Any advice on posting with ear infections?

[MMorton]

Hello all! New here (sorry if this isn’t right). We adopted a 10 month old dobie pup two days ago. We took him to the doctor yesterday and his ears are infected. (Inside of ear and blisters on inside of ear flap) The vet said he didn’t believe in cropping ears and wouldn’t give me any information on posting them.
So my question is… is there a safe way for his ears to be posted during this treatment process we are doing? (Cleaning ears twice a day then antibiotic drop after cleaning for a week) And he’s 10 months old is it to late in y’all’s experience?
I had a beautiful girl who passed last month at 12 years of age, but she had military crop. So this middle crop length is different for me.
Attached a picture of our new boy: Major

 

[JanS]

Welcome from Minnesota.

Has he been posted at all before this? If not, it could be too late to start. As long as he's out of posts and probably has been for a while, I'd just wait until his treatment is done before you give it a try.

I had a beautiful girl who passed last month at 12 years of age

I'm so sorry for your loss but 12 years is great.

 

[MMorton]

Welcome from Minnesota.

Has he been posted at all before this? If not, it could be too late to start. As long as he's out of posts and probably has been for a while, I'd just wait until his treatment is done before you give it a try.

I'm so sorry for your loss but 12 years is great.

Thank you so much for replying! Yes the lady said she’d been posting them, but it appears that she wasn’t cleaning them (hence the infection) one ear sometimes stands but doesn’t stay at all. Goes straight into bat ear mode. His ear tips look great! No infection or scabbing. The inner pink part has some blisters. Looks like allergy to tape to me (I’m a nurse so I have a little bit of smarts to all this) And deep in ear was black and stinky. Wonder if we could do a half post to help them stand? I’ve watched so many videos still feel lost as in what to do.

 

[JanS]

Oh if they've been posting and they're trying to stand there's still hope.

You could try the zip-tie method until the infection clears up and try different tape. Most of us use either Zona's or Kendall 1" porous.

Alternative Methods For Ear Posting - zip tie

I plan on using this thread to share the multiple ear posting methods I have been taught and developed over the past two years. Due to the many issues I have had with posting Faith, I have had to think outside the box to find unique ways to not only keep her posted, but to correct issues as...

doberman-chat.com

 

[MMorton]

Thank you!! And thank you for the reference! Read every word! I appreciate this a whole bunch!! It was emotional bringing him here, then his ears. I was so overwhelmed by it. This helps tremendously!! Doesn’t help knowing he came from a bad home to us, he’s so unsure about everything. But typical dobie, he’s a trooper and his true personality is shining bright!!
Below is example of one ear standing.
Thank you so much again!!!

 

[JanS]

Below is example of one ear standing.

That looks great!

 

[Rits]

I would keep trying. If he has sores in the base of his ear, try the half post method so that the post stays out of his ear to allow it to heal.

How To Half Post Cropped Ears

A few members have requested I create a thread on how to half post. Here ya go! It's just as easy as using a full post, just slightly different. This method is to be used only after you have a strong bell. It works well for when 3/4 of the ear flap is having issues, but right above the bell is...

doberman-chat.com

For reference, mine have all had dark ear wax residue left on the tape when I change the posts. No foul smell other than dog smell.

 

[Ravenbird]

Wonderful of you to take this older puppy in! He's a good looking boy!
I agree with the above advise. If the vet you used was a good vet with your last dog and you've used them for years, I would just let the statement go about not helping with posting advice. If it's a new vet however, I'd have to cross him/her off my choices and look for another. The cropping has be done and is healed, now is the time to help the dog and the client to the best of their ability and answer the clients questions. Sorry to even bring this up, but to me if the vet is going to hold judgement on you with a new puppy without 100% dedication to helping, I'd be pretty disappointed in their service.
Best of luck with him, the advice given already is spot on, so nothing more I can add here.

 

[Ddski5]

Wow…
What a really handsome Doberman. He looks solid in that first picture!!

How long does the left ear stand?
Is it pretty consistent?
Does the right ear stand at all?

I am stuck in the middle with Major’s situation….
Ten months out is getting kinda close to the back end of a medium crop unless he has really thick ear leather.
I wonder if the ears are just folded over and ear cartilage is not with a broken crease. Think of a piece of cardboard that is just bent or folded vs cardboard that is creased so hard and long that it breaks at the crease.
The reason I am questionable about this posting is that I think Major looks badass with this crop/flop. I don’t think I can say this about any other Doberman that I’ve seen with a crop and ears did not stand. He is beautiful as is in my opinion.
If you would continue posting and just the right ear stands but the left ear does not, then it will look funny with one standing and one down….hmmmm….I don’t know….would really need to see and feel the consistency of the fold in both ears to determine if it was worth going forward.

Have you posted him yet with a backer rod? Prob not since you just got him. Asking because I wonder what his reaction is with the backer rods in- is he okay with it or does he shake his head so much that he flings them out.

If I felt like there was a legit shot for both ears to stand- - I would start posting now and coat the inside of the ears, where the sores are, with antibiotic ointment or silvasorb gel. Then put backer rod in and secure the rod to the ear on the outside with tape. Be mindful you will need some unisolve to remove the tape when changing out. Speaking of changing out…I would change out every 3 days so I could keep an eye on the sores to see if they are healing or getting worse.

I tend to think Major would not like the post in there and will shake/scratch. So be prepared to keep him engaged with walks, toys, training….anything to keep his attention off his ears until he gets used to the feel of post being back in his ears.

I would get rid of that idiot arse vet and move to one that would actually help and offer advice.

Welcome from Louisiana and good luck with Major- really would like to see more pictures of him.

 

[MMorton]

Wonderful of you to take this older puppy in! He's a good looking boy!
I agree with the above advise. If the vet you used was a good vet with your last dog and you've used them for years, I would just let the statement go about not helping with posting advice. If it's a new vet however, I'd have to cross him/her off my choices and look for another. The cropping has be done and is healed, now is the time to help the dog and the client to the best of their ability and answer the clients questions. Sorry to even bring this up, but to me if the vet is going to hold judgement on you with a new puppy without 100% dedication to helping, I'd be pretty disappointed in their service.
Best of luck with him, the advice given already is spot on, so nothing more I can add here.

He is a new vet due to us just moving, so we started going to this one in our town. Our old Vet is about an hour away…. But I’m thinking it’s worth the drive. My husband was not happy with his response when I asked for help lol

 

[MMorton]

Wow…
What a really handsome Doberman. He looks solid in that first picture!!

How long does the left ear stand?
Is it pretty consistent?
Does the right ear stand at all?

I am stuck in the middle with Major’s situation….
Ten months out is getting kinda close to the back end of a medium crop unless he has really thick ear leather.
I wonder if the ears are just folded over and ear cartilage is not with a broken crease. Think of a piece of cardboard that is just bent or folded vs cardboard that is creased so hard and long that it breaks at the crease.
The reason I am questionable about this posting is that I think Major looks badass with this crop/flop. I don’t think I can say this about any other Doberman that I’ve seen with a crop and ears did not stand. He is beautiful as is in my opinion.
If you would continue posting and just the right ear stands but the left ear does not, then it will look funny with one standing and one down….hmmmm….I don’t know….would really need to see and feel the consistency of the fold in both ears to determine if it was worth going forward.

Have you posted him yet with a backer rod? Prob not since you just got him. Asking because I wonder what his reaction is with the backer rods in- is he okay with it or does he shake his head so much that he flings them out.

If I felt like there was a legit shot for both ears to stand- - I would start posting now and coat the inside of the ears, where the sores are, with antibiotic ointment or silvasorb gel. Then put backer rod in and secure the rod to the ear on the outside with tape. Be mindful you will need some unisolve to remove the tape when changing out. Speaking of changing out…I would change out every 3 days so I could keep an eye on the sores to see if they are healing or getting worse.

I tend to think Major would not like the post in there and will shake/scratch. So be prepared to keep him engaged with walks, toys, training….anything to keep his attention off his ears until he gets used to the feel of post being back in his ears.

I would get rid of that idiot arse vet and move to one that would actually help and offer advice.

Welcome from Louisiana and good luck with Major- really would like to see more pictures of him.

It’s stands like when he’s attentive to something… or aggravating one of our other dogs (standard poodles are not impressed with little brother lol) The lady I got him from was using the backer rod method. To be honest not sure how consistently though. When we got him she took us out to the shed where she was keeping him. There he was in a filthy room and he had opened an old bag of clothes that he chose as a bed. She said they had a larger dobie inside and they didn’t get along. I’m thinking that’s where the other scars are from on his little body. Either way, just not sure how consistent she was since he was kept in a shed. His ears feel pretty thick but super soft at same time. We were noticing last night … I think if we can post them where that fold is we might could get them to stand. Because the rest of the ear is straight and appears to try and stand when he’s doing stuff. If that makes any sense at all. We have went and bought so much stuff. Backer rod, torbots , zip ties, now sensitive tape, we have foam like for crafts we thought about. The list goes on. We haven’t used none yet, just looking at all the options and seeing what would fit in there. I’ll post below pics of how she had him posted when we got him. It looked good to me. Looks like all the videos I’ve watched. Just don’t think it was consistent nor kept clean. And thank you for kind words!! We think he is very handsome. And just happy to have him really.

 

[MMorton]

Here is my old girl that passed away a month ago. . As you can see she had a military crop, so I’m not used to a medium to long cropped ear. Couldn’t help posting pics of her. She was my heart. I miss her terribly.

 

[Ddski5]

Well….I say go for it.

You have to willingness, desire and love for him so give it a solid try.

We are all here to help and will walk you through step by step if needed.

Don’t hesitate or feel stupid to ask any questions or state concerns.

 

[JanS]

When we got him she took us out to the shed where she was keeping him. There he was in a filthy room and he had opened an old bag of clothes that he chose as a bed. She said they had a larger dobie inside and they didn’t get along. I’m thinking that’s where the other scars are from on his little body.

That is sooo sad... I'm glad you have him now.

Here is my old girl that passed away a month ago.

Aww she was beautiful!

 

[Kaiser2016]

When we got him she took us out to the shed where she was keeping him. There he was in a filthy room and he had opened an old bag of clothes that he chose as a bed. She said they had a larger dobie inside and they didn’t get along. I’m thinking that’s where the other scars are from on his little body.

Poor baby! A shed? Someone should put her in shed and see if she likes it. Thank goodness he’s not there anymore. Some people are awful. I bet the other Dobe was also a male and they were fighting as a result of same sex aggression.

 

[Ddski5]

Any update on this?