Cosmetic Surgery For Dogs – Ear Trimming – Is It Really Necessary?

Spare us all your righteous tirade about your dog being your property, and you have every right to do whatever you want with it. It is an animal that feels pain … just like you! The sad part is that you unconditionally love and trust the very person you feel has the “right” to hurt you.

Dogs inherently come equipped with the ears they need for their specific breed. The floppy ears prevent the entry of insects, water and dirt. Man has determined that the appearance that nature gives them does not quite fit the image they would like to perceive. For this reason, the puppies suffer mutilations, pain and discomfort.

Do not be fooled. The ears were not cut so that the dog could hear more acutely. It was made to make the dog look more intimidating. Which looks more threatening, a Doberman with lop-eared or a Doberman with pricked and pointed ears?

In the real world, sometimes a puppy or dog suffers an ear injury, which may require cosmetic surgery to prevent infection or close a severe open wound or tear. Therefore, the procedure is understandable.

However, many countries around the world, considered by us as “less educated and enlightened”, have recognized that, without a doubt, there is no medical or health reason for a puppy or dog to cut their ears. They have prohibited it and the process is considered illegal, with considerable fines. They also disqualify from authorized competitions any dog ​​that has undergone otopasty.

Ear cropping, also known as cosmetic otoplasty, is purely for a perceived image. The practice is cruel, mutilating and painful.

If you don’t believe it, cut off a part of your ear!

In the United States, three states, New York, California, and Vermont, have currently banned the procedure. In Canada, several provinces, including New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Manitoba, have also outlawed the practice, and others are expected to follow suit.

Breeds traditionally recognized by cropped ears

Breeds with traditionally cropped ears include: Affenpinscher, American Staffordshire Terrier, Boston Terrier, Bouvier des Flandres, Boxer, Briard, Brussels Griffon, Doberman Pinscher, German Pinscher, Giant Schnauzer, Great Dane, Manchester Terrier, Miniature Pinscher, Miniature Schnauzer, Neapolitan Mastiff and Standard Schnauzer.

Trimming: when and how to do it

If you sincerely believe that the procedure is painless, stop and think about the last time YOU had any type of surgery that you had control over. What were you most afraid of? What was the first thing you demanded when you finished? And because?

Remember, this is not a necessary life or death procedure … this is done for cosmetic reasons only! This is done to give your dog a certain “look”.

Now, imagine being a puppy, between the ages of 7 to 14 weeks old. Hopefully, you have received a complete physical exam, including the clotting time test. This is followed by a tranquilizer and general anesthesia, which in itself is risky for a dog of any age, especially a puppy. The first risk is the stress of being under anesthesia, which can suppress your immune system, putting you at risk for infection.

The ears are then cleaned and disinfected. Then someone, most of the time, but not always, a vet, begins to cut, starting at the base of the ear and working up to the tip. Generally, depending on its breed, it leaves 3/4 to 2/3 of its ear. Then when they finish cutting one, they make the other!

You now have two open wounds, which need to be surgically stitched, stapled, or attached, from the bottom up. How are you feeling? Are you still having fun?

Expect! Have you not finished. After surgery, you should wait for the wounds to heal, about 10 to 14 days.

The next event to wait is to have the stitches or staples removed. By now, you’re probably taking antibiotics … just in case.

Once this is done, proceed to shaping and taping. Their ears are most often supported by human tongue depressors, although some vets use tampons or pipe insulation. Their ears are molded and bandaged, sometimes for 4 to 6 months, so the muscles and cartilage in the ears are “trained” to stand on their own. Typically, the longer the ear, the longer the healing, bandaging, and “training” time.

You can spend the night at the vet or you can go home the same day. Either way, you go with a satellite dish called an electronic collar, wrapped around your head. There is no doubt that you will run into everything in your way … do not think that the contraption does not hurt your ears or cut your neck! If you are lucky, your person or vet may use a more humane padded collar.

Wait, you’re not done! For the next several months, you will need to remove the old bracket, clean your ears, repackage and reattach, at least once a week to 10 days. That means you have to be careful when you play … but you probably are, because your ears hurt a lot if something touches them, it hurts!

Hopefully your ears won’t get infected, because you can’t go more than a day without the taped bracket. If they do get infected, you will know it by the smell … now you have a serious setback.

Hopefully, you will be diligent in keeping your ears clean and supported. If they can’t be bothered to do it for him or her, it’s best to take him or her to the vet or other professional to do it. That’s about $ 20 each!

For some reason, as is often the case with Great Danes, due to their exceptionally long ears, if the first time it doesn’t work, their owner may insist that the procedure be repeated … but now, there is less ear for work with!

Things to consider before subjecting your puppy to unnecessary pain and trauma

Some will argue that a puppy does not feel pain because the nerve endings are not yet defined. That is not true! Because those nerve endings have been severed and are raw, your pup will feel waves of pain.

If the tape work is not done properly, it can cause loss of circulation in the ears, causing gangrene, or the unsightly fold can become permanent.

Some dogs suffer severe behavioral problems caused by trauma. It could alter your temper. They can become shy and even agile when doing something around the head or ears.

Dogs communicate using their ears. You have eliminated one of the most valuable and effective ways your dog can communicate with other dogs.

How much?

The cost varies depending on whether you use a vet, breeder or your neighbor or Uncle Joe says they can do it for nothing. There are many who offer the service without a license and are illegal. They usually charge $ 100. There are breeders who also consider themselves “experts” who typically charge between $ 100 and $ 200. Veterinarian fees for surgery range from $ 300 to $ 500.

There is usually a fee of at least $ 20 as well, each time your pup is brought in to have his ears plugged again as that can take 4-6 months, add another $ 320 to $ 480 if you are not the one doing it. -It’s the same type of you.

Bottom line: many vets in the US now voluntarily refuse to perform a cosmetic otoplasty. They will only do this if there is an injury, medical or health reason for the procedure. That progressive shift in thinking will make puppies so much happier and pain free in the USA!

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