# New to the forums, ear crop questions



## WhiteOut (Mar 30, 2012)

Hello everyone, this is my first time posting to the forums, although I have been reading here for quite a while now  

I recently had my pups ears cropped and now that they have healed (quite nicely I might add) the vet has begun taping. The only part of his ear thats not standing correct is the front part, it curls backwards. He's had his ears retaped 2 times in the past 3 days, because he keeps shaking them off. The last retape was extra tight and one ears tape actually shook off again today. I noticed his ear stunk and was also pretty red so I took the other one off so I could clean them and let them air out. 

While unwrapping his ear, I noticed they had the tip of hear ear that needs to straighten up curled around a tape covered popsickle stick. This made me wonder if they are taping the ear right. If his ear is supposed to straighten up, shouldn't that part be either taped straight or curled and taped down the opposite way than its already curling? They had it curled and wrapped down the same way its already curling. I included some pics so you can see the ears. One picture shows my girlfriend holding the curled part how they had it bent over the popsicle stick and wrapped down. Is this right?

I've never had a dogs ears cropped before so I hope I'm just being paranoid. I'm taking him to get retaped tomorrow. I'm going to ask the vet assistant this question too but I wanted some more opinions also so I posted here. Feedback is appreciated, thanks.


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## Vilebeast (Feb 29, 2012)

I am not sure about your question, but there are few rather large post on this forum about cropping and tapping....Give me some time, ill try to look them up

Edited: I cant find the post I read, there is a sticky on tapping natural ears. which doesn't apply here. Hopefully someone with more exp will post for you.


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## ThaLadyPit (Oct 12, 2008)

Read this...

http://www.gopitbull.com/health-nutrition/25340-mole-skin-ear-cropping-post.html

This is one way to do them. You can also use Popsicle sticks or tampons.

The members who made the above linked thread are no longer active here, so I don't recommend posting on it because you're likely not to get an answer from them. However, you can always ask questions and someone here will most definitely help you out in any way possible.


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## WhiteOut (Mar 30, 2012)

Thanks for the replies. I actually read that article about the moleskin prior to writing my thread. I've been looking at various ways to tape as I'm concerned about the way the vet assistant has been taping them. As it turns out, some videos show the ear folded back as the vet assistant did, and some actually dont fold the ear they just tape around the post. After reading various threads and watching various video I see that theres no one way to do it.

I'm actually going to start taping myself because the vet clinic I had them done at has not had the surgical tape all week. The clinic keeps referring me to their other clinic which is out of town and takes so much gas to go back and forth. The ears are already standing good at the base so I figure it can't be too hard from here on out. I'll be using the following video clip for instruction on taping, I understand the person that made the video is a member of the forums here.


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## WhiteOut (Mar 30, 2012)

Oh and just in case anyone is looking to get their dogs ears cropped for a reasonable price here in the Central Valley of California I'll give vet info. 

The clinic I went to is located in Ceres, CA and it's called the American Pet Clinic. They also have a pet hospital called American Pet Hospital and that is located in Modesto, CA. The Vets name is Dr. Sandhu and he did a great job on the cropping, although not having surgical tape for a week is a bit ridiculous. I recommend them for my area because they did a great job, have a bunch of photos of crops they have done before, and a good price compared to all the other vets around here.


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## ThaLadyPit (Oct 12, 2008)

That video was actually posted by a previous member here! Glad to see you researched and decided to do them yourself. It's more cost-effective that way, and a great learning experience. You might need an extra set of hands, so I recommend you getting the help of a family member or friend. It works even better if you've got a grooming table where you can noose the dog up to help hold him/her steady if you don't have an extra set of hands available.


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## WhiteOut (Mar 30, 2012)

I taped them up last night with the help of my girlfriend, we really did need two people for the job! We used some tampon posts and some Johnson and Johnson first aid heavy duty cloth tape. As I stated before, they are almost standing correct its just the front that curls so I hope they stand soon as we are still getting rain here in California and it is a pain keeping them dry!


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## WhiteOut (Mar 30, 2012)

By the way LadyPit, I like your dogs you have under your albums. I especially like Debo. I see his is under past dogs so I'm taking it you no longer have him?


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## ThaLadyPit (Oct 12, 2008)

WhiteOut said:


> By the way LadyPit, I like your dogs you have under your albums. I especially like Debo. I see his is under past dogs so I'm taking it you no longer have him?


Actually, he passed away. He was a tender age of 2 yrs old when he went to the Rainbow Bridge, but I sure do feel his presence with me every day. Especially since he's tatted on my leg, lol. He was my handsome man, and he was definitely a mama's boy.

You can see my tattoo here in this thread... http://www.gopitbull.com/pitbull-lounge/31033-debo-lives-again.html


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## PitbullLucy (Sep 25, 2011)

I am looking to get my pitbulls ears cropped but i dont where to go . I am located in Orange County California .


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## Kingsgurl (Dec 16, 2011)

How old is your dog? What is your motivation for cropping? What is done can not be undone. I've seen many, many jacked up crops. It's not a procedure I would undertake for my dog, but if it was, I would make darn sure I went to someone proficient with the exact crop I wanted. Many vets aren't that good at cropping.
Once you get recommendations, ask to see portfolios of crops they have done. Be sure YOU are clear on what you ask for. (oops, I wanted a longer crop once the dog is grown doesn't work)


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## WhiteOut (Mar 30, 2012)

Sorry to hear about debo ladyPit, that tattoo sure came out nice though. You said he was only 2 years old when he passed, might I ask what he passed away from?

As for PitbullLucy, what I did to find a good vet that crops is call different vets around my area and ask them the general information about getting the dogs ears cropped. I found that most vets will give you a free consultation where you can take your dog in and speak with the vet assistant and Dr who will be performing the surgery. The reason I chose this particular vet to do the cropping was because they had numerous photos of previous crops (a portfolio as Kingsgurl said), the vet has been in practice for years now, they explained the procedure in detail, and on top of these things they had a decent price compared to other places around here. Some places were ridiculous and charged 800 dollars or more, whereas this vet charged 225.

I have another dog without her ears cropped and since this is my second pit bull pup, I wanted to get his ears cropped, it was personal preference and I am happy with my decision. I get the benefit of having rose ears on my female, and cropped ears on my male so it worked out great!


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## Elvisfink (Oct 13, 2008)

PitbullLucy said:


> I am looking to get my pitbulls ears cropped but i dont where to go . I am located in Orange County California .


I'm in Orange County and I have all my dogs ear done at Riverside Animal Hospital. Dr. Jezbera does a great job. Look at some of my dogs Albums here on GP and you'll see their ears.

Riverside Animal Hospital
6162 Magnolia Ave
Riverside, CA 92506
(951) 683-4200


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## PitbullLucy (Sep 25, 2011)

Elvisfink how much do they charge and how can i see pics of your dog. I would like to see how they did his ears .
Thanks.


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## ThaLadyPit (Oct 12, 2008)

WhiteOut said:


> Sorry to hear about debo ladyPit, that tattoo sure came out nice though. You said he was only 2 years old when he passed, might I ask what he passed away from?


A stupid mistake, honestly. I took him for a walk in the hot, humid Ga weather in the beginning of July w/out any water for him to drink. It was a long walk, maybe 1 1/2-2 miles round trip. He got over heated just before we turned around to head back home, and I had to put his 65 lb body on my shoulders and carry him, but I didn't walk quickly enough. He took his last breath when we reached our front porch, despite my efforts to revive him. I did CPR and had a water hose running on him to cool him off. He looked up at me, took a breath, let out the most pitiful groan I've ever heard in my life, and that was it. It was definitely a learning experience, unfortunately. Now, I'm very careful when I take my dogs out (what time of day it is, how hot/humid it is) and I always make sure to bring plenty of water, even if we're going somewhere where there is an endless water supply. I watch their body language very closely (panting, gums getting pale or darker pink, exhaustion, etc) and water every few minutes. I carry water by the gallon when I take my dogs out. If I take just one of my two dogs, I take 1 gallon jug of ice water; and 2 gal if I take both my pups. I have a 1/2 gal jug for the Chi, though he doesn't go out very often (aside from using the bathroom).

It's a very hard thing to deal with, knowing that I could've prevented all that, and he'd still be with me; he'd be coming up on 8 yrs old this summer. But it's easier for me to tell others of my mistake, and hope they learn from it and don't make the same mistake I did. :hammer: It was NOT a pleasant experience, by any means; and it was even harder to tell his breeder what happened, but all I could do was be honest with her. We're still in contact to this day, and I watch his relatives grow on a regular basis via pictures she posts on face book. Losing Debo was like losing a child, to me. He was my buddy, the son I'll never have! He rode every where with me, went to work with me, and chilled on the couch at home with me. He was an awesome dog, and I will always remember the bond we shared, and the way he looked at me with those soulful, expressive eyes; the love that poured out of him whenever he looked at me.


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