Irritated skin after removing stays

[Mackenziejw]

Hi everyone! Need some help. I have a 15 week old Doberman named onyx and we are currently posting his little ears. The shape and standing of the ears are going great, but for some reason every couple times I change the stays, when I take them off there is a green goo (snot like) that has developed between his skin and the tape. Now initially I thought it was an allergic reaction to the tape but I don’t think that’s the case as it’s not always on both ears. Sometimes everything is fine when we remove them and sometimes the skin is so flared up and red with green goop. I don’t believe moisture is getting in but then all we can do is put gold bold on and let them rest and air out for 24 hours until it’s safe to re post, which is not ideal. Does anyone have any advice ?

 

[JanS]

Welcome from Minnesota - what a handsome boy you have!

but for some reason every couple times I change the stays, when I take them off there is a green goo (snot like) that has developed between his skin and the tape.

That definitely sounds like an infection but it looks like the edges are healed nicely from what I can see. Are there any open spots?

 

[Mackenziejw]

Hey Jan! Yeah so it’s definitely an infection. I’ll post pics of the back of his ears when I go home so you can see. The actual crop portion is heeled.. it’s just the back where the fur is gets irritated. Just wondering if anyone has any advice on how to mitigate it or heal it. I use gold bond to dry it out a little and medicate the area, leave the stays out for a day until the redness is gone, re post and then after a few postings the infection is back again

 

[Mackenziejw]

Usually looks like this .. this is from a few weeks ago

 

[JanS]

I would avoid taping that area until it's healed. I use baby powder on the hair side before I post to make sure the tape doesn't stick to that side of the ear and pull the hair off when removing the posts.

 

[Mackenziejw]

ok thanks Jan. Yeah we’ve left them out for today and I’ll check in on them tomorrow. I wish I I just knew what was causing the flare ups. I feel bad for my little guy, I can tell he’s frustrated

 

[Ravenbird]

Agree with Jan here. At 15 weeks it won't hurt to leave the ears unposted a day or two if you feel like it needs some relief. Sometimes just cleaning and air drying with no meds is the best cure. You definitely don't want to tape over anything that is oozing or developing an odor. The next time you post the ears, a photo of the posts would help too. Are you using backer-rod method?

 

[Firestar Dobe]

I also agree with Jan. I always put baby powder over any fur before taping. The powder stops the fur being pulled when the tape is removed and then there is much less chance of irritation.

 

[Ddski5]

Generally, we recommend posting ears for 3-5 days, then one hour out to clean/air dry out ears and then back up with the post.

Wondering how long is the tape on the ears at one given time? how long are you leaving post in ears before you change them out?

What kind of tape are you using?

 

[Mackenziejw]

Generally, we recommend posting ears for 3-5 days, then one hour out to clean/air dry out ears and then back up with the post.

Wondering how long is the tape on the ears at one given time? how long are you leaving post in ears before you change them out?

What kind of tape are you using?

So we were wrapping around the stays with Tensoplast but that. Seemed to be causing issues. No I am using the leukotape all around and zonas to stick the stay inside the ear. Duct tape for the bridge. This seems to be a lot easier on his ears when removing and no infection.. although a little red bump/pimple looking thing did appear..

 

[Ddski5]

Initially, I used athletic ankle tape and it was a mess on many fronts….just horrible.

Then switched to Johnson&Johnson Zonas tape and it made a world of difference. Used it to backtape the backer rod and also tape around the ears.

May cost more than the others but worth the extra cost.

 

[Mackenziejw]

Initially, I used athletic ankle tape and it was a mess on many fronts….just horrible.

Then switched to Johnson&Johnson Zonas tape and it made a world of difference. Used it to backtape the backer rod and also tape around the ears.

May cost more than the others but worth the extra cost.

Things are getting better. We stopped using the Tensoplast and he’s had no issues. This is right after stay removal this morning. Any thoughts on position and how they’re looking ?

 

[Rits]

They look fantastic! Nice and straight!! Keep it up!

 

[Gpcoguy]

Looking good

 

[Ddski5]

At 15 weeks? damn, they look great.

Remember that teething generally starts at 4months and ends around 6months. This is a very important time for the ears to be posted. The ears are confirming to their permanent shape.

Don’t get lazy or complacent….keep posting diligently.

Good luck and keep us updated.

 

[JanS]

They're off to a great start!

 

[Kswoodssue]

Don’t know anything about ear posting, but do know he is a beautiful pup!

 

[Mackenziejw]

At 15 weeks? damn, they look great.

Remember that teething generally starts at 4months and ends around 6months. This is a very important time for the ears to be posted. The ears are confirming to their permanent shape.

Don’t get lazy or complacent….keep posting diligently.

Good luck and keep us updated.

Just an update! Was hoping someone can chime in actually… I don’t know a ton about the posting process, I’m still learning as a first time dobe owner. Is it normal for his ears to take different positions depending on what he’s doing, how alert he is. When I take the stays out and let him stretch his ears etc I watch them do their thing and depending on what he’s doing or smelling or if he’s focused etc sometimes they’re normal and straight, sometimes they turn and face back wards, sometimes he turns just one of them in or out and sometimes the tips touch. Is this normal? I keep thinking they’re just supposed to be stay straight and parallel and never move but maybe I’m misunderstanding. Let me know if this is normal and what the long term expectations are! Thanks guys

 

[Gpcoguy]

Normal. Their ears are vert expressive

 

[Ravenbird]

Yes, All normal. Once set, you will be amazed at how expressive they are!