12 Apr Ears Cropping In Dogs

When you walk alone or with your dog on the street, some dogs’ ears may catch your attention. Usually, dogs with sharp ears attract a lot of attention. But have you ever wondered why these dogs’ ears are so sensitive? What are its reasons? Is it natural for dogs to have pointed ears, or does cropping cause it? What are the advantages and disadvantages of ear cropping by surgery? How to crop a dog’s ears? You will find the answers to the above questions by reading this article. So, you will learn more about how to cut a dog’s ears, its reasons, disadvantages, and benefits.

Are dogs’ ears naturally sharp?

This question has no definite answer because the dog’s ear model depends on his breed. Some breeds, such as Husky, Shiba Inu, Australian Cattle, Samoyed, Australian Kelpie, Chihuahua, and Welsh Corgi, naturally have sharp and triangular ears. Other species, such as retrievers, bull mastiffs, Alabai, bloodhounds, etc., have flap or drooping ears. A dog’s ears can be surgically shaped into a sharp, triangular shape. Unfortunately, most dogs with pointy ears have undergone ear-cropping surgery. 

How to crop a dog’s ears?

Ear cropping in dogs is a procedure in which all or part of the ear is cut off (usually two-thirds of the dog’s ear is cut off). The cropped part of the dog’s ear is stitched and often glued to the remaining ear vertically to give it a sharp and vertical shape. After cutting the dog’s ear, they give it a triangular shape. The length of treatment for this operation is two to four months, depending on the dog’s physical condition. The younger the dog, the faster he will recover. This operation isn’t harrowing if done at the right age. But if it’s done wrongly by a person, it’s a complex and painful operation for the dog.

Reasons for cropping a dog’s ears

As mentioned earlier, the reason for cropping a dog’s ears is usually not the treatment but the dog’s beauty according to people’s standards! So the answer to the question, “Is it good to crop a dog’s ears?” It’s definitely “no”. The beauty and increasing violence of the dog’s face isn’t the only reason for cropping the dog’s ears. Also, people crop the ears of dogs for these reasons, especially in Boston Terrier, Boxer, Schnauzer, Pit Bull, American Bully, Doberman Pinscher, etc. breeds:

The wild and scary appearance of the dog

Guard dog owners want to create a scary and wild look for their dogs. The hanging two-thirds of the dog’s ears are cut off (usually with a knife) and tied vertically to make this look.

No harm to dogs

One of the common reasons for people to crop their dog’s ears is so that the dog’s ear doesn’t get stuck and damaged during fighting, hunting and running on thorns, tree branches, etc. Also, since wolves usually bite and injure the ears of dogs to attack and knock down the dog, cropping the ear helps to reduce the damage to the dog. Another misconception was that dogs don’t get rabies after their ears are cropped.

Increasing the speed of the dog and winning the race

The absence of hanging ears in dogs increases their rate of action and movement. On the other hand, in competitions and fights, they crop their ears to avoid damage to the dog’s ears and win the battles.

Improving hearing

The misconception of some people who tried to crop their dog’s ears was that hanging ears prevent hearing and make the dog less alert. They were thought to have superior hearing than normal-eared dogs because they could more easily turn their ears toward the sound. Today, it has been proven that the hearing of dogs depends on their breed, and the position of the ears has no effect on it. Therefore, they crop the dog’s ears to be more accurate to the sounds.

Dog health and cleanliness

The older ones, who usually didn’t care about their dog’s cleanliness, used to relieve themselves and crop the dog’s ears to prevent dog ear infections. Although a dog’s floppy ear can increase the chance of infection, it isn’t the leading cause. Also, unprincipled ear cropping can cause disease. In general, cropping the dog’s ears doesn’t affect the absence of ear infections. To prove this, experiments were conducted on dogs, and the rate of ear infections was measured in those with cropped ears and later generations that had not. According to statistics, the rate of dog ear infections didn’t increase in the following generations. So, cleaning your dog’s ears is the best way to prevent ear infections.

Advantages and disadvantages of cropping a dog’s ears

According to veterinarians, cutting a dog’s ears is useless, except when there are tumours or glands in the ears! Ear cropping for dogs is an act full of harm and has no other use except for beauty. Interestingly, it’s illegal to crop a dog’s ears in many countries, and veterinarians aren’t allowed to do it.

Lack of emotions

One of the ways that dogs express their feelings and show that they are interested in you is by wagging their ears. The dog’s body language reminds his owner of many concepts. Dogs shake their ears when they have itchy ears, bacterial infections, earaches, etc. When the dog’s ears are cropped, the dog can’t express and satisfy his needs. When you cut the dog’s ears, you prevent the expression of the dog’s natural feelings and needs.

Risks of surgery

All surgeries are dangerous for the dog because the dog is under general or local anaesthesia. Anaesthesia in the long term has terrible consequences for the dog. If the surgery isn’t performed correctly, it leads to various infections and the development of dog diseases after the operation. As the condition progresses, it sometimes leads to the complete loss of the dog’s ear. Also, one of the risks after dog surgery is pain and discomfort afterwards.

Trauma at a young age

It’s usually recommended that a dog’s ears be cropped when he’s less than a year old. When the dog is small, he’s learning from his surroundings, and when he undergoes surgery, he experiences trauma and fear. The presence of trauma in the dog’s brain causes constant stress. This trauma makes the dog wait for a scary and painful surgery all the time his life.

Effect of Cropping a Dog’s Ears

 Cropping a dog’s ears is full of damage and complications, which can have many risks for the dog, even in the primary and surgical mode in the veterinary clinic. If the dog’s ears are a crop in an evil way and with a knife or scissors, it causes:

• Severe pain and bleeding in the dog’s ear
• Infection
• Damage to the dog’s hearing

They are possible injuries. And even if an expert veterinary surgeon performs the puppy’s ear cropping surgery, these complications will threaten the dog:

• Pain and bleeding after surgery
• Infection
• Allergy or complications from anaesthesia

If the infection spreads and worsens, it can force the veterinarian to remove the ear altogether, which is a severe and problematic operation! Usually performed for beauty, this operation isn’t compatible with dog protection laws and shouldn’t be performed except in acute treatment cases.

Necessary care after cropping the dog’s ears 

To take care of your dog after cropping the ears, you need to observe some points:

• First of all, don’t do this for beauty.
• To perform surgery to crop the puppy’s ear, be sure to do it when the dog is younger. The best time to cut a puppy’s ears is 3 to 7 days old. When the ear heals quickly, there’s less bleeding, pain and the possibility of infection.
• Don’t use a knife or scissors yourself, and leave the work to professionals.
• Using a bandage and ear dressing for three weeks after the operation helps the wound to heal better and the dog to move.
• Keep the wound clean because this place is prone to spawning and the establishment of flies.
• Give the dog prescribed painkillers and antibiotics regularly and carefully; buying a dog multivitamin and using it can also help improve the dog’s immune system.
• After 10 to 14 days, when it’s time to remove the stitches, take the dog to the vet. Overstaying stitches cause swelling, pain, bruising and inflammation.

The best time for ears cropping

Usually, among breeders and dog owners, cropping the ears is done at certain ages. In most cases, dogs’ ears are cropped from eight to ten months of age. 

To wrap up

Performing cosmetic surgeries on animals is one of the violations of animal rights, which is unfortunately very common, and people ignore its disadvantages. As much as cropping the ears makes the dog look beautiful, it’s dangerous for his health. If you are in charge of a dog, never do this without reason and for the sake of beauty, and be kind to your beloved friend. To have a healthy and lively dog, you must pay attention to nutrition, activity, health, grooming, etc. In all these steps, you can count on the specialised team of MishkaGrooming. Our experienced and precise groomers have carefully and accurately groomed your dogs so they count the moments before the next session.