~ Welcome to Ear Cropping ~

           
Natural Ears (vs) Cropped Ears
(Written & Created by Spoiled Rotten Schnauzers)

 

Below are some FAQ's Regarding Ear Cropping 

  

What is Ear Cropping? 
Ear cropping is where they remove a portion of the dogs natural ears and then teach them to stand erect so it creates a well defined polished look to the dog. Ear Cropping is sheerly a cosmetic surgery, which means it's sole purpose is to produce a certain "look."

 

Is Ear Cropping a Surgery?
Yes, Ear cropping is a surgery that should be performed UNDER anesthesia BY A licensed veterinarian who has a sterile surgical environment, proper surgical equipment, artist eye,  has an interest in this procedure and understands the type of crop for the breed standards. The dog will probably be required to stay overnight in the hospital. During this surgery (once the dog is sedated) the veterinarian will mark the ears where the incisions will be made.  The incision begins at the top of the ear and should be a crisp, smooth, gentle sharp clean cut down the ear. Then the ears are disinfected & suture (stitch).  A "rack" or even an inverted paper cup will placed on the pets head with some cotton protecting the ears while they are taped over & around the pets head. By securing the ears to the rack or cup, it will start training the ears to stand up in the "alert" position. The ears must be taped or racked correctly, otherwise, you will train the ears to stand incorrectly and that can ruin the entire look of the dog. The after care is much more detailed, precise, and time-involved then alot of people think.

 

How Do We Prepare for the Surgery?
As with all surgeries, the dog will need to fast for 12 hours before the surgery. So do NOT give your dog any food or water after dinner the night before. Food & water can cause vomiting which puts the "sedated dog" at great risk for aspiration (when they inhale the vomit). This can be very fatal.  

 

What is the Aftercare Involved?
The first word that comes to our mind when we are asked about the aftercare of ear cropping surgery is: VERY TIME-INVOLVED.  Yes, how the vet cuts the ears will make an enormous difference in the finished look. But it does Not end there. HOW the ears are handled during this training time will make a significant difference in the overall look you end up with. Even if the vet crops them perfectly ~ you can end up with a bad looking ear crop if your lazy in following through with all the weekly aftercare.  (1) week after the surgery the dog will have to go back to the vets to get the stitches out but the rack or cup is left on.  If you wait even a couple of days to remove the stitches, you can cause scarring to the ears. Then (1) week later you go back to the vets and take the rack or cup off. At that time the vet will usually start taping the ears. They can't begin the taping process until the edge of the ear has healed to a certain point, otherwise they can cause irreversible damage.  The tape should be tight enough to hold, but not so tight it cuts off circulation to the ear, otherwise you can run the risk of the tissue dying & even have the ear drop off. HOW they tape the ears is very important because that helps shape & train the ear to the look you want, so don't try to tape the ears up yourself unless you have been trained. You will continue to take the pet in every single week to have the ears cleaned, disinfected and re-taped until they stand on their own perfectly. If the tape falls off at all during the week, immediately take the pet back to the vets so you don't lose that precious groundwork. Once the ears appear to be standing perfectly on their own, the vets office will remove the tape. However, in the beginning it's common for them to stand up great for a short time after they take the tape off, but then later that day, or even a day or two one or both of the ears  start falling again. When this happens, you have to immediately take the pet back to the vets to get them taped up right away. Every dog is different in how long it will take.  Some dogs ears are standing beautifully on their own in just a few weeks, but most can take MONTHS & every once in awhile we still see families tapping upto a year old! Yes, In some cases the ears may never stand and some vet's suggest a 2nd ear crop to correct it, but rarely do those ever work either. Once the damage is done, it's extremley hard (if not nearly impossible) to correct it to how it should have been in the first place.  So yes, just like with any surgery (cosmetic or not) you always run the risk of not producing the results you wanted.

 

What Age Do You Crop Schnauzers Ears?
Each breed is different on when the "ideal" time range is to crop. The most common age range we have seen is between 8-12 weeks for the Full Size MINIATURE Schnauzer puppies. On these TOYS & TEACUP size Miniature Schnauzers, it's alot more common to see them being done around 12 weeks or older. We have been told by several veterinarians, as well as an ear cropping specialist that as long as the base of the ear is standing erect, they can do it at any age.  

 

Bad Ear Crops?
Yes, we have all seen dogs with bad ear crops. If you see a schnauzer UNDER the age of 8 weeks old then the breeder has cropped the ears themselves because NO veterinarian anywhere will do a surgery like that on a puppy UNDER 8 weeks. If the puppy is older than 8 weeks old you can just ask the breeder WHO cropped the puppies ears ( the breeder or a vet) and if they say the vet, there is nothing wrong with you asking to get the vets contact information to confirm.  PLEASE Help Stop the Abuse by NOT buying from breeders who are doing "HOME-CROPS!!" Please understand, breeders are NOT licensed Surgeons!! The majority of breeders do NOT have a medical degree, are NOT properly trained to preform surgeries, they do NOT have a surgical team,  do NOT have a sterile surgical environment in their kennel facility or home, do NOT have the appropriate surgical tools, and most importantly ~ they do NOT have anesthesia NOR are they anesthesiologist!! They are BREEDERS. So YES, that means that most of the breeders cropping their puppies ears are doing the Surgery while THE PUPPY IS AWAKE!!!!!!! They have someone force the puppy down & hold it while they hack away at the puppies ears hoping it comes out looking good. Alot of these breeders just cut the ears off using a pair of scizzors or basic kitchen knives when the puppy is just a few days to a week old!!!!!!!! YES, when done like this you bet it's an extremely bloody, messy, horribly painful traumatic experience for the puppy. The ears have so many sensitive nerve endings and bleed heavily when cut. YES the puppies are screaming, fighting & crying. Absolutely vial! Of course the breeder won't admit this for obvious reasons & some just lie and say the vet cropped the ears so they don't have to deal with the negative responses. Or they just lie to the family acting like it was some pain-free easy process that the puppy did great on. It's devastating to see breeders become so callaused. Alot of breeders will dock their own schnauzer puppies tails as well as remove their puppies dewclaws which are common procedures that even a veterinarian does Not do under anesthesia.  So to them, maybe ear cropping is probably no different. WRONG! NO NO NO NO NO veterinarian anywhere would do an ear crop surgery like the breeders!!!! It's disgusting that they would put there puppies through surgery Awake!! Again, this is NOT just us speaking, this is a well known heated World-Wide debate.  Matter of fact, ear cropping has been banned in some countries so this is a very serious topic. If your going to buy a schnauzer puppy with cropped ears, please support & buy from the breeders who are humanely having their vets do the ear cropping.

(*we want to make a special note about Crystal at Mini-Designer Puppies because she does crop her puppies ears prior to leaving and does a beautiful job!* She has been trained to use anesthesia and does have a surgical area in her kennel. So there are some breeders like her that are an exception, but most are NOT.)    

 

Where Do I Find a Veterinarian that Will Crop Ears? 
Ear Cropping is NOT just your typical "routine surgery" for most veterinarians. Matter of fact, alot of veterinarians won't even do ear cropping. As you look around for a vet just remember, each breed has their own "standard" in the way that the ears should be cropped. This means that NOT all ear crops are the same. A Pit Bulls ear crop would be significantly different then a Doberman Pinschers ear crop. It's so critical to find a vet that is comfortable and familiar with the proper ear crops for each individual breed. In a way, it's kindof a specialist field of interest. Ear cropping truly is a mastered skill, so the experience of the veterinarian is very important. If they mess up even the slightest it can ruin the entire look of the dog and there isn't anything you can do to fix it once the damage is done. You could look around for someone that DOES ear cropping on a regular bases, ESPECIALLY if they do them for "show breeders." You can google "show breeders" in your area and ask them who they recommend for ear cropping. You can also call around to several veterinarians and ask if they know of any veterinarians that do alot of show ear crops, usually a veterinarian that does something as specialized at that will get a reputation. 

 

I Heard It's The Breeders Responsibility to Crop the Ears?
Every once in awhile we get an email from a family saying they have researched ear cropping and read it's the breeders responsibility to crop their puppies ears. (if they are breeding a breed where ear cropping is common for the "standard look" such as: Affenpinschers, Manchester Terriers, Miniature Pinschers, Pit Bull Terriers, Doberman Pinschers, Boxers, Great Danes etc....and of course, Schnauzers.) What a JOKE! It's COSMETIC surgery, therefore it's an OPTIONAL surgery!!! NOT mandatory. NOT required. NOT do or die. There are NO health benefits from doing it. It's banned from many countries. It's a topic of enormous controversy with very heated debates from both sides. Countless veterinarians won't even preform the surgery for several reasons we have already mentioned.  There even seems to be more & more "Show Breeders" who do NOT want their "Show Puppies" ears cropped, as we have seen many Schnauzers with natural ears competing & even winning. So who has the galls to sit there and say it's REQUIRED for breeders and their "duty" to crop all their puppies ears prior to leaving.

    

Should I Crop My Schnauzers Ears?
That is a question only YOU can answer. With ear cropping it's almost like you will be shunned if you do and shunned if you don't. So do your research and find the answer within yourself if it's something you wish to go ahead and support or not. You will hear people shouting NO, don't do it! It's cruel, inhumane and mean. They passionately support the belief that comsetic surgery should NOT be preformed on animals. Etc... Then you will have others shouting YES, Do it! Support the Breed Standard. It's NOT cruel & inhumane IF done properly. Etc... Who do you listen to? We are not going to tell you which side of the fence to choose, That is only for YOU to decide. Just educate yourself by really listening to both sides and then determining where you stand.

As far as were do WE stand (Spoiled Rotten Schnauzers) ~ we support ear cropping ONLY if it's done in the proper manner that we have described above. WE (Spoiled Rotten Schnauzers) would NOT go to just "any" veterinarian to have ear croppings done. WE (Spoiled Rottne Schnauzers) would ONLY go to a veterinarian that has an interest in this field, tremendous amount of experience doing ear crops, does "show crops" for "show breeders", understand the different types of crops for each breed standard, and has a reputation for ethical, trustworthy, humane, and beautiful work. WE (Spoiled Rotten Schnauzers) feel this procedure should be done by someone who truly knows what they are doing, or not at all.

 

Do Your Schnauzer Puppies Come With Their Ears Cropped?
No, absoutley not.  With a topic as sensitive as ear cropping, we strongly believe that the adopting family should have the right and the final say on whether they support this procedure for Their puppy.

 

Sometimes Schnauzers ears Try to stand up on their own WITHOUT being cropped.
Here are some example photo's of how that can look.

 

♥ Spoiled Rotten Schnauzers
801-623-8555
spoiledrottenschnauzers@yahoo.com   

 

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