working diaphragm. 🐾
