Am I missing something with ear cropping?

[Bandit1212]

Bandit got his ears cropped on Monday, at exactly 12 weeks old, using a laser. He was sent home with bandages over the ears but with the sutures exposed which I know is a good thing. The vet told me to use Neosporin 2x/day on the sutures, which seems frowned upon on here due to healing too quickly and he also told me to keep the cone on for 2 weeks. The cone was pushing his ears down and forward so i got the inflatable collar.

Should i be concerned that the ears aren't in the correct position right now?

I've been searching for days on this forum and all over the internet and there doesn't seem to be a general consensus on best practices for immediately post-surgery. I used tea tree oil on a paper towel and gently went over the stitches. It looks like there is some sort of stabilizing cotton or something in the ear. I was told to remove the bandages and tape after 4 days, but no real instructions on retaping, what to do when the tape is off, etc..

Is there anything I am missing, or that I need to know, or should be doing differently?

Any guidance or advice provided is greatly appreciated!! Thanks in advance!

-Luke P

 

[JanS]

One thing with most vets is that they don't give good advice post crop, even if they are good crop vets.
You are correct that's best not to use anything on the incisions until they're healed.

I would try it without the collar since most pups don't need it after the crop.

I was told to remove the bandages and tape after 4 days, but no real instructions on retaping, what to do when the tape is off

I would just remove it and let them hang until they're healed. It won't hurt anything at this age as long as you're consistent about posting after they're healed. It's easy to post them yourself and we have a couple of step by step tutorials here.

I will say that since he was cropped at 12 weeks you're going to have to be real dedicated to keeping them posted.

 

[Bandit1212]

Thanks for the advice/reply so quickly! I think this is where I’m coming across so much confusion, so please correct me where I am misunderstanding. Your second paragraph you say “let them hang, at this age it won’t hurt anything” and in the third paragraph you draw attention to how disciplined I will need to be with posting because of his age. That seems contradictory to me. Wouldn’t it make sense then to start getting them posted somehow while the sutures are still in?

I am stressing out and feel so lost about all of this and I only have one shot to do it right!

Also, Is there a reason no one has mentioned using those premade ear posting support braces and chooses to go about the posting with a DIY approach instead of using a brand like Prima or any of the others? Please excuse my ignorance, I am trying my hardest to do my own research, but saw no mention of any of those tools on this forum. Are they inferior or just more costly?

 

[Ddski5]

I would not use the neosporin at all…

You can actually leave them alone and let them scab over. If you must…you can gently wipe/wash areas with warm semi-soapy water.

Stabilizing cotton you are referring to is probably ear cartilage.

 

[Ddski5]

Relax…
You have plenty of time for now. Generally, folks let the ears hang post surgery and allow the edges to fully heal.

At about 4months your pup will start teething. During this process the ear cartilage with start taking shape of the position that they are in. This is the reason why it is common practice to start posting ears at 4months or when one sees the pup actively teething. The teething process generally last from 4-6months depending on the individual pup, but it’s pretty close to that. I started posting my two at 4months and stopped posting around 7.5months old.

 

[Ddski5]

The key issue right now is to heal those edges so when it’s time to start posting you have no issues or obstacles.

Issues/obstacles such as surgical incisions that are not healing or major ear infections.

It is recommended to start ~4months but I’ve seen pups ears messed up in which did not allow the owner to begin at that time. 4months is about the right time but one can go a little longer than that if they must. Have to be careful here because you are gambling with time and ear cartilage….

 

[JanS]

Your second paragraph you say “let them hang, at this age it won’t hurt anything” and in the third paragraph you draw attention to how disciplined I will need to be with posting because of his age. That seems contradictory to me.

I should have said said let them hang until the incisions are healed but then you need to be very disciplined about keeping them posted once you start.
This was our boy when he first came home before he was ready to be posted.


And after a time or two of posting.


We're still posting because he's not 6 months yet but the second photo was during a post change.

 

[Ravenbird]

If it helps to clarify what's been advised: When the ears get cropped, the raw edge is stitched closed. It's usually about 10 days or so to heal the edge completely, then the stitches are removed, THEN it's ok to post and tape over the edges. If it was just done Monday that means you have a whole week yet before healing completely. That's why we say don't post before the edges are healed. If the skin has any open sores or raw unhealed edges don't cover them with up! It is crucial to let that heal. As said, you have plenty of time, just once you start posting, be religious about it!

Also, way back in the day, when anesthesia was not easy on really young puppies we never cropped until 12 weeks. The first Dobe I had was cropped at 12 weeks and she was done by 6 months, but it was not as long as show crops they are doing now. Just rest easy, you got this! Tons of info on posting here - you have a few days yet for healing, so read up and gather all your materials - Don't even be tempted to have the vet do it, do it yourself.

Any more questions, ask away!

 

[Doberman Gang]

No need to post until stitches are out and edge is healed. We never use a collar or pillow either. Just try to watch your puppy and discourage scratching if he does it. Cone or pillow will more than likely make him want to scratch at it. Here is a video of pups tha day after crop at 7 weeks playing. Black girl was out girl Prada.

 

[Bandit1212]

You guys really are such an incredible group of people. I am so glad I decided to join this community. Jan and Raven, thank you so much for taking the time to clarify my concerns and to put my mind a little more at ease. Thats incredible after just a couple postings.

Would you guys please be able to comment on the ear post support brackets and how they compare to doing it on your own? Is there any benefit to making the posts instead of buying the kits?

 

[JanS]

Would you guys please be able to comment on the ear post support brackets and how they compare to doing it on your own?

The brackets don't really keep them in a natural position and don't allow the pup to move them on it's own to strengthen them; and they cost a ton more to do less of a good job.

 

[Ravenbird]

please be able to comment on the ear post support brackets and how they compare to doing it on your own?

What @JanS said. The backer rod method is best and easiest on you and the puppy!

 

[Bandit1212]

Got it, thank you! So today would be the day the vet said to remove the bandages. This morning one of the posts of like styrofoam or something fell out of his ear so i had to put it back in, but I am assuming that is removed along with the bandages since its all connected? Do i just remove all the tape, clean the ear out, and leave it alone until the stitches get removed? Or do i retape it somehow?

 

[JanS]

Do i just remove all the tape, clean the ear out, and leave it alone until the stitches get removed?

Yes just let them hang until they're healed.
Most of ours come home from the crop with cups in their head but once they cups come off the ears are left alone until they're ready to be posted. You can clean them out if necessary though.

 

[EricA]

Also, Is there a reason no one has mentioned using those premade ear posting support braces and chooses to go about the posting with a DIY approach instead of using a brand like Prima or any of the others? Please excuse my ignorance, I am trying my hardest to do my own research, but saw no mention of any of those tools on this forum. Are they inferior or just more costly?

No way I would be spending my money on that premade stuff you are talking about.

By doing it yourself you can make things to suit your 'particular' ear and crop. It will not always be the same exact thing.



If you have a spare collar laying around and don't have a partner to help you with securing fido when you need to do ear work -

The more cleaning and inspecting that you do - the more comfortable your dog will be with you working on the ears.

 

[Two Dobes]

Here is one of the videos on this forum:

Really great info everywhere here, just take the time to search and read I agree, you will do a better job yourself with the ears than any vet

 

[Bandit1212]

Makes sense about the post kits, thanks guys. I apologize for asking so many questions, but I do have another one for you. So after i took the tape off, the right ear cleaned pretty easily, but for the left ear he was whining and freaking out, the stuff seems to be stuck to him and I cant get the gunk out and I am afraid it is infected, and I am also worried that he may have tore one of the stitches but cant really tell through all the scabbing.

Is there anything in these pictures that look like signs of infection or is it normal to have buildup of stuff causing some bleeding when rubbed pretty gently with a q-tip that has saline on it?

He is on antibiotics and I am taking him to his **new** primary vet tomorrow (thanks to the recommendations of everyone here), and to the ear cropping vet on Friday.

 

[JanS]

There's a lot of gunk build up in the right ear canal and the incisions are probably still raw in spots because of the tape job the crop vet did.

 

[Ravenbird]

Yeah, Bandit needs just gentle cleaning and healing now. No tape or anything until the stitches are out and the scabs are gone and edges are healed. No gooey ointments either, in my opinion.

 

[Bandit1212]

There's a lot of gunk build up in the right ear canal and the incisions are probably still raw in spots because of the tape job the crop vet did.

So I used uni-solv to remove the bandages on Friday and he was alright with that. Now I’m using sterile gauze pads with sterile saline and for the small cracks just rubbing a q-tip over it very gently and not near the stitches. But the right ear he’s been alright with, should I be getting that far down in his ear to clean? Or did you mean left ear?

Yeah, Bandit needs just gentle cleaning and healing now. No tape or anything until the stitches are out and the scabs are gone and edges are healed. No gooey ointments either, in my opinion.

Yeah, I haven’t used neosporin or anything like that at all, I am strictly adhering to the guidance the experts here so generously provide. Any suggestions on what to clean the ear out with, or possibly even how to clean the ear out, that would work better than a sterile saline solution?

I’m worried that the longer the nasty stuff sits inside his ear crevices the worse it’s going to get. It wasn’t a scab I removed with a q-tip earlier, but it was something attached to his skin strong enough to make blood come out, which makes me think a bacterial infection.

It’s amazing how quick the focus shifts from “I want his ears to come out looking great” to “I want him to be alright”. I am seriously so, so grateful to have you guys as a resource through all this.