# Ear cropping Questions!



## jdhab19 (May 2, 2007)

I know this is a bad subject to some, so I just wanted some feedback.

I had decided to crop my new puppys ears basically because she has one goofy ear and Id hate to see her have one good and one bad. We scheduled her to have them done on June 15th, she will just have turned 12wks. 

My question is for those of you that have had this done, how much in pain is the dog really in? Our vet said it is painful, he had tried to steer us away from it, but said it was our choice. I just have mixed feelings now about it.

I really like the way it looks, but it was never a big deal with any of our other pits because there ears were normal so we never did it. I don't know if maybe her ear will fix on it's own and lay normal or if it will end up looking worse as she get's bigger. There huge anyway it seems for her head size but she could grow into them. I know her mom had some big ears too, they layed properly but were really long. Im just second guessing putting her through it. 

Any experiences would be helpful.


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## TashasLegend (Jun 7, 2006)

I don't know much about ear cropping. BUT if you decide not to do it you could always glue or tape her ears. That way they are the way you want them or to match the other ear.
http://www.amstaffs.net/eargluing.htm
http://groundzero.cheapass.be/orenplakken.html


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## American_Pit13 (Apr 23, 2007)

I have had two of my females done. Neither of them seemed to care and both were done at like 5 months old.


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## Nation (Sep 27, 2006)

Think mine was in more pain when the stitches were taken out but it was brief.....I dont regret doing it all.


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## GGV (Apr 10, 2007)

my pup was done at 8 weeks and he didnt seem to be in any pain.


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## Nation (Sep 27, 2006)

GGV that dog in your avatar is a beast


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## rmontheweb (Apr 25, 2007)

just got my females ears cropped about a week 1.2 ago she seems fine her stiches will be coming out this monday cant wait ..


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## OldFortKennels (Mar 10, 2006)

Yeah its painfull, they are cutting their ear! However we own a breed resilant and tolerant to pain. Get the pain medication that they offer for afterwards. Its not so painfull they whine and cry but it has to hurt. I have had 3 dogs done.


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## aimee235 (Apr 29, 2007)

I've never had a dogs ears done, but I did have a boy that had one messed up ear. It went from leaning over his head towards the other ear to standing straight up! Before he was a year old it looked exactly like his normal ear. I will try and find some pics.


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## GGV (Apr 10, 2007)

Nation said:


> GGV that dog in your avatar is a beast


Thanks that was my lap dog DRE. Had to put him down due to cancer at the age of 10, and can honestly say well over 165lbs and not fat did have loose skin but that was due to being sick at the end. dont want to hijack the thread.


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## Judy (Dec 12, 2005)

Your puppy is very cute. The "goofy ear" could turn out to be a cool trademark of sorts on your dog, later on. 

Buster's ears looked real goofy as pup, but they turned out ok.


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## sw_df27 (Feb 16, 2007)

Havoc has one good ear and one bad one and I didn't have them done I should have cause now she has one that lays down and the other either leans towards the other or stands up it looks crazy and makes her look a little goofy lol


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## evan_pitbull (Nov 7, 2006)

I got my males done at 11-12 weeks old and honestly the first day or two he was a bit sensitive but after that he was up playing with Roxy again and didnt really seem to bother him... same with getting the stiches out too. 
but maybe he get that from me being tough and all, haha just kinding, I would cry like a little girl if I got my ears cut


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## rmontheweb (Apr 25, 2007)

they removed stichs from my girl roxy today and she is fine


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## jdhab19 (May 2, 2007)

Thanks for all the replys, im feeling a little better about doing it.. But there's still those who keep asking me why, and put in there two cents about how wrong it is...


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## OldFortKennels (Mar 10, 2006)

Its your dog and your wallet, your not hurting the dog in an inhumane sence, do as you like. I like the look but I wont be doing anymore unless they have wierd ears.


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## TashasLegend (Jun 7, 2006)

jdhab19 said:


> Thanks for all the replys, im feeling a little better about doing it.. But there's still those who keep asking me why, and put in there two cents about how wrong it is...


Just ignore their 2 cents cause it doesnt mean diddly squat! lol
Your the one housing,feeding,vet bills,obedience training, and loving the dog. So until they do all of the above for your dog what they say means nada. You don't have to answer to nobody for cropping her ears its your dog. So if you want to do it...do it:thumbsup:


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## mawilli (Mar 27, 2007)

TashasLegend said:


> Just ignore their 2 cents cause it doesnt mean diddly squat! lol
> Your the one housing,feeding,vet bills,obedience training, and loving the dog. So until they do all of the above for your dog what they say means nada. You don't have to answer to nobody for cropping her ears its your dog. So if you want to do it...do it:thumbsup:


In all fairness, he did ask for feedback. . .

However, I agree, it's your dog so do as you like.

There are a few reasons why I personally will never crop my dogs ears, but the primary one is what I consider 'good for the breed'. It's simple. Cropping the ears gives the dog a more aggressive look. Whether the dog truly aggressive or not, those folks not so dog-savvy will think he is.

The last thing we need are more aggressive looking APBTs to scare the 'BSL Nazi's' into making more unnecessary laws.

Just my 2 cents. Feel free to ignore. :roll:


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## jdhab19 (May 2, 2007)

mawilli said:


> In all fairness, he did ask for feedback. . .
> 
> However, I agree, it's your dog so do as you like.
> 
> ...


First off im a female LOL.

I understand the more aggressive look it gives them, that kind of sucks. But like I said I don't mind the natural look at all, because our males ears are natural, it's just our female has goofy ears, first they look way to big for her head and the fact one is totally forward and im afriad when she get's bigger it will be standing straight up.

Im not trying to make her look mean, as im sure she is going to be just like my male, a big lap dog.


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## GGV (Apr 10, 2007)

Do You Have Any New Pics ???


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## mawilli (Mar 27, 2007)

[/QUOTE]First off im a female LOL.[/QUOTE]

My bad! No gender-slur intended! :hammer:

Definitely get some pics up. I'd love to see them.


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## drsven (Mar 21, 2007)

*This procedure is an art.*

I had my boy Mac's ears cropped @ 10 weeks. Some vets won't even do the procedure if you wait much longer. The biggest annoyance to Mac was that he had to wear a cone over his head untill the stitches came out. 1 week after the operation the bandages come off; at the end of the second week stitches come out. I gave Mac pain killers for the first week and antibiotics for both. My advise to you is to get references for the vet doing the procedure. Don't just go with the cheapest spot. For anyone in the Northern California, Bay Area I recommend St. Louis Vet Clinic, they did a great job. Mac's ears are perfectly symmetrical and stand properly. :roll:


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## jdhab19 (May 2, 2007)

drsven said:


> I had my boy Mac's ears cropped @ 10 weeks. Some vets won't even do the procedure if you wait much longer. The biggest annoyance to Mac was that he had to wear a cone over his head untill the stitches came out. 1 week after the operation the bandages come off; at the end of the second week stitches come out. I gave Mac pain killers for the first week and antibiotics for both. My advise to you is to get references for the vet doing the procedure. Don't just go with the cheapest spot. For anyone in the Northern California, Bay Area I recommend St. Louis Vet Clinic, they did a great job. Mac's ears are perfectly symmetrical and stand properly. :roll:


Thanks for the advice, the vet doing the procedure is our normal vet we have had for 6 years. They are trying to cut down on doing the procedure because of the ban that's been surfacing, but he's done it a lot till then. Im pretty confident he will do a great job. It didn't matter on the price, we didn't call around, only to our vet to see if they do it or not when we first decided we were going to.

Im excited but feel bad at the same time, I hope she doesn't hate me for it, or is scared to go to the vets after this.. It's next Friday.

*GGV-* I don't have any new pics except the one in my Avatar. We are going up to the lake tomorrow and going to let our male swim and see how she reacts to the water, I'll be sure to take some pics there and post.


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## jdhab19 (May 2, 2007)

Well we never made it to the lake cause of crappy weather, but I took a few pics outside yesterday of my kids.

My doppy male









My little girl, the last few days with those ears..


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## sw_df27 (Feb 16, 2007)

lol they are so cute and those ears havoc has one that does that and I didn't have them cropped wish I would have.......


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## jdhab19 (May 2, 2007)

So Brooklyn got her ears cropped today, she has to spend the night at the vets so I haven't seen her. My husband however was able to see her for a min earlier because he delivers for UPS and had to stop there with packages.

She was really excited to see him, wagging her tail like crazy. He felt really bad leaving her, just as I did this morning when I dropped her off.

So I wont get to see her till tomorrow morning, but im trying to have my husband explain how she looks. I know when I see cropped ears, there are many different styles. What I really liked is the ones where the outer edges of there ears are rounded up to the point, not just straight up, but I hear that hers are straight up. Also my husband is saying they do look really big still because of her head not being big yet, and she had really big ears to begin with. 

Has anyone had it where there ears still where really big and just hoping that the dog grew into them? Or does anyone have pictures? Im so impatient and can't wait to see her. I guess they are standing but not perfect so they were going to wrap them tomorrow morning. So we will see! I'll be sure to post pics.


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## jdhab19 (May 2, 2007)

Well we got to pick up the puppy today from the crop surgery she had yesterday, and im so dissapointed I could cry. The problem being that they had forgot when I dropped her off to ask how short we wanted them, and I even had a picture with me, but then assumed they already had a set way they did it, which Is why I thought they didn't ask.

Well a few hours later after we first dropped her off they called my husband to say they forgot to ask how short, in turn he had to try and explain over the phone. He said, he didn't want them to short and not too long. He assumed then that they understood what he was talking about.. But I really don't think they did.

They honestly look like a boxer crop, or a long crop. Where in turn we wanted the short to show crop, I know there was a chart on here with 4 different crops, battle, short, show and long well we got the long even when we asked to not have it. So either way I called the vet after we got home and looking at her more and comparing her to the pic I had and really all they need to do is round the outside and make the tip closer to her head, when now it's straight up. So they said hopefully they can fix it for me, but they were going to have a doctor call me back. It's the weekend now so I know we wouldn't be able to drop her back off till next week, but I really hope they call today to get that scheduled.

I feel so bad having to bring her back, but I already know it's going to look dumb if I leave it, so the sooner I fix it the better.

I tried taking a few pics to show ya, it's hard cause she doesn't want to sit still or when she does she's shaking her head cause the forms are bothering her. But I tried.

Here's a front view, it's hard to see with those braces in, but she looks like she has satilites on her head.









And a back shot.. There straight up, no curve to them at all.









I feel as if they might stand better too if there shorter. Maybe then there will be no need for these braces. Ughh Im so stressed now. Otherwise she seems to be doing good, only shaking her head, but no whining and she's running around and playing like normal.


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## jdhab19 (May 2, 2007)

Oh and if they had asked like they should have, here is the pic I found on the net that I really liked and was hoping the ears would be like this... 









MEGA difference than what she actually has.


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## RescuePits (Mar 4, 2007)

How does a responsible vet "forget" to ask you what type of crop you wanted? I wouldn't go back to that vet if I were you! That sucks that you're taking her in for another surgery. Poor pup. She was so cute before.


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## jdhab19 (May 2, 2007)

RescuePits said:


> How does a responsible vet "forget" to ask you what type of crop you wanted? I wouldn't go back to that vet if I were you! That sucks that you're taking her in for another surgery. Poor pup. She was so cute before.


Well the vet did ask, he asked the vet tech at the front desk to ask how short and so on and so forth, but the girl forgot. She even said to us when we first came in that she was sorry she forgot to ask, and that was why she had to call. Well it's hard to explain over the phone.

I just heard from one of the doctors there and she informed me that there's no set standard for pit bulls which is why they asked, but I explained that, "yea over the phone". So if I need something changed then I have to call monday and talk to the doctor that did it.

She's still cute now, but yea it's kind of goofy. If there fixed, then she will look great in my opinion. It's honestly not to much more that would need to be cut, it's just the tip and rounding the edge. She's definitely not in pain, she's running around like crazy and even keeps running into stuff with those braces and she doesn't care. It's just those foam things are making them itch so she shakes every once in a while. I even touched them and she didn't care.


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## drsven (Mar 21, 2007)

jdhab19 said:


> Well the vet did ask, he asked the vet tech at the front desk to ask how short and so on and so forth, but the girl forgot. She even said to us when we first came in that she was sorry she forgot to ask, and that was why she had to call. Well it's hard to explain over the phone.
> 
> I just heard from one of the doctors there and she informed me that there's no set standard for pit bulls which is why they asked, but I explained that, "yea over the phone". So if I need something changed then I have to call monday and talk to the doctor that did it.
> 
> She's still cute now, but yea it's kind of goofy. If there fixed, then she will look great in my opinion. It's honestly not to much more that would need to be cut, it's just the tip and rounding the edge. She's definitely not in pain, she's running around like crazy and even keeps running into stuff with those braces and she doesn't care. It's just those foam things are making them itch so she shakes every once in a while. I even touched them and she didn't care.


I can't believe that the vet didn't have a book full of pictures for you to choose from. My vet even showed me pictures of what might happen it the ears didn't stand properly. Why would they even begin the surgery without being crystal clear on the look you were after? They refered to the curved style cut as a show crop. I went with show crop with a height between a "battle" and the "Amstaff" show, they go on a number system which I can't remember off the top of my head. Sorry to hear about your bad experience and I'm especially sorry to hear your pup has to go back for an additional surgery. I'll post some new pictures of my 5 month old pup Mac later this week.


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## jdhab19 (May 2, 2007)

Oh she already went back that following Weds and had them fixed, I heard all sort of different things from them, but in the end I just wanted her ears fixed and they did it. They tried to act smarter than me like this was the standard crop, but I wont even get into it cause there morons. Really we took the forms out of her ears like the second day cause they were driving her nuts and really they wern't that bad, it was just more of a show crop, the forms is what made them look really bad, but either way I wanted them shorter.

Ive never had any issues with this vet, we have been going there for 6yrs, although this is the first crop we have ever done.

She did great either way, I swear she must have a hugh tolerence to pain cause both times when she got home she was running around with our male like her normal self, crazy dog.

Here she is the day she came home the second time. 









And her and I a few days ago.


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## evan_pitbull (Nov 7, 2006)

looking good


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## sw_df27 (Feb 16, 2007)

looks good to me too poor baby you have a beautiful pup BTW!!!


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## FLYNT'S PITTS (Jun 30, 2007)

It Looks Funny At First But The Pup Will Grow Into The Ears.i Thought The Same About Mine But He Looks Good Now


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