# ear cropping



## ssmurf10

after a dog reaches what age can you no longer get their ears cropped also does cropping a dogs ears have any negative effects


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## BedlamBully

The general consesus is 16weeks is the OLDEST. Some vets will go older just depends. Its harder on the dog the older they get.

It CAN have negative side affects if its done poorly. Like any surgery it can get infected, the crop can be done wrong and the dog looks deformed for life. IF you opt to crop make sure you go to a licensed vet who knows what they are doing, ask for photos of crops they have done, ask how long they've been doing it. Don't be afriad to drill them for information.

Also consider the work it takes AFTER the crop itself. There will be stitches in the ears, bandages, then bracing, all in all the process takes about a month of work. to get them look well.


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## NesOne

You can get the ears cropped at any age, as long as you can find a vet that is willing to do it. Most vets will only go as far as like 16 weeks. No negative effects, unless it's a bad crop, and doesn't look good, LMAO.


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## LiiL_L0cz_Red_N0se

i just recently got my pups ears cropped and the only negative affect i can think of is if the ear doesnt stand straight up like u want. jsut gotta keep an eye on those things, and make sure to repost or tape them if they arent standing on their own. other then that just keep them clean, i kept a cone on my dog to keep her from scratchin the stitches out but when im home i let her run around without. but yea like BedlamBully said, its a lot of work, alot more then i thought of when i first got them done. but yea make sure to ask the vet LOTSA OF QUESTIONS. how old is ur dog?


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## Sampsons Dad

Ear crops for medical reasons can be done at any age.
IE: a tear while runnin though barbed wire or trauma
Now a proper cosmetic cut should be from 12 weeks to 6 months.
However after 16 weeks it will hurt more and will only stand if it is the "fighting" cut.


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## Sampsons Dad

Ear Taping methods thanks to my friends at the Dogo Argentino Club of America.

Taping Cropped Ears


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## LiiL_L0cz_Red_N0se

nice ear taping methods! KUDOS


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## hell no they wont go

just to sy about negative effects. one negative effect that has nothing to do with health is some people are really ignorant and think people ONLY get their pitbulls ears cropped so they can fight them... but usually these people also condone ear cropping in other breeds so that says a lot about them.


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## Jay0624

I'm totally new to this whole thing, but my dog got his ears cropped like 3 days ago, stitches r still on him, the guy gave me some medicine and told me to give it to him once a day for 10 days straight. I'm just wondering what should i do next? and btw should i give me a shower or should i wait for his ears to heal? 
Thanks alot.


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## BedlamBully

DON"T get his ears wet. It can cause infection. You'll just have to deal with a dirty dog for a while. lol


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## Jay0624

BedlamBully said:


> DON"T get his ears wet. It can cause infection. You'll just have to deal with a dirty dog for a while. lol


so after his ears recover and stuff, what am i suppose to do next? should i start to taping his ears?


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## Kd1701

I got my puppy's ears cropped on Monday afternoon and now he has a cone on most of the day when I'm at work. Everything looks like it's healing perfectly, but he's trying to scratch at them. I know he hates the cone (he gives me the saddest puppy face) but I'm just too scared that he's going to pull them out if I leave him to his own devices. Is there a time when I can take it off and not have to worry about him opening up the stitches? The doctor said the stitches can be taken off on Monday which is a week, but I wish I could take the cone off before then. Also I heard that Neosporin- pain relief cream helps the itching because it numbs it? Would that be good enough?


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## ForPits&Giggles

I wouldnt run the risk of takin the cone off unless you are watching him like a hawk and dont let him scratch or shake his head. If you want the job to come out good, I would do exactly what I was told to do by my vet. But thats just me. As far as the neosporin, Ive never heard that it makes a dog numb? But I could be wrong, Im no expert by any means. The only thing I can tell you is if you do use neosporin on your dog, dont let it be anywhere he can lick it(I know, he cant lick his own ears, lol). I wish you luck, and dont worry once he is all healed up you will be glad you didnt give in to the sad little puppy face.


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## LiiL_L0cz_Red_N0se

keep the cone on! i was re-reading my post and realized this was BEFORE kenya tore a sitche out. i recommend keepin it on the entire time jsut becuase ur dog will scratch and most likely tear it out. just give ur pup extra love....


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## mims230

i want to get my pups done but i nervous she may get head shy


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## ForPits&Giggles

Head shy? Please elaborate for me..(Im slow....and not low...)


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## American_Pit13

I haven't ever had a problem with a crop but they can happen. The biggest thing I see is messed up crops. Take pictures of a dog that has ears like you want and talk to the vet that is doing it not the girl at the counter lol.. Most vets will crop up to 6 months old. I have had a few dogs done at that age and no problems. The ears shouldn't fall unless you are getting to tall of a crop. I recommend nothing bigger than 2in on a pit.


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## BedlamBully

The reason most vets crop young is because they won't remember it. It won't make your pup head shy.


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## cabrit07

The operation in general on most dogs will change their personality and attitudes. So I have read but I am a firm believer on keeping them natural and haven't talked myself into getting my dogs ears cropped.


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## Stodknocker

cabrit07 said:


> The operation in general on most dogs will change their personality and attitudes. So I have read but I am a firm believer on keeping them natural and haven't talked myself into getting my dogs ears cropped.


I am skeptical that a cosmetic surgery will change a dog's personality. Its cool to keep them natural, I can appreciate that but I think your wrong about the change of personality.


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## MetalGirl30

I had my 2 dog's ears cropped when they were 12 weeks old.

The only thing that went wrong was that I had to take Rain back to get them retaped b/c one would not stand right. Vet said that it had alot to do with the way it laid before the crop. It only took one retape though.

They will scratch because of the healing process. I believe the stich causes them to scratch. Rain quit scratching after her stitches were took out.

MIMS...I do not believe that your dog will get head shy from being cropped. I have never heard of a pup doing that.
They are put under when the procedure is done, so they will not remember it...IMO. Your dogs ears will be sore for a couple of days and she might turn her head so you can't touch them, but eventually she could end up using your leg for a scratching post. Rain would come up and rub her ears all over anyone legs who was sitting down.
Rain and Ceaser were just happy to see me when I came to pick them up. They were so groggy but it did not stop their tales from going 90 miles and hour.

Just make sure that if you or anyone else for that matter wants their dog's ears cropped that you go to a reputable vet and ask if they have any pics or dogs they done in the past. Some vets will have pics of their work.
I know it only cost me $93.00 for the ear crop, $30.00 for the pre-op blood work to make sure they can undergo being put under and $10 for post- op pain med. The vet that did mine, well crops are all he does. He goes to several vet offices to do the procedure. He does a wonderful job and will do it exactly like you want it done. 
Alot of vets around here will not crop ears b/c they say it is inhumane. When you can find one who will do it they price it so high. One vet wanted to charge $550.00 to crop, and I would of had to drive 2 hours to get there.
I can across this older couple, when me and hubby were installing a fence next door, that had a beautiful pit bull in their yard. It had an absolutely perfect crop and I asked them where they went to have it done and that is when I found the guy I have now.


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## Kd1701

mims230 said:


> i want to get my pups done but i nervous she may get head shy


Personally I think they look cuter cropped, it makes them stand out. Even though the floppy ears are cute when they're puppies when they get older I think it looks really sharp, plus I've heard that they can get ear infections easier when they're floppy- but that's pretty much with every dog.

On a different note, I met someone last night that said that he had docked his blue noses' tail? I didn't think that doctors even did that!! Has anybody docked their puppies tail? I know it's been done with boxers and rotts but I had never heard of it with a pit. He said that it looks nice, but I love his long tail and I know that it helps them keep their balance.


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## MetalGirl30

Kd1701 said:


> Personally I think they look cuter cropped, it makes them stand out. Even though the floppy ears are cute when they're puppies when they get older I think it looks really sharp, plus I've heard that they can get ear infections easier when they're floppy- but that's pretty much with every dog.
> 
> On a different note, I met someone last night that said that he had docked his blue noses' tail? I didn't think that doctors even did that!! Has anybody docked their puppies tail? I know it's been done with boxers and rotts but I had never heard of it with a pit. He said that it looks nice, but I love his long tail and I know that it helps them keep their balance.


I have seen a few pit bulls with their tails docked. To me is does not look right. One man has his pits tail docked b/c he got tired of bruises on his legs from his dog's powerful tail. He waited till the dog was over a year old before he did though, which makes it a major surgery. Ridiculous what some people will do though.
To me a pit looks better with a tail than without. They were meant to keep their tails. I have yet to see one winning in UKC or ADBA conformations that did not have a tail.


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## vegasbound

Here is my dog 3 weeks after his crop...I think they came out great!!


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## LiiL_L0cz_Red_N0se

Kd1701 said:


> Personally I think they look cuter cropped, it makes them stand out. Even though the floppy ears are cute when they're puppies when they get older I think it looks really sharp, plus I've heard that they can get ear infections easier when they're floppy- but that's pretty much with every dog.
> 
> On a different note, I met someone last night that said that he had docked his blue noses' tail? I didn't think that doctors even did that!! Has anybody docked their puppies tail? I know it's been done with boxers and rotts but I had never heard of it with a pit. He said that it looks nice, but I love his long tail and I know that it helps them keep their balance.


pitbulls DO NOT get their tales docked... that is a no no... people who dock pitbull tales unless medical reasons, are usually fighting their dogs IMO.

Mims, ur pup will not be head shy as long as u do it at a young age. it kinda like when a child gets her ears peirced at 2months old, theydnt remember!!!! but when u get older and do it again, some people are all tramatized lol. anyway, the after care is a big thing! keep in mnd that u will need the following

cone
meds
peroxide
patience
love
and LOTS OF SUPERVISION!

i have noticed that sone vets dont tape the ears up after the procedur and it seems to work. but my vet taped kenyas ears, and then one week laterf took the tape off and let her ears breath and then a week later took out the stitches. your dog may be real lethargic if they tape (kenya was) but try to keep the cone on. and if ur vet doesnt give u a cone I STRONGLY recommend gettin one. i remember i used to let kenya run around the house with no cone and i turned arouhd and she had ripped a stitch out.. luckily it didnt bleed much and her ears turned out fine, but its very important to keep it on.

after kenya got her bandages off, i took it upon myself to keep them clean. i bought some peroxide and would clean with a q-tip everynight. surprisenly it didnt hurt her at all **shruggs** and now kenya doesnt mind anytime im lookin in her ears or cleaning them:thumbsup:

also, i too had problems with kenyas ears standing. they actually flopped completely on her head, but Nesone metioned he had the same issue and told me how to tape them. taped them for one night, and after that they have been standin since. usually the longer the crop the hrder to stand. and also, kenya does not have the bell ( i personally only like a bell on a short crop with a bully head) so that played a role in her ears stnading as well. i reccomend gettin some pics of dogs ears u like, and take that to ur vet and show hiim.

here are some pics of her just so u can prepare  good luck










ear startn to flop









closer look of goofy ear









flopped ears









bloody and crusty









perfect standing ears


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## LiiL_L0cz_Red_N0se

vegasbound said:


> Here is my dog 3 weeks after his crop...I think they came out great!!


BEAUTIFUL CROP  and ur dog looks really good


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## smith family kennels

they can sometimes get sensitive when they get old or if not taken care of properly get infected when they are healing but other than that I have never seen any negative side effects


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## Elvisfink

cabrit07 said:


> The operation in general on most dogs will change their personality and attitudes. So I have read but I am a firm believer on keeping them natural and haven't talked myself into getting my dogs ears cropped.


I'm curious, where did you read this? I've never heard of an ear crop changing a dogs personality. All of my dogs that I've cropped never had any adverse reactions or complications from the surgery. Although any time you put a dog under anesthesia you are running risk.


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## Kd1701

Just wondering- it's been a week since I got my pup's ears cropped and I need to retape them, I've already seen how to do it from when the vet taped them the first time but what type of material is recommended now in this stage, should I still use the type that the vet used the first time or does anyone have other suggestions or tell me what you all used on your pups! Thanks!


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## Lopezsoulmates

*ears cropped*

i just got my pups ears cropped any post op care tips??? one ear seems a little funny but hes acting cool playing and all just want him to heal right and them to stand nice. Any tips will be greatly appreciated


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## CaLi 2 B.C.

you goy pain meds and antibiotics right?a cone?The vet should have gone over this with you.


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## Pitbull Palace

cabrit07 said:


> The operation in general on most dogs will change their personality and attitudes. So I have read but I am a firm believer on keeping them natural and haven't talked myself into getting my dogs ears cropped.


Thats a Odd Statement.


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## chevy81967

i got my new pup last week he is 8 weeks old,i am looking for a good vet in the upstate area who will crop my pit for me, and does do cropping often,i live in clifton park ny ,any info please thanks


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## NobleQnz

chevy81967 said:


> i got my new pup last week he is 8 weeks old,i am looking for a good vet in the upstate area who will crop my pit for me, and does do cropping often,i live in clifton park ny ,any info please thanks


Hey chevy if you don't mind traveling to Queens, New York the vet who did my dogs ears was very good. He'd been doing it for 10+ years I can find out if he's still there .when I did B.B's ears it was about 4 year ago. I dropped her off and took her home the same day. If you look at my profile pic you can see how they came out. What ever you do I agree with everyone else ..do reaserch on the vet and drill him/her with what ever questions you may have. Good luck


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## Pitbull Palace

chevy81967 said:


> i got my new pup last week he is 8 weeks old,i am looking for a good vet in the upstate area who will crop my pit for me, and does do cropping often,i live in clifton park ny ,any info please thanks


Chevy Im in Upstate, and i pay 150 about 1 hr from you,Stay away from the One in Schenectady , But there is One on central AVE thats good, but expensive.Depending on your location hit me up...Im going Monday to have my male done.. PM me For Info.


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