Ear Cropping Techniques

When ear cropping began, the results of the surgical procedure were often uneven and ruined the look of the dog. Now veterinarians with special training and years of practice perform the surgery, which is usually done for aesthetic reasons, rather than any practical value, such as increased hearing. The American Veterinary Medical Association opposes ear cropping for cosmetic purposes and encourages eliminating it from breed standards. Cropping occurs between 6 and 8 weeks. Any attempt to redo the surgery puts the dog's life at risk.

  1. Procedure

    • A streile environment is important to reduce ear infections after cropping surgery.

      Ear cropping is a surgical procedure. It requires anesthetic, pain medications, oral antibiotics and ointments. Preparation involves shaving the ear and then marking the ear for cutting. The measurement must be exact for both ears to match in size. Trimming the ear flap involves a scalpel and then suturing. Rubbing antibiotic ointment on the sutures reduces the risk of infection. Training the ears to stand erect begins right after surgery with bandaging and taping them erect. The bandages need changing every few days and taping may last after the cuts have healed.

    Racks

    • Some veterinarians use racks to stabilize the dog's ear immediately after surgical cropping. The veterinarian bends wire into the shape of the cropped ear and tapes it directly to the ear cartilage. Taping is important for pain management after surgery for the puppy. Veterinarians leave the rack on for two weeks. Pain management involves taping the rack to the ear properly. If not taped correctly, the rack will cause the puppy injury and pain.

    Ear Taping

    • A dog's ears need retaping for weeks after surgery to train the cartilage to stand erect.

      Ear taping occurs immediately after surgery. The bandage is part of the taping for the first 10 days then removed. The ears are retaped every few days to train the ear cartilage to stand erect. After surgery, the cropped ear does not stand up without training. It is important to not leave the cropped ear untapped for more than 20 minutes during the training period. If left untapped, the ear cartilage will collapse. Training the cropped ear will be difficult after the cartilage collapses.

    Foam Cups

    • Some veterinarians tape closed-cell extruded polystyrene foam cups to the ear to reinforce the erect position of the cropping. The cups are stacked, set on top of the dog's head and taped right to the ear of the dog. The cup is light weight, doesn't get caught on objects and the taping is less obtrusive for the puppy.