I think Bauer hates me!

[Crighton]

Hey..

we just had our blue boy cropped last thursday ( 11.5 weeks) ... the ear cropping went great... his ears are going to look great... our vet. Dr. Truesdale in MA gave Bauer a nice medium length crop with a nice tapered shape to them... took maybe an inch from the entire length of the ear. They still look huge on him for now...

Problem is.. he is super uncomfortable post op day 4.. he is super itchy...
he is still shaking his head like mad every few hours. ( hates the cup) Both his ears along the suture line are inflammed, swollen and red now... occassionally with some mild bleeding... ( he is on amox and rimadyl for pain) I can't get near him with peroxide because he yelps, tries to bite and freaks out... I have been dusting with powder the vet gave us several times a day while he is sleeping and have been putting neosporin on him a couple of times a day when he'll let me...

Should I stop being a wimp and get more forceful with him ?.. I am planning on cleaning thouroughly in the AM with soap and water anyway.. regardless of how big a fit he makes.
I have 7 more days to get this sorted out before the sutures come out and we start posting... Are we in for months of psychological trauma for our guy? Anybody else struggling like we are?

I want this not to be traumatic.. we are really feeling bad about this whole decision to crop.. It has not been a good experience for any of us.. feeling very guilty.

[Shamu]

I don't remember my pup's ears being inflammed or swollen after the crop, but maybe I just don't remember - it was a while ago. But make sure there is no bad smell/no infection.

But for him not letting you clean them, try with some good treats first. It's easier when 2 people are doing this; one is feeding treats while 2nd person doing the ears. I was using apples, and raw beef bones - those were my pup's favorite treats.
If that doesn't work, I would just hold the pup and clean the ears - it's better than infection! And you still have a lot of taping to do, so the pup should understand that yelping and fighting wouldn't help him.

>>I am planning on cleaning thouroughly in the AM with soap and water anyway..
I'm not sure if that's OK. I never heard about using soap with water on a stitches.

[MyDaneBaby]

11 weeks is kind of old to crop, most vets do it near 8 weeks. The older they are the more stressful it can be for them.

I would wear him out a bit, if he's not too young for Rescue Rememdy (anyone?) that may help to take the edge off. Another person with good treats is very helpful.

Are they red & inflamed because of his itching them? Make sure his nails are short & cover his ears with a sock to avoid his doing too much damage.

[lgirdhar]

I would go to vet, it's sound like an infection. My pup had the same problem. We went back to vet. Vet sprayed her years with something and in 2 days they were fine.

[lwrees72]

I would have the vet look at them to ensure you do not have an infection. I also would quit using neosporin. You want the edges to scar to give the ear lines rigidity. If there is no infection, I would start using Gold Bond powder on the ears. It will help keep them dry and should help reduce the itchiness.

Good luck. Post a pic, when you get a chance.

PS. Do not clean with soap and water. You are supposed to keep stitches dry.

[Crighton]

Just an update for everyone..

Bauer had his sutures out last tuesday.. the vet tech did our first posting... which he managed to shake off (nearly) by thursday..

Did my first attempt at posting friday morning.. we cleaned his ears as best we could and reposted... they are actually standing pretty well... so far... the drift off to the sides when he is resting.. but seems to be able to keep them upright pretty well.. gives us hope that maybe we won't be posting too many months.. Yeah..

here is a pic.. what do you think..
He is about 13 weeks old..

[saharadane]

Do NOT use peroxide on the raw edges. Peroxide destroys tissues. I have seen terrible ears resulting from using it.

Leave them alone and allow them to heal. Don't wash them or put anything on them. Just keep the pup out of the dirt in a clean enviornment.

[Meatos]

Ears are looking good!! The one ear appears to be leaning inwards but that could just be the photo angle.

Scarlett's stood really well after the crop and while I did tape until 6.5mos, it was really nice that the tips never drooped so I didn't feel discouraged when taping. I hope it's the same for you...seeing a nice result every time you take the tapes down is a really good incentive to keep taping!