Information on ear cropping.

“To crop or not to crop.”   That is the question.

This subject comes up with each litter so I will try to address it the best I can.

Ear cropping is an unnecessary cosmetic surgical procedure in which a portion of the ear is removed. The purpose  is to produce ears that stand erect. This is most often performed in puppies around 8-12 weeks of age. Most veterinarians will not perform this procedure on puppies over 14 weeks of age because as the pup ages, his ear cartilage becomes less pliant and the potential for non-erect ears increases.  We recommend between 8 and 10 weeks of age.  To me it is sort of like “welcome home new baby…WHACK…there go your ears!"  How is that for bonding?

Our puppies are European and require ¼ to 1/3rd. less anesthesia.   Don’t risk the life of your puppy to an elective surgery.

 

“Ouch!”

I’ve been asked countless times “Does it hurt”?  Hell yes it hurts!  If you don’t believe me try taking a pair of tin snips and working on your own ears.  I’ll just bet you will stop in a hurry. The puppies are under either a local or a general anesthesia     during the surgery but often once it wears off they scream in pain.   I might point out that we have only two dogs that are cropped at the moment.  The oldest is going on 8 years of age and it took almost a year to get his ears to stand and on top of that he was allergic to the adhesive on the tape.  The second is a female and her crop is too short for her head but I wasn’t there to speak to the veterinarian because she is of our old bloodlines and came from another kennel.  All of the rest of our guys have natural ears and we will continue to keep the future generations with all their parts intact.

No we do not cut off their dewclaws either.  That is done at 3 days of age and the idea of cutting off new babies’ thumbs just doesn’t set well with us.

I have seen some ear crops that are done so poorly the dog's ears look deformed and either due to the surgery or aftercare, or genetics the ears do not stand correctly.  Or not stand at all.  If you insist on getting your puppies ears cropped research the veterinarian and insist on seeing photos of the results on his past surgeries and that he knows the difference between a Pit Bull cut and a Great Dane cut.   Call your local Great Dane club for recommendations.  Not all veterinarians are created equal.

I used to be a veterinary technician and helped the doctors in surgery.   A good ear cropping veterinarian will mark off where to cut  the ear before he proceeds or use metal forms that are breed specific and give right shape for his head.  Heads grow and if the cut looks too short it is going to look even worse after the dog is grown.

This is a personal decision.  Ear cropping is not right for every dog, and it is not right for every person who owns a dog.  We recommend a consult appointment with the veterinarian if you are unsure about whether or not to crop.  There is a tremendous amount of aftercare involved to make sure the ears stand properly, and an owner who is not committed to being diligent about the aftercare, should not crop their pet.   A consult appointment will give you the opportunity to discuss the pros and cons of ear cropping with a doctor, and help you to make the best decision for your new puppy. 

There are a multitude of methods for aftercare and ways to hold or prop the ears to train them to stand and it can take up to a year to get them to stand properly and still there is no guarantee.  I’ve see Styrofoam cups used also  tampons, mole foam and skin adhesive, aluminum racks that suspend the ears, popsicle sticks just to name a few.  If you are determined to do this please click on the link below and get the right information and least invasive supplies and methods to accomplish your goal.