EAR TAPING OF THE CROPPED EAR
You are visitor number 
to this page.
EAR TAPING & AFTER-CARE OF THE CROPPED EAR
Ear cropping of the Doberman Pinscher is usually done at approximately 7 to 8 weeks of age. The operation requires
anesthesia and the puppy must be fasted for approximately 12 hours prior to surgery. Most often, this surgery is performed by someone who specializes
in the cropping of ears......for the expert cropping of ears is more an artistic endevour rather than the technical veterinary surgical procedure of spaying, etc..
Although the actual procedure does require the puppy to be anesthetized, it may lessen your fears about cropping to know that the actual operation takes
only 30 minutes and the puppy is under anesthesia for only that time as is required for the surgery. The very first thing your puppy did after being cropped
was to eat ---- which shows you how much the whole procedure actually bothers a young puppy!!
NOW WE MUST BE CONCERNED WITH TRAINING THE EARS TO STAND ERECT
For the first 7 days after ear cropping, your pup will remain in his rack (or cup) with sutures holding the edges closed. Between 7 and 10 days after cropping,
the sutures will be removed, the cup changed, and again.....for 7 to 10 days the pup will remain in his cup with the ears taped erect until all the cut edges are healed.
Having the puppies ears up in a cup makes it very easy for you to keep the edges clean. I recommend using Peroxide to clean the edges and then BFI Powder dusted on the
edges to help dry them out. BFI Powder is also used for Athlethes Feet and is readily available at most drugstores. If this is not available, just use the juice of an Aloe Leaf to help heal the edges.
Although we often laugh at the prospect of seeing our Doberman Pups with cups on their heads it really is the easiest way to keep the ears up erect while they heal. Unfortunately, it is also usually
very easy for the puppy to remove the cup with regularity, and as it is vitally important that the pups ears remain in the cup until they are completely healed, I must instruct you as to how to make the
cup and attach it to the puppys ears.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR PUPPY INTO A CUP-HEAD
You will need to purchase plastic or styrofoam cups in the 8 or 9 oz. size. Depending upon the length of the ears you will need to take two cups and tape them together one on top (inside) of the other
to form a firm support. Then take a 1 inch wide piece of tape and beginning at the inside of one side of the cup, tape up and over the cup ending up on the inside of the other side of the cup.
Next, take "Rubber Cement" and brush this over the taped sides of the cup..........about two times........and let it dry until it is tacky.
Cut two pieces of tape, one 3 " longer than the inside of the ears, and one 1" longer than the outside (Hair) side of the ears.
Clean the ears of completely with Alcohol to remove any ear wax and greasy residue.
Sandwich the ears between the two pieces of tape, putting the longest piece on the skin side of the ears, and the shorter piece on the hair side of the ears. Using your hands, press the tape onto the
ears. Make sure the cut edges of the ears are not under the tapes. Placing the cup onto the head, tape each ear up onto the cup stretching it as tightly as possible. With the puppy facing you,
place a piece of tape across the front from one cut edge to the other in a horizontal fashion so as to help fasten it to the cup. Once the ears are healed the ears are removed from the cup and the
process of "ear-posting" begins. This must continue, FAITHFULLY, UNTIL THE PUP IS APPROXIMATELY 6 MONTHS OF AGE. I know this may seem like forever............but, in actuality it is only a small
portion of this dogs life, and if you want properly erect ears it is necessary that you be dilligent. The ears must be cleaned weekly, and the tapes changed at this time. Allow the ears to remain
out of tape only for that time required to dry out the ear canal from the cleaning process.....1/2 hour is quite enough. When your pup is 3 to 4 months old you may notice that the ears are standing
during this 1/2 hour wait and be tempted to put off re-taping till the next day. DO NOT WAIT!!! Your pup is still teething and if those ears fall you will have wasted all you time and end up having
to keep the pups ears taped until it is 8 or 9 months of age. BE PATIENT, BE CONSISTENT, AND TRUST ME. I have taped hundreds of ears in the past 25 years following this method and have had 100% success!!
SUPPLIES NEEDED TO TAPE THE EARS:
- 1 Roll of 1" wide CLOTH Adhesive Tape (Curity is best...Zonas is good, Johnson & Johnson Sports Tape works well)
- 1 BOUNTY paper towel
- 2 Popsicle sticks (can be purchased as craft sticks in craft stores)
HOW TO FORM THE POSTS:
Fold a paper towel in half, then in half again. Cut approximately 1 inch off the folded edge. Open each piece up
to form a section of towel which is a rectangle. Place a popsicle stick in the center of the rectangle horizontally
and then fold over each side of the paper towel, (as indicated in the above picture) folding each side of the paper
towel to the center and covering the popsicle stick. Roll each rectangle up tightly into a tube around the popsicle
stick. Secure this into a roll with a couple of pieces of adhesive tape.
Begin wrapping adhesive tape around each roll, turning the tape so as to begin reversing it, so that it is sticky
side out. Each roll will then resemble a post a note tube.
Holding the ear with one hand as erect as you can possibly make it, insert a tube into the ear canal as far as it
will fit. With your hand, form the ear around the post.
Wrap one 5" piece of tape around the ear and tube at the base, and one 2" piece of tape around the ear as close to the tip as possible.
Repeat with the other ear.
Form a bridge between both ears with another long piece of tape. It is preferable that this be done near the base of the ears
(actually over the tape securing the post to the bottom of the ears). This "bridge" should be tight enough to prevent the ears
from falling down, but not so tight as to keep them permanantly standing ramrod straight. I like to have approximately 1" play
between the ears being totally erect and out to the side.
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER IS THAT YOU MUST HOLD THE EAR UP TIGHTLY WHILE PUTTING IN THE POST AND WRAPPING THE BOTTOM.
This keeps the ears from having a "set" (bend) where they meet the base of the top of the head.
ABOVE ALL, DON'T GIVE UP!!
Get your own Free Home Page