Cropping - Stitches removed prior to posting and lump on back

mejms

New Member
Hi folks, my puppy had stitches removed the other day and now has ears glued to sponge. The vet said it would be best to continue letting the ears heal now without stitches prior to posting. Yesterday, she managed to scratch her ears a lot and, as you can see in one of the photos, removed the scabs on the edges and got them to bleed.

You can also see in one of the pictures the liquid in the base of the ear and I don't know if this is a sign of infection.

Finally, she has a lump on her back. The vet said it was a collection of pus from having given her an injection for the pain killer. I think that he might not have given the injection properly. She has had the lump for three days and it hasn't reduced in size at all. If anything, it has increased.

So I'm pretty concerned. I have never gone through cropping before and have no idea if the surgery has been done properly or how the ears should look right now. Please tell me what you make of the photos.
 

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The vet said it would be best to continue letting the ears heal now without stitches prior to posting.
That’s correct.

When you see a crop for the first time, it can be pretty gruesome and I think you will need to clean the edges, but let’s wait to hear some opinions on how to proceed. The liquid in the ear…that does look like an infection. Does it smell? How old is she?

Regarding the lump 😳 Is the vet expecting it to drain itself? I’d definitely bring it to their attention. If they end up draining, you definitely shouldn’t be paying for that.
 
The liquid in the ear…that does look like an infection. Does it smell?
Yes, it does.

How old is she?
10 weeks

Regarding the lump 😳 Is the vet expecting it to drain itself?
Yes, he said it was just puss and said that it would dissipate in a couple of days. It seems to me though that he has gotten a bit larger.

Looking at the bloody edges, I have been wondering if she needs stitches again. Does the second photo with the bloody edge look pretty standard for a recent crop?
 
At 10 weeks, you have time on your side to clear that infection.

Ironically, I think the bloody looking ear looks more familiar to me than the other ear 🙃 Hard to remember - the Doberman puppy stage was a tough one for me and I have probably blocked off a lot of memories from that time:spit:
 
I think the bloody looking ear looks more familiar to me than the other ear... I have probably blocked off a lot of memories from that time

I wanted a doberman and have had dogs before. I don't expect that I will go through this ear cropping business again. I am hoping that she feels ok and the ears turn out well because right now I have a pit in my stomach and feel like I mangled her beautiful once floppy ears.
 
She's also moving shaking her head constantly from side to side. I don't know if that's just the itch to scratch herself or also sign of an infection.
 
Take her to a new vet for a second opinion please! That does sound and look like an infection in the inner ear. You would need drops to clear that up. The edges look somewhat normal, though the scabs on the right ear look strange in appearance and color but maybe its dried up pus from the ear.
 

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