Ear cropping in dogs

One of those really difficult decisions for many purebred dog owners is the one relating to ear cropping. 

Some breeds of dogs through the ages have traditionally been recognized partly by the distinctive look of their head; cropped ears have been a trademark for these breeds.  Doberman Pinschers, Boxers and Great Danes come to mind right away.  And even many of the smaller breeds such as the Miniature Schnauzer have traditionally had their ears surgically changed to give them a distinctive appearance.

In our modern times, many people have come to question the need or advisability of cropping the ears of dogs.  The aspect of animal cruelty comes into play in that many people will argue that there is no medical, physical, environmental or cosmetic advantage for the dog to have the pinnas (the ear flaps) surgically altered.  And to subject any dog to the "disfiguring" and unnecessary surgical procedure and subsequent taping and bandaging that sometimes needs to be done after the surgery amounts to animal cruelty and is indefensible.  There are others that will argue that for some dogs, the cropped ear will help prevent ear canal infections and make the opportunity for pinna trauma and infection much less likely.  They will state that the ear cropping is no different philosophically or ethically than any elective surgery such as spaying and neutering or removing protruding dew claws.

The fact is that ear infections are common in all sorts of breeds whether they have cropped ears or not.  As a veterinarian with 32 years of experience treating hundreds of thousands of dogs during that time, I cannot find medical justification for cropping a dog's pinnas.  So the choice to crop a dog's ears is a personal decision that a purebred dog owner needs to weigh carefully... partly because what you think you will get may not occur.  I refer to the disappointing cases where the pup's ears have been cropped and yet, no matter what everyone tries to do, the ears won't stand erect! 

Potential reasons for cropped ears not to stand erect...

The cartilage within the pinna is too thin to support the weight of the ear

The ear crop was too long for the size of the ear

The ears are "set too low" on the dog's head

Scar tissue formed along the ear margin

NOTE:  Supplementing a pup's diet with extra calcium in the hope that it will "build up" the ear cartilage is not scientifically or biochemically valid.  Adding additional calcium above the usual balance of that mineral with phosphorus and Vitamin D  has actually been shown to cause growth problems in dogs.  Don't add calcium to a dog's diet in the misguided hope that it will "strengthen the cartilage".

There are all sorts of methods of taping the ears up after the surgery and helping to support the pinnas while they heal.  You can do everything right and yet in some dogs the ears will not hold that erect posture... which was the goal of the surgery in the first place!  Adding extra Calcium to the pup's diet won't work and can actually be detrimental to the pup's growth.  Massaging the pinnas won't help.  The pup "loosing it's teeth" has no impact on the strength or rigidity of the pinnas either.  Of course all pups should be eating an optimum diet to begin with so supplementing an already high quality diet will have no additional benefits.

As your pup's caretaker, you have a choice.  Weigh all the pros and cons, and then make your decision.  Expect to be criticized by those who disagree with your choice.  I was criticized by a number of breeders for NOT doing the surgery... they seemed put-out by the fact that they had to find another veterinarian to do it.  But just as the decision not to do the surgery in my practices was my personal decision to make, so it is your choice whether or not it will be done on your dog.

Comments

[Heather Robbins]

Help! I have an 15 week old Great dane Girl her name is Dakota. My vet told me it was ok to do an Ear Cropping on her and it has been 3 days now and she is doing ok but when I got her back yesterday they cutt her ears too short and there was NO wraps or nothing on her ears they said they have to heal for about 10 days then I bring her back and she gets her stitches removed and then they will start wrapping them so they will stand up. Im I going crazy for nothing or do they have to wrap them or do something to the ears so they will stand up because there is nothing on them right now just cutt off poor little ears... Please HELP!!!! robandheather2000@yahoo.com

[Anne Postell]

Hi Heather. I am not an expert on cropping but I have a doberman and they did it differently from what you are describing but her ears are show cropped so they are long. I don't know the typical cut for a great dane.
My experience is they post and wrap them right away. But there is a new more humane way to heal the ears that does not include taping them. I don't remember the name right now but I will look it up for you and post another comment. Did they really cut them too short? Do they do a lot of Dane crops?

[Anne Postell]

Take a look at the Quick Brace System. It's not the one I remember seeing but I think it would help you.

[vikas gupta]

hi sir,
i m a dog breeder & i m also intrested in dogs ear croping so please help me & give me some suggestion for croping & send me its procedure.
thanks
with regard
vikas gupta
[U.P.] INDIA

[Heather Robbins]

Thank You!! Anne Postell im going to ask my Vet about the quick brace system. The Vet taped her ears Dec 20th they seem to be working well im crossing my fingers. Yes they cutt her ears too short im so upset she is supposed to have the long ears like dobby's but she is still so cute. I wasn't going to show her but I would have still liked to have the show cut on her. The Vet told me they done Great Danes before but from what they did I don't think they did a good job. But thanks for replying Thanks

Heather
Virginia

[Jennifer]

While everyone is entitled to their opinion, it will not always be the choice of the owner to amputate the tail of his pet or surgically alter the ears of his pet. Luckily, this practice is being banned throughout the world. Nearly every country in the European Union signed an animal cruelty ban, which bans tail docking and ear cropping. Ear cropping is viewed as more cruel than docking, since the healing can be painful and many problems can arise. Ear cropping has been the first thing to be banned in most countries. However, what many people don't realize (or choose to ignore) is that dogs need their tails for communication and to maintain balance. A docked dog will have difficulty communicating with other dogs and may have difficulty balancing while urinating or defecating. Also, the tail comprises a large percentage of the dog's spinal column (1/3 or more)which is essential for his equilibrium. If you want solid information about these issues, you can check out The Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights. These are vets who fully understand all of these processes and who are vets because they actually care about animals. http://avar.org/ Unfortunately, many vets still perform these procedures purely for the money. Also, I think as someone else mentioned, dogs with docked tails and cropped ears are not being allowed in some dog shows in particular countries in order to prevent pet mutilation simply for "looks."

[Moises]

Its still our choice if we want to crop and dock our dogs. You talk about a world wide ban ? listen up mrs...drugs are illegal right ? do people still use them and sell them ? Banning us from our right will surely lead to animal cruelty when people take their dogs to some crazied vet who probably isn't qualified or some breeder who claims he can do it. People are still going to do it no matter what the law says. Banning the practice will sure make it harder but it will never stop the practice. Be careful what u wish for. My boxer had his cropped at 12wks and they were standing alone 2wks later. Not a single prob. "Live and let live I say" Be happy that we are responsible dog owners and do whatever we have to do to keep our dogs in great health as you do. Thank you :)

[Jesica]

My puppy had his ears cropped on 12/18/06. After the stiches were removed he was tapped, about 10 days he removed the tapes and I was not able to get to the vet right away. I decided to tape them myself and as it turns out TWO days later he was in alot of pain and when I took off the tapes one of his ears were badly infected....The ear blew up like a balloon the very next morning. It has been a week,he is on antibiotics and pain meds. He almost lost his ear. The very tip has now turned up. He looks horible, It looks as if I curled his ear with a curling iron. The skin is healing but it is not 100% yet. I have ordered the Quick Brace system but I am afraid that until the brace arrives the ear will get hard and stiffen. Any suggestions are welcomed.

[Aussy chick]

In Australia it is illegal to crop dog ears and to dock their tails. I have a 5 year old boxer and she has the tail and ears she was born with. She has NEVER had an ear infection or a broken tail. In reply to Jesica there is nothing to do except learn from your mistake!!

[aussy chick]

In reply to moises,the practice of ear cropping and tail docking is illegal and has completely stopped in Australia. Why? Because Vets who carry out this surgery risk being de-registered from practicing for 10 years and 10 years jail and receive a $20,000 fine. Breeders who do it, risk loosing their breeders licence for life, 10 years jail and a $10,000 fine. And unlike a drug user who is hard to spot walking down the street, a dog with docked tail and cropped ears is very noticable. You can never take it to a vet, because you will be reported and face 5 years jail and a $5,000 fine. So, making the practice illegal does stop the surgery.

[AM]

I have a 22 week old mini schnauzer. Is he too old to have his ears cropped??

[moises]

Hey aussy chick.....I still can't understand why you "anti-cropping" people are still fighting so damn much. My 4yr old boxer is in great shape and health. He's loved and carefully taken care of. Their are many things that happen to animals that are alot worse then having their ears cropped. Maybe you should come here and see dogs roaming the street homeless and starving and them complain about that.

p.s...what a great soulution u have over there. crop da' ears of dock da' tail and F your dog. He's not gettin' any medical attention. Yea !!! ur real animal lovers their.

[diamondodge]

TO LINDA, who says cropping isn't painful. I worked for a veterinarian for five years, and the first time i witnessed a canine ear cropping, i cried. DO NOT tell people it is not painful, that is a LIE. the pups ALL whined under anesthetic, (just like cats HOWL under anesthesia during de-clawing). you are misguided, and wrong. and the ears are sore afterwards for days. Tail docking is equally horrendous, and done without anesthesia.
I agree with moises, homelessness and euthanasia are worse fates for dogs, however, don't spread falseness. you are wrong.
diamond

[Jim]

Humm... both me, my father and my sons were circumcised - we were just fine. No worries. How can you say ear cropping in dogs is animal cruelty?

[Jeff]

It is perfectly legitamate to compare circumcision to ear cropping.

First, in this day and age circumcision is no more of a health issue than is ear cropping. Many cultures don't circumcise and there is little or no evidence of decreased health.

Second, the comparison is not about why but about suffering. If done properly, ear cropping causes no more suffering than any other correcly done procedure.

Including breast enlargement...

[melanie]

It's up to the owner! I don't think it's that big of a deal if a dog has ears that stand up naturally or not. There are bigger issues in the dog community than this one...

[sensible]

Everyone keeps saying "its the owners descision"! NO DUH, and its also alot of owners who decide not to spay and nueter the pet, because they want to make cash off of the litter.... Selfish.
Its like buying bling bling for your new car! You want everyone to look at it and say...."oh, look at that beautiful dog, it must be taken care of , their owners sure do love them" Ok, lets face it... unless the dog is competeting in a show....there is no reason to crop, or dock. Its just for looks, vanity. Think about it....why do it , really.....

[Randy]

Ihave had dobes that have been croped and docked, and Ihave had them not. I chose the ones, it's my choice. I donot spay or nueter

[ECH]

I have had both our female boxer does not have her ears done as our male does. It does not hurt the dog since they are under. My male since haveing his ears done has changed with his personality. He has become more cocky in the way that he now stares at himself in our mirror and talks to himself. I think it has raised his self esteem just as a tummy tuck does for many women. My c-section took more time to heal then my dogs ears. Its a choice and i personally think that either way no one should threaten to harm any one because they do so. There are bigger problems such as abused animals that are being starved neglected and beaten so how about all the do gooders focuse on something that really matters. I at first was not for cropping but after i learned more i decided it was the right choice for us. So all the people putting it down, mostlikely, need to learn more about it before opening they're mouths.

[B]

as far as tail docking and dew claw removel like ECH said befor why not learn more on the subjects before putting them down. Dew claw removal helps the animal. Tail docking is usually done by the breeder when the dog is first born so no comment there since i haven't been in that situation. I think the whole circumcion thing is in response to the fact its done sooo early in life that the baby wont remember just as pups won't remember the tail or dew claw removed. As far as the person who said they were going to cut off the persons ears if they ever saw that persons dogs ears cropped, well all i have to say is "HA" you want to show your anger by being cruel to your own species when you have no idea if that dog even belongs to the original owner who had the ears done in the first place. As well as the fact you think its cruel but yet your willing to do the same. Truthfully you'd be the one who says your dog looks good and then grip about it later so save your energy and get part of a bigger issue like acctual abuse.

[Susan]

I have to do a paper on the pros of ear cropping. So far the only benefit I have come across is less risk of infection. Can someone give me another pro? Thanks

[stacey roe]

we just bought a male boxer . we had his ears done and it has only been 1 day since his ear cropping surgery . he whned for the 1 st day but now he is up playing just like notyhing is wrong ! me , myself think that ear crop looks alot better but i can't stand to hear him whine and cry he about made me cry... so i dont know if i will ever do it again !

[Roy]

It is not cruel 2 crop ears. I suggest cropping the dogs ears when they're young its like getting a babys ear pierced.it looks good on some dogs but it embaresses others it looks good on pit bulls.

P.S Vote no 4 BSL

[YOUR MOM]

Can someone tell me about how much it is to get your dogs ears cropped? I've got a new Great Dane baby boi and I would love to get his ears cropped but Im just scared that it'll be way to painful for him and I couldnt handle putting him through that.

[aussychick]

Its just that people who live outside the States have a more humane and considerate approach to our pets. We dont think we are better than you, we just have laws to protect animals from cruelty. That includes all animals, not just pets.If animal welfare agencies and vets decide a practice is cruel, harmful or painful to any animal, the practice is made illegal and severe penalties apply. This protects animals from idiots who justify treating their pets cruelly. It is you who are ignorant of the facts about what is cruel and what is not.