# Laser ear cropping?!



## Jblondie813

*Laser ear cropping! UPDATE!*

We're getting our pups ears cropped on the 15th. We have a choice to get the laser cropping or razor cropping. I think that the laser would be a better and more clean cut.
Which do you think is better?
& which one has a better healing process?

Thanks!


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## Sydney

I don't have much experience with laser other then 99% of laser crops THAT I HAVE SEEN I do not care for. The healing process is alot faster and the crop seems to be less traumatic, and you can crop at an older age, but I just have not seen any that I like...not saying they aren't out there


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## Jblondie813

Sydney said:


> I don't have much experience with laser other then 99% of laser crops THAT I HAVE SEEN I do not care for. The healing process is alot faster and the crop seems to be less traumatic, and you can crop at an older age, but I just have not seen any that I like...not saying they aren't out there


Thank u for your response!
We want a short crop. Like between battle crop and short crop.


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## Elvisfink

I’ve never heard or seen laser ear cropping. I would think the laser would cut and cauterize at the same time so the healing process would be shorter. Is there a cost difference between the two types of procedures?


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## Jblondie813

Elvisfink said:


> I've never heard or seen laser ear cropping. I would think the laser would cut and cauterize at the same time so the healing process would be shorter. Is there a cost difference between the two types of procedures?


Thats what I thought too. about cutting and cauterizing at the same time. Definitely a cleaner procedure I think.
Yes, its $30 xtra. On top of the $150


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## Sydney

does the doctor doing this have any pictures of crops he has done, both laser and traditional. To me cropping is an art and if it is not done properly can ruin a dogs appearance. I am super picky with crops...and it took me a lot of research and a decent drive to get Sydney's done by a doctor that pretty much does only crops(he does do some other doggie cosmetic procedures), not to mention they cost nearly 4x's what she did by time it was all said and done.


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## ericschevy

I've never heard of laser cropping but in theory it seems laser would cut the healing time in half since it seems it would burn the wound shut..


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## LiiL_L0cz_Red_N0se

kenyas ears were lasor cropped. her ears came out real clean and she bounced back from healing pretty fast. i did have a problem with her ears standing up at first but alittle training and tape went a long way. here are some pics of her ears so u can see how they came out

healing process (sorry a little bloody)









ears flopped =/









one night (literally) of taping and they popped up to look like this

































kenyas ears are a longer cut, so that is the reason they wouldnt stand at first, but from what i hear a shorter crop is much easier to maintain, and also if u are going to keep the bell that will help them stand as well. kenya, also, has no bell on her crop. 

good luck hope i helped with the laser look


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## Indigo Bully Connection

laser cropping... hmm that's nifty... i've never heard of that! Too cool... I had my dogs cropped traditionally I guess what you called Razor... You MUST go to a vet who will show you their work either way... My vet actually guarantees your satisfaction with how they stand... I had problems for a long time getting my eldest dogs ears to stand... the vet was going to put in an implant, but when it came down to the appointment... neelas ears stood beautifully. lol go figure! Bring TONS of pictures of how you want the end result. Neela has a show crop and indi has a battle crop

my american bully Indi

at this stage her nickname was Tithead off of the movie little Nicki with adam sandler lol


















Neela my Am. Pitbull Terrier

her head is kinda tilted in this photo because I was talking to her to get her attention. Her ears are red due to allergies, but this it the best example photo I own... I'm sure you understand that it's hard to get this breed to hold still for 2 seconds unless they are asleep!


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## LiiL_L0cz_Red_N0se

NEELA said:


> laser cropping... hmm that's nifty... i've never heard of that! Too cool... I had my dogs cropped traditionally I guess what you called Razor... You MUST go to a vet who will show you their work either way... My vet actually guarantees your satisfaction with how they stand... I had problems for a long time getting my eldest dogs ears to stand... the vet was going to put in an implant, but when it came down to the appointment... neelas ears stood beautifully. lol go figure! Bring TONS of pictures of how you want the end result. Neela has a show crop and indi has a battle crop


your APBT ears are beautiful!!!and that is a perfect example of a crop WITH a bell. looks great neela!


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## NesOne

I'm not familiar with the laser cropping, but if it's overall a faster recovery, then for the $30 I'd go for it. Did the vet go over the advantages it has? And as far as razors, my vet is old school and he used 'snips' (really sharp scissors), and a soldering iron to seal off the veins, LMAO.


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## Sydney

Kenyas look good that is the first laser crop I have seen I like, but most of the others I have seen have way too much bell and they look like mouse ears.


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## Rock Creek Kennels

We had Tinkerbelle & Chili's done with laser. The heal time was defiently faster and the edge seemed just as smooth as a razor crop. Didnt seem to be quite as much blood either. Overall very happy with the outcome.


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## LiiL_L0cz_Red_N0se

Sydney said:


> Kenyas look good that is the first laser crop I have seen I like, but most of the others I have seen have way too much bell and they look like mouse ears.


thankx!!!!!! ur a doll


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## Indigo Bully Connection

LiiL_L0cz_Red_N0se said:


> your APBT ears are beautiful!!!and that is a perfect example of a crop WITH a bell. looks great neela!


thanks so much! I cannot stress finding the perfect vet for the job in your area. Laser or "razor" (my vet does use snips and a caughterizer) the right vet is neccessary because i've seen many screwed up pup ears.

I got a min. schnauzers ears cropped once before this by another vet and I vowed I would never do it again because it was just horendous what they did to that pup! they put that little pup in my arms and he shook his head and blood went splattering everywhere.. the floor and on me! face and shirt. The vet refused to see me after the surgery... I called many times to tell the office that the dogs ears were uneven in length, and they swore it was how he was holding his ears and that they were still swollen. 3 months later... there still was a good half of an inch difference in length of the ears.

Way back when I first contacted neelas "breeder" i was a Pizza Hut delivery driver, and on a delivery I ran into a guy who had an APBT and his ears were PERFECT. The owner happened to have the vets business card in his wallet. The crop was twice what I paid for the schnauzer, but the end result was priceless... Neela came out and the stitch job made her ears look like little candy canes because they were stitched with such precision... the techs called the day after i brought her home. when I went back for the stitches to be removed I was sold that this was the place that my dogs needed to be regularly... the whole staff just loved on neela and she was soaking it up... we went back many times for the training of the ears. Neela especially loves the vet for some odd reason... I think its because the vet makes fun of her lol.

Both bulldogs had perfect recovery. Both bulldogs busted open stitches too early, but neither of them bled ever.


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## LiiL_L0cz_Red_N0se

NEELA said:


> thanks so much! I cannot stress finding the perfect vet for the job in your area. Laser or "razor" (my vet does use snips and a caughterizer) the right vet is neccessary because i've seen many screwed up pup ears.


i second this! i did ALOT of research as to where to take kenya. (im a ersearcher, same deal wit the food i feed lol)

anyway, a friend of mine has a bully and his ears came out really good (they are battle crop but i liked the cut) it was so fluent and he said the pup healed real fast. anyway, he got his done at a vet that specializes in ear cropping. and good thing for me, there was two vets there that specialized with different breeds and what not. the first vet had alot of expierence wit a longer cut (ie boxers) and the other has done over 1000 APBT and Bullies in his career. and i must say i am highly statisfied and always recomend this place for people in the bay area of CA. they are a little exspensive but like neela said, it was totally worth it.

where do u live??? maybe check with some people who live in ur state (hopefully ur area)


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## Jblondie813

Yeah I've done my research on ALOT of dogfood also.

Do u know if your friend's dog's ear were done by laser??

The vet we're going to is called Holmes Animal Clinic. Its in Waycross, GA. I don't know if anyone has heard of it or knows anything about them...but please let me know if you do! Heres the website... Holmes Animal Clinic
My friends husband took their 2 APBT's to get their ears done and they turned out nice at first. But then he didn't take care of them like he should have and they flopped. I haven't seen them for like a month. But we have a consultation first and then if we feel confident then we are already scheduled for surgery so we can leave him there. Its like a 2 hr drive there, thats why I scheduled it all in one. and we'll pick him up the next day.


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## Rock Creek Kennels

Jblondie813 said:


> Yeah I've done my research on ALOT of dogfood also.
> 
> Do u know if your friend's dog's ear were done by laser??
> 
> The vet we're going to is called Holmes Animal Clinic. Its in Waycross, GA. I don't know if anyone has heard of it or knows anything about them...but please let me know if you do! Heres the website... Holmes Animal Clinic
> My friends husband took their 2 APBT's to get their ears done and they turned out nice at first. But then he didn't take care of them like he should have and they flopped. I haven't seen them for like a month. But we have a consultation first and then if we feel confident then we are already scheduled for surgery so we can leave him there. Its like a 2 hr drive there, thats why I scheduled it all in one. and we'll pick him up the next day.


We went to Mountain Top Animal Hospital in Pisquah, Alabama. It was around an hour from Chattanooga.


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## Jblondie813

oh wow I mapped out from where I am to Pisquah, AL ... haha its almost 8 hrs!
We live at the very southeast corner of GA. I think we found a good vet to do it though.


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## LiiL_L0cz_Red_N0se

just make sure u look at croppings and take a pic of a dogs ears that u like. good luck!!!!


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## Jblondie813

OH YEAH! You should see! I have a folder of a bunch of different pics of what I want.:thumbsup: 
So they better not screw up my dogs ears orrrrrrr...yeah we won't get into that! lol

Thanx for the advice EVERYONE!! I will definitely be sure to post pics of the finished product!!!


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## Rock Creek Kennels

Jblondie813 said:


> oh wow I mapped out from where I am to Pisquah, AL ... haha its almost 8 hrs!
> We live at the very southeast corner of GA. I think we found a good vet to do it though.


Probably a little to far! Good luck!


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## Jblondie813

*Hov's Ear cropping...kinda yucky..*




























Awww look @ the poor baby! 
The bandages come off on Thursday! I'll post more pics on THURSDAY when we take the bandages off. They aren't really as long as the bandages!
We got in between a battle crop and short crop. I think they're gonna look good! :thumbsup:


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## Jblondie813

The bandages come off tomorrow!!! I'm so excited!


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## Sydney

can't wait to see!!


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## tomtom

the laser is wonderful, 2nd day and the cone is off 2-5 hours at a time when she is with me and no scratching, no blood, no wimpering


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## Jenna23

I have a question about cropping, I didn't crop, but I was wondering if dogs with cropped ears are more prone to ear infections? Only because the inner ear is more exposed. Also, how long do the dogs have to wear the tape? (I should do research. I wanted to crop but at the time I didn't know enough about it and where I was living there weren't any vets that specialized in cropping) Oh well I love Kai's floppy ears lol. But it is a beautiful look if done right.


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## American_Pit13

Jenna23 said:


> I have a question about cropping, I didn't crop, but I was wondering if dogs with cropped ears are more prone to ear infections? Only because the inner ear is more exposed.


Its actually the opposite. Natural ears tend to hold in more moisture and create yeast and other build up and infections, while a cropped ear is open and can breath and is much easier to keep clean.


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## Diesels_Mama

I got my Diesel's ears cut with laser and man, the healing time is quick! and his ears are beautiful! Why go with the old fashioned way when technology has paved the way for things to work better and faster?
I say laser is the best way to go... mostly for the quicker healing time so the pup won't have to wear the cone or tape as long!


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## performanceknls

American pit13 is absolutely right. A natural ear will keep moisture in and is more likely to get infected. A cropped ear is more open and can dry out and less issues with ear infections.


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## Jenna23

Hmm- that's really interesting but totally makes sense. I tried doing some esearch but, there isn't a whole lot out there, mostly just about the procedure and after care. I had no idea that the after care was so involved.


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## tomtom

vet did not use tape just stitchs, it needs to heal not be sufficated, no bleeding so nothing needed to soak up blood, deff worth the money, the healing in pretty amazing, with my girl atleast, would do laser again and infact I will be end of this month


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## StaffyDaddy

laser cropping is the way to go. chinos ears were laser cropped. I find that the healing process is half of what it would be otherwise. The wound cauterizes immediately and all you are left with is the task of keeping the ears particularly clean. Definately worth the cost.

And like performance and american 13 said cropped ears are alot easier to clean

....hella easy!


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## Jenna23

Kaiser HATES getting his ears cleaned lol. It's always one at a time. I'll do one, he takes off, jumps on his bed, rubs his face in it, then comes back. But, he will only let me do it. He runs from everyone else. 

This will def. be something I'll have to research further.


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## Jblondie813

So we actually ended up going to Satilla Animal Clinic in Waycross, GA because Dr. Holmes moved to a better facility and partnered up with another vet. They did an awesome job and I would definitely go out of my way to go there again even though we now live in NC!

Here's an after pic...2 years later.
Laser battle crop.

















And I found that cropped ears get dirty alot faster. My pit with cropped ears has had atleast 3 ear infections in 2yrs, from having cropped ears. My not cropped pit mix is almost 5yrs old and hasnt had 1 ear infection & I need to clean his ears once to the cropped pit's 3 times. You have to make sure you really keep the inside of the cropped ears clean. The vet told me that dogs ears (not cropped) are self cleaning, & when u cut them, they lose the natural self cleaning ears. & I trust my vet (DVM Julie Clark-blount) she's great & very knowledgable.

Yes laser crop is the way to go if you crop. Very little maintanence. You just have to keep them clean until they are completely healed.


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