[Chatito]

I would like to crop my pups ears,  but would like to get a nice pic of the "show crop" so I can show it to my vet. My vet is suppose to bring me photos of what he has done, but I would like some input from you all to compare. Thank you.

 

[Zhanna]

But he's so cute with his little floppy ears!  You could go to the American Kennel Club website and get good confirmation pics.
We're not going to clip Henry's ears.  I'm a sucker for the floppy.  Good luck.
Zhanna

 

[samsonsmom]

I'm with Zhanna, I'm a sucker for natural ears. Both Buck & Tia's were natural. Samson's were done prior to me getting him, but they did a good job at least..It's a personal preference really, but yes, I would want references from your vet before doing it. I have seen some horrible cut jobs.. Ck the AKC website & also try the internet...

 

[mom2scoutandgunner]

We found the style we wanted in a boxer book we got from Waldenbooks.  I prefer the medium cut to the tall cut.  The tall cut IMO is for dobbies and the shorter cut is for pitbulls.  It's just something stuck in my mind.  I think our vet did a wonderful job on both of ours.  

There are pictures at the following websites:

http://www.thepetcenter.com/gen/earc.html
http://www.animalcarecenters.net/ear_crops.htm

Or you could check out my photo album for some ideas:  http://www.boxerforums.com/modules.php?name=gallery2&g2_itemId=1148

It does take patience when you have them cropped.  See if your vet uses the turban or if they tape them individually.  I prefer the turban because they tend to stand up better when they take it off.  Taping them individually does not give the ears the stability they need when healing.  After 10 days, the turban can come off and then if needed, they can tape them individually.  Only Gunner needed his taped after the turban came off and that was only 1 stubborn ear and only for a week.

Feel free to pm me if you have any questions, before or after you have them done.

 

[Chatito]

Thanx for the references!

 

[Braddock]

So the ear cropping only took a little more than two weeks?  I always thought it took months.  I'm a sucker for the natural ears as well, however after seeing a few on this forum, I am beginning to see the other side.... slightly. :wink:

 

[Newcastle]

It depends on the cut and on the ear; I've had a few that only needed to be taped for a month or so, and others that took almost a year.

 

[BurningRiver]

The actual surgery takes approximately one to two weeks to heal (the edges of the incision site do scab over). The tape is used after the ears have healed to make them stand - at that point, you're simply waiting for the cartilage to fill in and make the ear more rigid.

I've had very good luck with my current puppy bitch in that her ears stood at 5 months. I've had others that haven't stood until they were 8 months old (a dobe that we had growing up still didn't stand until he was almost a year and a half!).

 

[mom2scoutandgunner]

8O Wow, I consider myself lucky!  I didn't realize that it could take that long in some puppies for their ears to stand up.  The picture in my avatar is when gunner was about 3 mos. old.

 

[Chatito]

Ok guys, this is an update: The vet finally retaped my Chato's ears. Although, I have not seen this "style" of taping before. He put no support, such as a rod or a crown. He said that since his ears were flopping inward on top of his head, he did not want to add the crown again. Also, Chato ended up hurting himself on the lower part of both ears, so it is still tender. What do you all think about this taping? It's pure tape, he just told me that he had to "weight the ears down.....opinions?

 

[Doug07]

Chester's breeder was from Demark where it's illegal to crop the ears.  They had me sign a promise that I wouldn't crop his ears.  I was okay with that.  I was introduce to Boxers by a friend who's Boxer had natural ears.  I'm glad  that I didn't crop them as I think they look cuter with the floppy ears. Also, I think there's alot of expression in their ears. I've also seen a few bad ear jobs on dogs at the park. My good friend crops her dogs ears and always has.  I think it's totally a personal preference, but I prefer the flop.

 

[Serendipity]

I have no experience with cropping myself....I decided to stay floppy. Some dogs look incredible with an ear crop.

Personally, from what I have read and seen, every crop, there is always something placed on the inside of the ear to shape it around. But maybe he's that one unusual case.

Is there maybe another vet experienced with ear cropping in your area that you could talk to about it and at least get a possible second opinion? Maybe talk to the breeder (or another breeder) about it.

 

[samsonsmom]

I also prefer the natural ear, to me it has more expression, but yes, It is a personal choice.. I don't know much about cropping, so I can't say if that tape job is enuf or not. Perhaps you might want to get a second opinion, or also check online, maybe?

 

[Chatito]

Well, this morning his taping was off once more. Right ear is up, left ear is pointing inwards. I checked online and almost every ear taping question has lead to instructions using foam or backer, or some type of support towards the ear nudge. I guess I will retape it myself using support. THanx again.... Oh and by the way, I have started applying triple antibiotic ointment on the bell of his ear due to him taking off the stitch. How often should I apply this? Everyday? Thanx.....

 

[mom2scoutandgunner]

I would reapply it a couple times a day since it will rub off on his bedding and such.   We found that a tampax without the cardboard worked well for Gunner's ear.  It is light weight and the ear can wrap around it easily and the cotton won't irritate his ear too much.  One of his flipped just like that.  Just remember to be patient and it will take a lot of monitoring.  BTW, the cut from what I can see in the pix looks good!

 

[BurningRiver]

I seriously feel that he would be fine without the tape until he's totally healed, and I don't like that the vet put tape back over the raw incision site. Please realize that by doing this, the healing process may be hindered, or worse, the ear can become infected, which is really what is biggest concern at this point.

Apply the triple antibiotic each time you clean the incision with peroxide. I prefer to do this twice daily. My vet tells us to remove the scabs on the incision line to create a smoother scar, however, I have spoken with others who's vets have not told them to do this, so it seems to be the personal preference of the individual vet.

One thing that I have found with ears is that the more you fuss, the harder it will be to get them to turn out well. If it were me, I'd leave them flop until the edges are fully healed, but that's just me.

With posting, what I do is to take the foam backer rod and turn it so that the rod naturally curves out and away from the head. I then cut the part that will be inserted into the ear at an angle. Then I back tape (meaning winding the tape around the rod backwards so that the sticky side is facing out) each rod with Johnson's and Johnson's waterproof tape (because it's stickier than other tapes). Make sure the insides of the ears are shaved free of hair and have been thoroughly cleaned (I prefer to use noxema pads or witch hazel.) so as to remove excess oils from the ear. Insert the rod into the ear canal and then stretch the ear up and out over the rods, going in the same direction as the rod. Press the ear firmly to the rod and secure in place with two more strips of J&J waterproof tape, one up toward the tip and another down closer to the base. Then use a breathable athletic tape or Vetrap (I prefer Vetrap because it's reusable and comes in cute colors) to cover over the rest.

IMPORTANT: DO NOT tape too tightly. To do so will cause a loss of circulation in the ear and can cause the tips to die off and fall off. My gauge on whether or not the tape is too tight is to leave the tips of the ears uncovered (don't tape over the tip) and watch them for 15-20 minutes after taping. If the tips start to swell or turn hot and red or purple, remove the tape immediately and start over making sure to go looser with the tape the second time.

I can't stress how important this is. I have a friend personally who's show prospect bitch lost an entire ear because the tape was too tight, and it cut off the circulation to her ear. It does happen.

It is also very important not to tape until the ears are totally healed. To do so can cause infection from bacteria getting trapped on the incision site underneath the tape.

Good luck, other than that, I have no other advice to give.

 

[tootsie]

Awww...sorry but that last pic of Chato's ears just kills me .  I don't understand why the vet would put tape over an open wound. I don't know, would it heal that way, and what happens when you peel the tape off?

 

[Chatito]

Thanx for all the help, I really appreciate it. Tootsie, the vet did not tape over the unhealed part of the ear. The top part of the ears are fully healed, the lower parts are not, due to Chato taking off a stitches by scratching. One side is a bit more open than the other. I did not know that I needed to use peroxide first, then apply triple anti-biotic. Next time I clean them I will do that. I have retaped his ears using support. I would really like to do what burningriver stated, about not taping whatsoever until the bottom part is fully healed. I'm just too scared to take any risk for his ears not to stand up. Again, I am not taping over the unhealed part. I used the tampon method. I bought some carboard based tampons, took out the cotton and placed the smaller (thinner) part of the tampon inside his ear. First I had placed the thicker part, but I believe it was too wide, as it popped out on the first head shake he did. I used cloth tape. I did the reverse tape on the cardboard part. Hopefully it stays like that for a few days. I have posted pics on the end result. He does seemed bothered by it, but then again, who wouldn't?  :?

PS. In case the tape does not come of for the next few days, how long can I leave it on? 3 days? And if I take it off, how long should I leave it off? I've read no more than 24hrs, and best if 12hrs to let the ear air out a bit? Thank you so much guys, you all are tremendous help!

 

[mom2scoutandgunner]

checkout this site I just found.  it is interesting....
http://www.jovilea.com/Boxers/ears.html

 

[Chatito]

Thanx for the info. I think that way would be a lil too time consuming incase he I would need a quick replacement in the morning before I head off to work. But it is a great Idea. Seems very sturdy. Thanx again...