Traumatized puppy

DobieMom2020

New Member
Hello everyone!
I’m new here, my name is Paige. My fiancé and I brought home our BEAUTIFUL little boy Loki a month ago today. He had his ear crop surgery 2 weeks ago, and this vet was HORRIBLE! My regular vet recommended them since they don’t have space for elective surgeries due to COVID.
After he came home, he was in some serious discomfort and pain. So we waited a week until they were healed to have them posted. Our regular vet posted them for us, but the stiff material they used and a lack of cotton caused him to have an open sore in his ear. We decided from here, that we would do our own postings.
I’ve been searching this website for different methods, and we found one that works best for us. But poor Loki is so traumatized from his experiences that he will hardly let us near his ears without whimpering and pulling away. Can anyone offer some tips to help with this? Thanks!
 
Usually it takes about two weeks for the ears to heal completely. Week one the stitches are still in and the edges should be open to air to heal. Week two the stitches come out and the edges are still healing. After the edges are completely then you can start the posting process.
I personally use the backer rod method with you can find a how to video in the puppy section of the forum.
My best advice is go slow, take your time, post yourself because most vets are terrible with after care, and bully stick or frozen Kong as a distraction.
Post pics of the little guy :)
 
Welcome from Minnesota! :welcome:

I agree that many vets don't do a good job of posting, even if they do nice crops so I'm glad you're doing it yourself now.

Try to stay calm yourself, have lots of treats available and make it a positive experience so he comes to look forward to having them done.
 
Welcome from Minnesota! :welcome:

I agree that many vets don't do a good job of posting, even if they do nice crops so I'm glad you're doing it yourself now.

Try to stay calm yourself, have lots of treats available and make it a positive experience so he comes to look forward to having them done.
Thank you!
I’ll do my best to stay calm, I’m definitely an anxious person as it is but I think with my fiancé’s help, we can handle it.
 
2B996A3D-F016-4255-ADA5-672F59A4F3E5.jpeg E89E0C0F-0CD8-4A66-A418-77F5BAF65156.jpeg 7F41665D-F9C4-4070-A97A-A261C7FB9AC3.jpeg
Usually it takes about two weeks for the ears to heal completely. Week one the stitches are still in and the edges should be open to air to heal. Week two the stitches come out and the edges are still healing. After the edges are completely then you can start the posting process.
I personally use the backer rod method with you can find a how to video in the puppy section of the forum.
My best advice is go slow, take your time, post yourself because most vets are terrible with after care, and bully stick or frozen Kong as a distraction.
Post pics of the little guy :)

Thank you! I’ll try the Kong Toy idea. We were going to try peanut butter too!!
Here is the handsome boy, Loki!
 
Awwww what a cutie. If I may he might be irritated by all that tape. I only use two pieces around each ear :)
Thank you! He’s my handsome little boy!
And that’s what I was thinking too, that’s how the vet had him posted, so when we repost we were wanting to try it with less tape too.
 
Perfect! Thank you!
How would you suggest we create the bridge in between the ears?
I just use a loose tape bridge and set it at a 11 and 1 or a 10 and 2. I never set it so the ears are completely straight at a 12. This makes him work his ear like doing bicep curls. You don’t need to use a bridge for all that long usually my female only used a bridge for about a week and a half but she has a medium crop. My male had to be bridged a little bit longer but he has a long show crop lol he took forever to post as well lol also change the post every 3-4 days and post through teething (7-8 months old) continuously. Only let the ears out of post to clean the ears, let’s them air out while you’re making new posts and them pop those suckers right back up haha
 
I just use a loose tape bridge and set it at a 11 and 1 or a 10 and 2. I never set it so the ears are completely straight at a 12. This makes him work his ear like doing bicep curls. You don’t need to use a bridge for all that long usually my female only used a bridge for about a week and a half but she has a medium crop. My male had to be bridged a little bit longer but he has a long show crop lol he took forever to post as well lol also change the post every 3-4 days and post through teething (7-8 months old) continuously. Only let the ears out of post to clean the ears, let’s them air out while you’re making new posts and them pop those suckers right back up haha

Thank you so much for the help! Loki has a medium crop, so we’ll try the bridge for a week or so and then see how he’s looking.
 
Perfect! Thank you!
How would you suggest we create the bridge in between the ears?
Hey there!

The bridge is easy. Just wrap a piece(s) of tape from the bottom area of the posts and take it across the head – down near the skull. Putting it on low like this prevents it from getting caught on things, and applies the gentle support near the bottom/bell, instead of up high.
 
Hey there!

The bridge is easy. Just wrap a piece(s) of tape from the bottom area of the posts and take it across the head – down near the skull. Putting it on low like this prevents it from getting caught on things, and applies the gentle support near the bottom/bell, instead of up high.
Awesome!! Thank you for the advice
 
Love the pict of your post job.

Don’t feel bad- mine was just as amateurish......

I promise, the more you do, the better you will get!! You will most definitely learn through trial and error. Really can’t screw anything up so don’t make it too critical. Just make sure to push backerrod all the way down into the bell and do NOT tape too tightly (cut off blood supply).

Good luck and most definitely have fun with it.

DD3FB2B9-3410-4220-AA4C-D0587E13DADA.jpeg
 
Love the pict of your post job.

Don’t feel bad- mine was just as amateurish......

I promise, the more you do, the better you will get!! You will most definitely learn through trial and error. Really can’t screw anything up so don’t make it too critical. Just make sure to push backerrod all the way down into the bell and do NOT tape too tightly (cut off blood supply).

Good luck and most definitely have fun with it.

View attachment 108997
Gosh what a cute face!! He went from cute squishable face to super serious dude.

Welcome @DobieMom2020 ! You got this! Keep it a positive experience, even give his ears and body a massage, and he and you will come to love that bonding time.
 
Hello everyone! We gave it a go, Loki was AWESOME! No tears, no crying, no discomfort! We had a hard time with the bridge part though, he really doesn’t like that part! (That’s why they’re a little too close together, but not bad at all for our first go!)

we used vet tape underneath the paper tape, to help with any irritation from the adhesive. Let me know what you all think!! 4F773D86-A3FF-47EC-9EC2-96402B12FD3E.jpeg4DFEED1F-B3F8-4C64-A61B-CF8A51133FFE.jpeg
 
Looks good but still a bit too much tape, maybe? Are those front flaps going back toward the middle of his head? (our backerod did not go all the way into the ear canal but that is preference, I think) For the tips, I just ripped a piece of tape in half lengthwise. The less tape, the better!
IMG_20160413_221441477.jpg IMG_20160624_150324674_HDR.jpg

He's such a cutie. I love his white stripe! And I see he's already got an adorable Boo Lip going on :hearteyes:
 
Looks good but still a bit too much tape, maybe? Are those front flaps going back toward the middle of his head? (our backerod did not go all the way into the ear canal but that is preference, I think) For the tips, I just ripped a piece of tape in half lengthwise. The less tape, the better!
View attachment 109019 View attachment 109020

He's such a cutie. I love his white stripe! And I see he's already got an adorable Boo Lip going on :hearteyes:

i was wondering if it was too much tape, I know the bridge is too much tape for sure, but I’m hoping that we can stop bridging soon. I’ll definitely try to cut the paper tape in half as well next time!
Thank you, he’s my favorite little guy
 

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