# Ear Crop Questions



## nickelsreds (Jun 13, 2010)

I'm new to this forum and joined to find an answer to a question I've been having. This is my 3rd APBT, however, he is the first ear crop I have had, thinking I wanted something that looked a little different than my other 2. I did plenty of research and decided to ask the vet to trim somewhere between and short and a show crop. I did all of the follow through the vet provided me, leaving the foam inserts in the ears for a week after the procedure. After I took the inserts out, the ears fell to the top of the head. I waited until I took my pup, Abrams, in to have his stitches removed and the vet told me the ears would eventually stand up over the next couple of months and that I should "train" the ears by softly petting/pulling them upwards. That was 2 weeks ago and the ears have yet to show significant signs of standing erect. Could someone provide some insight please? Should I consider taping the ears myself now that the wounds have healed? Am I just losing patience and the ears will come up with time??


----------



## jaws (Jan 13, 2008)

try taping the ears


----------



## Mcleod15 (Jul 17, 2009)

I use ELASTIKON Elastic Tape, you should be able to buy it from your vet. Cut a short piece attach it on the inside part of the ear at the bottom and stretch it then stick it up the ear until you reach the top of the ear. This should lift the ear up if it doesn't go back to the vet to which you got the crop done and let them show you how to tape the ear up in person.


----------



## American_Pit13 (Apr 23, 2007)

I don't think you can fix those. They look like a bad job with to much bell imo. I had a vet ruin my Kamakazi's ears much the same way.


----------



## nickelsreds (Jun 13, 2010)

Thanks for the insight. I will tape them and see where that takes me.


----------



## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

You need to tape right away or they will stay like that i think you can get them to stand but it will take several weeks and keep them taped. Elastikon is the best tape to use but do not wrap them too tight or the ear will dies from lack of circulation. FYI the elastikon will stick great but remove the hair when you pull it off so remove slowly to take as little hair off as possible. It is just painful but the hair will grow back, Leave them tapped for a week at a time if you can. I will see if I can bring up that thread that talked about taping. You need to put sticks in those ears to bring them off the head and make them stand and I have a thread I talk about how to do that. The foam or mole skin is not going to be ridged enough to support them to stand.


----------



## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

This is how I do it and when I do the puppies ears in a few weeks I will post better pictures and examples, possible a video.

You have about 10 days for you can tape them because you have to wit for the stitches to come out. Then you can start taping them up and that will give you enough time to get a soft cone, I really recommend them it will make your life easier. You can call the local pets stores and vets and see if someone has them if not order it online.

I suggest also getting one of these to keep the dog from pulling his ears down, and since it is soft it will not bug him that much vs a hard cone

Collar - Vet Recovery, 8&quot - Accessories - Lambert Vet Supply

If you have a problem with the tape not sticking then order or find elastikon tape. It is great and will not fall off however it will take the hair off the ears when you remove it so do it careful when taking the ears down. Be sure not to wrap the ears too tight you do not want to cut off circulation to the ears. If the ears stay in place then you can re tape them every week to check the progress and give the dog a few hours break and let the ear canal dry out a bit.
Elastikon-Elastic Adhesive Bandage (2in x 2.5yds)
Here is how I tape.
I know everyone has a different opinion but I like to make my own "sticks" for the ears. I take like 3 Q-tips and tape them together, depending on how long the ear is I may need to tape 2 sets together to make them longer. I also tape gauze on the end so they do not rub the ear raw. Then I put them all the way in the ear canal then tape them to the ear. They work great and the dogs cannot pull them out. I have used these on my last 8 dogs and it worked great! Here is a picture of that they look like.

A long crop with 2 sets of Q tips tapped together








after, 10 mo. not the best picture sorry, she's standing funny









A short crop


----------



## nickelsreds (Jun 13, 2010)

Thanks for the advice Performanceknls, I'm getting some Elastikon and will be taping them up tonight. Appreciate the help!


----------



## Sydney (Aug 14, 2007)

They still look like they can be saved but like Performance said those ears need to be taped ASAP! Why didn't the vet offer this service to you?

Here are pictures of Arson's recent ear crop before taping/taped/after tape so you can see the process...

Before tapingthis was actually just a day or two after surgery, it was before I removed the stitches...ears were taped about 10 days after surgery)









After taping...my vet used foam posts in the ear then wrapped the ear around that to make sure they held proper shape while healing.









At 6 months...his ears were cropped at about 13 weeks, so it takes a while to get to the final product...and they will still continue to change as his head develops 









These ears have very little bell. More of a bell actually can help the ears stand better. So can not cropping too short, but pit bull ears typically want to fold over at the top because the crops are shorter then most other dogs.


----------



## nickelsreds (Jun 13, 2010)

Called all the vets in my area, none have Elastikon, so I ordered it and will have it tomorrow. Until then I have his ears taped up with surgical tape. Thanks for the pics you guys posted, they have helped me a lot.


----------



## littleRicky (Jan 10, 2011)

*earcropping?*

Does anyone know a good place near eastern NC that does good earcropping I've never done this operation for a pet before and want to do it rite with least amount of pain and complication so I'm looking for a reputable vet near the Jacksonville NC area or close too. Thanks allot.


----------

