Ear Cropping & Docked Tail

[funkmaster-jay]

My Mother in law just gave me a female boxer yesterday as a gift and she is a joy. I assume her age to be around three months. She got her from a friend of hers and I wanted to know if there is an age limit on when you can have the tail docked. I haven't decided on the ears yet. Also I need to take her to the vet for shots, check for worms and any other check-ups they perform on puppies. Can anyone provide a list of things I should have the vets peform on her initial check-up. Her name is Mocha, tan with black face and a few small white spots

 

[Eric J]

Tail docking is only for the first few days of life, after that it takes a Vet to approve it for some life threatening reason since at that point it is an amputation. The exact time period I dont know, but you are way beyond it.

This has been asked rather recently and is what I surmised from the topic. I am sure someone else will post more factually shortly.

 

[Dragosani1]

Congratulations.....

Your vet should (hopefully) be up to speed on all the different test and procedures for a young boxer. He (or she) will probably check her walk for any early signs of hip displaysia, and start her on her first series of wormings and vaccinations (if you choose to vaccinate) for diseases like parvo, and rabies among other things. Thats some of what my vet has done. I personally would probably leave her tail as is since she is 3 months old already. I have been told that the best time to dock is within the first week. After that it seems like it might cause undue pain. But thats just me. I honestly don't know the best time to have her ears cut. I left my boxer floppy. Hope I helped a little. Good luck

 

[MollyMoose]

Tail docking and removal of dew claws is done within 3 to 5 days of life, so it is too late for that. Ear cropping should not be done after 12 weeks. Hope this helps.

 

[BooBoo & Riley]

I agree, definately too late for the tail to be docked. If a vet is willing to do it just because you ask him/her to, then the vet is very questionable, and do not know enough about Boxers.

Just a note about cropping the ears; It is a lot of work and takes lots of patience. If you don't have the time or energy, leave them be, I think they are much cutter the natural way. Plus, people are less inclined to think that your boxer is mean looking.

 

[Cherokee]

Congratulations on your new addition. since the others have already answered your question let me just add that i have a beautiful fawn girl with natural ears and tail and she is wonderful. I also have a boy with natural ears and docked tail.
I am sure your baby is beautiful as she is, enjoy her. I look forward to hearing more about Mocha. Welcome to Boxerworld.

 

[Sube Ru's mom]

First off- WELCOME to BW!!! there is a WEALTH of info to be found here

Re: tail docking- gets done when they are a few days old unless unless there are special circumstances Bailey had hers done at 6 months FOR ONE reason- her tail got broken, looked like a corkscrew and the previous owners never bothered to get it fixed, so it was done out of necessity, i think she would have been cute with a tail :(

Re: ear cropping- needs to be done by the time they are 12 weeks, so you are past the time for that as well.

Hope this helps, cant wait to see picks of Mocha

Again WELCOME!!!

 

[funkmaster-jay]

Thanks for the wealth of information

Thank you all for the information on tail docking, ear cropping and vaccinations needed for boxers. I thought she may be too old for the tail procedure. The ear sugery looks so painful that if she was younger I still think that I could resist the temptation. Reading these forums has answered alot of common questions that dog owners have and has been a valuable asset I noticed that playing with Mocha that she likes to wrestle, nip, and run like crazy. I enjoy rough dogs because they are easier to maintain and train. I will order a few of the books referenced to gain insight in training, behavior, and potty issues. Thanks Again!!!!!!!

 

[MollyMoose]

I noticed you have not stated whether or not her dew claws were removed, and I take it that if the breeder did not dock the tail then the dew claws are likely not to have been removed. If they have indeed not been removed, than I suggest that you make an apointment as soon as possible to have them removed. Dew claws will snag on things and can create extraordinary amounts of pain for a boxer. This procedure is done because it is vital to the dogs health that they be removed.
If she does still have her dewclaws, ask your Vet to remove them and he/she should know exactly what to do.

 

[lexismum]

Just to share that I had to get my girl's tail amputated when she was about 16 months old - like Sube Ru it was necessary since she had a rampant infection in her tail.

Although she fared well and was back to herself pretty much within a few days, the first few days were absolutely horrible. SHe was in pain and it was really brutal to see. although she healed fast, it took months for her to get over the fact that the tail was no longer there. It broke my heart to see her looking for it all the time.

In my opinion, unless medically necessary, I would NEVER put any dog through that. Unless done within days of birth, it is amputation plain and simple.

Hope that helps - more of a "been there" kind of story.

Congrats on your new baby - if you need advice, you've come to the right place!! Welcome to BW