How to crop dog ears at home? Ear cropping is a surgical procedure to erect your dogโs ears. it is a highly recommended procedure. Licensed vets do this at pet hospitals previously. But now you can do it at home with some guidance and with a bit of care. By following the instructions, you will become an expert.
How to crop dog ears at home?
Below in this article entire procedure with a step-by-step instruction guide is explained. So, follow me up till the end for the procedure and useful tips.
Things to consider:
The best age for ear cropping:
Itโs essential to know the right age of your dog before buying essentials for cropping procedures.
The ideal age for your puppyโs ear cropping is between 7 to 12 weeks. Age should not be under 7 weeks or exceed 12 weeks.
The reason why you should consider age is that if you trim before the age of 7 weeks the cartilage may be immature. And if you have done cropping after 16 weeks then the ears may not get the proper upright position because they have already grown fully.
Styles:
There are a variety of cropping styles present you may choose from. There is a choice of style either you are having a boxer, Pitbull, or a Doberman pinscher. you can choose what suits your dog best.
The style chosen should depend on the firmness of the ears, the shape of the skull, and the goal of the crop.
Battle crop:
You can choose a battle crop. The battle crop is everything but with small pieces of the ears.
Long crop:
You may also choose a long crop. long crop leaves more than a half ear.
Short Crop:
If you are going to choose a short crop then you should know that it goes with a much lower length.
Show Crop:
If you have selected Show crop for your dog ear then you should know that long crop cuts less than half of the ear. and more than half of the ear is left.
Research which crop is for your dog breed.
Before starting the procedure:
Although you know how to flex your dogโs ear, itโs necessary to take your dog to the doctor once. Before you are going to start the cropping process over your dogโs ears.
Itโs a fact that not all canines can bear anesthesia. So, there is a need for a pet doctor to reveal that either your dog can withstand anesthesia or not. this can be done by a blood test.
Once your doctor gives you a green signal, go ahead and pick up your tools.
equipment you may need:
Anesthesia or numbing agent
Antiseptic
Bandages
Ear forceps
Sharp kitchen knife or Scalpels
Porous tape
Marker
Large drinking straw
Bleach or isopropyl
Steps:
Sterilization:
If you have bleach or isopropyl at your home then this is great. use these chemicals to clean your tools. grab all of your tools for cutting like scissors, scalpels, and knives. now place them into your boiling water pan for a good 25 to 30 minutes. This will help in killing all the infectious germs and microbes that may cause infection to your dogโs cuts and wounds. You can use isopropyl or bleach with the help of cotton swabs to clean and sterilize your instruments before boiling them. this will enhance the sterilization and disinfecting process.
Sedatives:
Before switching to the procedure, you should know either how much amount of sedative your pooch can withstand.
Your dogโs veterinary doctor should help you while you are giving the sedative to your pet. So that in case of any problem medical aid can be provided. after giving a sedative to your dog give him a few minutes until he becomes motionless.
Mark the area you have to chop off your dogโs ears. You can use the marker to mark the area.
Now after marking the area, hold the ear by using forceps.ย use the kitchen knife or scalpel and trim the marked area. Trim the unwanted area carefully.
Once you are satisfied with the results, stitch your dogโs ear up.
The final step is bandaging. carefully bandage the wound area.
Wait until the wound of your dogโs ear become dry. It will take approximately one week to dry up now itโs time to make the ear vertical. To make the surface hard, use porous tape, and wrap it on a straw. Fold it several times. Put this tape-covered straw behind your pupโs ear. and paste it over them by using porous tape. this will keep your dogโs ears vertical.
Care and precautions after ear cropping:
So, if you want faster healing after the successful chopping of your dogโs ears you have to do proper care of it.
You should follow these tips:
Cleanliness is the key:
Cleaning of wounds and bandages plays a major role in fast recovery without developing any sort of infection.so itโs recommended to clean the wounds by using peroxide or any other good quality disinfectant as per your vetโs prescription.
Itโs good to use an E-collar around the neck region of your dog to prevent cropping and messing up of wounds by your dogโs ears.
Scab removal is necessary while the healing process of your dogโs ears. What you have to do is simply remove the scabs after they appear as soon as possible. If you donโt remove them this will prevent your pupโs ear from standing straight after the healing process.
Tip:
There is a tip if you want to prevent your pup from the pain of removing scabs. you just soak your dogโs ears in warm water before you going to remove the scabs.
Follow your vetโs instructions:
In case you have seen any strange thing happening to your dogโs wound, or he is uncomfortable, he is rubbing or hitting his head against objects, that may add more pain. You should immediately visit your dogโs veterinary doctor.
Take care of dogโs nutrition:
Feed your dog healthy and full of nutritious food this will enhance recovery speed and immunity as well.
Cropped ears may not be erect, whatโs the reason?
Mostly dogsโ ears become erect after following up the cropping procedure but some time length of the crop, genetics, weak cartilage or inappropriate aftercare may hinder the erection of your pupโs ears after the cropping process.
