Cropped Ears

[SoleilBxrs]

my pup is 5.5mos

cmweston-
don't worry too much about taping beyond 5mos. Our Little Nikki's ears are still taped and she is pushing 6mos. Though the ears stand well for about 3 days, they still need help, esp. the tips. She is a MAJOR improvement compared to her brother Cassius... Let me tell you about our Cassius, who remained racked til he was 7mos, and then after 7mos, he just taped the tips. (for about a month more). though Cassius's problem may have stemmed from his best buddy Rowdy always pulling his eartape off! In the end, it was all worth it since his ears stand great now. both of my dogs have the longer show cut, which personally i love. good luck! stick with it!

RubyRed-
whoa there... back up. referring back to what JulieM posted, so before we take our dogs to the vet to get spays and neuters guess we should all take ourselves to the doctors n get our tubes tied, and vesectomies for the boys too ehh? i don't know if you read all the posts, but everyone is entitled to their own oppinion. a good crop does not leave the pups in excessive pain, and both my pups wanted to be out running around by the time we got home from the vet! most people who decide to crop, know that their is lots of follow-up work that comes with it. We love our dogs the same as those who don't crop. cropped or un-cropped, we as owners try hard to make whatever our dog's situation is, the most comfortable it could possibly be, because we love them. so i guess i'm done saying what i want to say, i'm not going to try to change your oppinion since you too are entitled to think what you want!

have a great weekend all!
-Kat, Cassius and Nikita

 

[Baby Duncan]

Just think…it involves cutting off body parts with a scalpel. You don't think that wouldn't involve pain? Listening to the intense cries of pain from a litter of boxer pups as they awoke after surgery was a horrible experience.

Okay, Now ya'll are really making me worry! I just had to read this thread, didn't I?

 

[Alisha Mobley]

Ear cropping should be banned as it is in England, cant see if you are animal lovers that you would want to inflict pain on your dogs. I personally think the owners ought to have theirs done first! they might not be so quick off the mark to rush their puppies in to the vets.

This post reminded me of Julie's...

The irony is that many people who think cropping is cruel have absolutely zero experience with the procedure, or with pups who have gone through it recently. They object to the idea, but have no real concept of the actual procedure and thus no basis for determining whether it truly is cruel or not. I get the most vehement arguments from people who live in countries where cropping has been illegal since before they were born - how can they say with any credibility how cruel or painful the procedure is?

 

[bommy]

im glad i live in oz!

hi guys i read everybodies comments above with interest as at june 2 down here it is not only illegal to crop but also illegal to dock now even for veterinarians. so we have had the decision taken out of our hands..i lik the look of cropped ears but i loved my big boy with his ears, never was any ear infections in the 9 years we had him either nor for our bitch of 5 years.....for you guys with the decisin to make think hard u cant change it after the cropping has been done or even crop after he gets too old....just pray the animal liberationists dont change your right to the choice like they have here....
jacqui

 

[PawPrintBoxers]

I hope for a day when this unnecessary procedure is banned for all.

And I hope you never get your wish

In American, cropping is a choice. An option. No one is forced to crop or to not crop. If you are against cropping then simply do not do it. But do not try to make someone who does make that choice to crop as if they are barbarians who do not love their dogs.

Nothing could be further from the truth.


Christina Ghimenti
PawPrint Boxers

Sunny Northern California
Boxer Champions and Loving Pets

 

[Stonehenge]

To Crop Or Not - Breakers Story

Our little man Breaker has just had his ears cropped and I wanted to share our experience with everyone.

I never wanted to crop Breakers ears. Unfortunately part of the agreement when purchasing him from the breeder was that the ears had to be done, as he is a show quality dog. Martta (my girlfriend) fell in love with both the sire and bitch before Breaker was even born, and when she first saw him, it was all over.

We had to add this boy to our family!

So as the day came closer and closer, I was frantically trying to find a way out of the "Crop Clause". Should I kidnap him and go away for a few weeks?
Could I hire a Lawyer and find a loophole in the contract? I resigned myself to the fact that we had to do this cruel, vain, immoral procedure to my baby, and vowed to never get roped into another "Crop Clause" again!!!

And then the day of the Cropping came.

When Breaker got home, he was a little tired from the car ride (We got the procedure done at our breeders vet who is 1.5 hours away(He has a fantastic reputation for his knowledge of crops and the boxer breed in general). Once he woke up, I was amazed at the fact that he wanted to play. As a matter of fact, he was ripping around the yard just like the little holy terror that we had grown to love (except for the cup between his ears and the gauze holding it together).

Breaker showed some signs of discomfort when he scratched at his new "Hat", but quickly learned that if he didn't scratch, he wouldn't hurt himself (with some prompting from Mom and Dad). The Vet gave us some pain meds to help with the discomfort, but I think the only discomfort they were given for was mine and Martta's, as we never saw the need to use them.

7 days later the top stitches came out......5 more and the bottom were gone.

Imagine my suprise that this cruel procedure hardly changed the way my boy acted. While he couldn't go barrel-assing under the table with his new height restriction, and was annoyed with having to wear his "Party Hat", he was as normal as he ever was.

To wrap up our story, I was ready to call cropping a "cruel, vain, invasive, nasty, mean, painful and evil" thing to do to my boy, without any understanding of the procedure. Now as we prepare for the months of taping to come, I see it as a homage to the tradition of the breed.

I have met some beautiful down ear boxers, and think that the show ring should have a place for them as well, but were I to do it all over again.......

I would

Rob Martta, and of course
Breaker

 

[SoleilBxrs]

congrats!

To wrap up our story, I was ready to call cropping a "cruel, vain, invasive, nasty, mean, painful and evil" thing to do to my boy, without any understanding of the procedure. Now as we prepare for the months of taping to come, I see it as a homage to the tradition of the breed.

:appicon: i'm ecstatic that you had a positive experience. both my babies are cropped too, and i wouldn't have it any other way. (though and i've said it before, there are quite a few uncropped dogs that i just adore also) I believe a lot of it has to do with the skills of your vet and the experience they have had with doing long show crops. anyways. good luck with the taping! may it be a short, and the ears stand quick.

-Kat, Cassius and Nikita

 

[sam2]

Same story here, read all the way!

We went over the same thing and Leah's ears got cropped
at 13 weeks, last day to do it.
Here is the scoop: we took her in@10:30am,
my partner had emotional attachements with our baby
so by 2 o'clock the same day the vet called us, he was done, to come and pick her up.
So we did, she was still a little out (anesthesia), and we had the WORST feeling ever. We felt SO SORRY for her.
Nobody told us that part. Her ears were all swollen and stitched up and the vet left them uncovered so they could heal faster. It's like a person after surgery.
That afternoon, evening and night she was mostly out, but the more she was coming out of her anesthesia, the more she wanted to scratch and take off the crown they put on to hold the ears in place and the stitches must have itched as well.
Even if the vet keeps your pup overnight, be ready for at least 3-4 days of keeping a close watch over your puppy. Leah had to sleep with her head down on her 'chin' all the time while her favorite position is on her side. Every time she would fall deeply asleep, she would rest her head on the side and she would cry from pain.
The pain and discomfort lasted 2 days the most, though. After that she was back to normal like nothing happened, especially after the vet removed the crown and nothing itched anymore (after 4 days). She was back to running, bumping her head into things, etc.
Stitches were removed 12 days after the surgery. I felt guilty at first, but honestly when I think of a boxer, there is that class and look that only cropped ears can give. However I would not do it again, too emotional.
Now Leah's ears are pretty much healed (15 days after the surgery) and she looks beautiful. She lost her puppy face and looks like a little boxer.
And in all honesty, I Love it! Leah is going to the doctor next week to check if she needs to have the ears bandaged to make them stand better.
End of story. It's for you to decide now. Good luck.

 

[MyDogPhantom]

out of sole curiosity: if one were to crop their dogs' ears, when is the ideal time? it should be done when they are puppies, correct?

Just my opinion: cropping is up to the owner, merely preference. i have seen cropped boxers that are just as beautiful (but in different way) as uncropped. it is a tradition of the boxer to have their ears cropped, and it began to simply enhance their keenest sense: hearing.

 

[GoCougs]

Cropping is normally done between 8-12 weeks of age. My vet, for instance, prefers to do them between 8 and 10 weeks, but will do them up to 12 weeks. He'll rarely do them beyond that, and only if the ear "leather" is still in a state which will lead to a successful end results.

Your milage may vary, and it's best to check with a QUALIFIED and EXPERIENCED vet who knows the procedure intimately.