EAR CROPPING
You may find that your pure bred dog is unrecognizable as such unless the ear cropping is done to accomplish the breed standard look. You may also find the natural beauty of the dog pleasing enough on its own. It is a personal decision unless you plan to show the dog and even then, most breeds are acceptable in the ring with either form of ear.
You may have to shop around and get a referral to a veterinarian who does this procedure. Not many do, as it is artistic and the follow-up can be frustrating for all. Many choose not to attempt ear cropping because of these factors.
The procedure
If you are considering having your puppy’s ears cropped, here a few
important things to know. First, your puppy will have to undergo this procedure
sometime between nine and twelve weeks of age. He or she will probably
be required to stay a minimum of one night in the hospital following the procedure.
Often, it is advisable to leave the dog for several days to be treated for any
pain, and allow him or her to get used to the aluminum apparatus that will keep their
ears standing for now.
Ears can bleed easily as well, as they are quite vascular
and can be messy for a few days after the procedure. Your veterinarian is
equipped to address all of these concerns better than you can at home.
THE
PROCEDURE: Your puppy will need to fast for about twelve hours before
the surgery. Food and water can cause vomiting and aspiration (inhaling
of vomit) once the puppy is sedated. This can be fatal. Be sure to withhold
food after dinner the night before the surgery.
Once sedated the ear is marked where the incisions will be made, and
once they are even the ears will be cut. The incision begins at the top of
the ear and finishes close to the head.
The ear is sutured and disinfected. An aluminum rack or even an inverted paper
cup will be glued and taped in a harness pattern over and around the puppy’s
head. After Care The ears will tend to bleed for a few days. They will be
painful, and the puppy will attempt to get the brace off. Now the challenge begins!
This rack, (whatever type your dog comes home with), will need to stay on for about
21 days. While they are healing, you should use diluted betadine
to disinfect the ear edges twice a day. If they have heavy scabs you might
use a very small amount of antibiotic ointment, but be very careful not to
get it on the tape.
The longer you can keep from re-wrapping the ears the better. The puppy will
return to the vet for suture removal at 7 days post surgery.
Even doing this a couple days late may cause permanent scarring to the ears. The outcome
of this procedure really lies in the commitment of the owner to the
follow-up care. A perfect crop can be a perfect flop if all precautions
are not taken in the weeks and months following the procedure.
Be ready to be very involved for a while, or don’t commit at
all. Corrective surgeries for lazy ears are not nearly as pretty
as if they are done well the first time. The cartilage in the ear will change
quite a bit while the puppy is still teething. This takes a lot of patience.
If the ears come out of the rack or tape at any point until they are healed
several weeks or months from now, take your dog in immediately and have
them fixed! The longer they are left down the longer they will take
to get to stand up. If they are left too long, they may never stand correctly.
One day is much too long. An hour or two at most is all you can wait. Have
your vet show you how to do a lightweight, temporary fix in case of a problem
over the weekend or in the night. If you have managed to get the ear edges
healed, had the sutures removed, and not had to replace the tape, more power
to you. You are in elite company. More likely, you have made three or four
trips to the vet by now to have the ears re-taped.
You can cause irreversible damage to the ear. Tape should never go around
the edge of the ear while it is healing.
Tape should be tight enough to hold, but not too tight or you could easily
cut off the circulation in the ear causing the tissue to die and
the ear to drop off. There is NO way to fix this. It is best to let the professionals
do this part unless you can get them to teach you how to do it correctly.
Once the rack or cup comes off, the pup's ears will be wrapped in cotton
and taped until they stand. They should stay up this way for 10-14
days at a time. When you schedule your appointment for a status check, be
sure to plan to remove the wraps two hours before the appointment, or plan
to leave the puppy for a few hours. This allows the ears to relax just a bit
and show the vet how to compensate for how the ears want to fall.
You may make this same trip for the same reason many, many times. Most ears
will be done within six to eight weeks. Some may take six months. Dharma (our
Boxer) took 10 months, by far the longest I know of, but they are perfect.
Finding An Ear Cropping Veterinarian
1. Start your search by finding all the vets in your area by using the Veterinarian Directory. You can call your local vets to find out if there is a surgeon who does the ear cropping procedure close to you.
2.You can also contact the American Veterinary Medical Association. They are the medical board governing all veterinary procedures in the U.S.
About The Author
Laura Anderson is a veterinary technician with a 15 year history as a veterinary office manager and emergency technician. Her website is meant to help new puppy owners find a compatible lifestyle with their new friends.
Copyright(c)protected 2008. All rights reserved.
