Just a little advice please?

[pbnjahmz]

Hey all!

So it's been quite a while since I have posted on this forum. We recently brought in a new companion Dane to our household. Our older Dane is doing wonderful with him..so far! LOL. He is a wonderful addition & has the perfect temperament that fits our household, as well as older Dane.

Our concern is:
He is 12 weeks old & we opted to have him cropped (just like our older Dane). He was cropped 2 weeks ago (at a very experienced vet [according to my research & word of mouth] that has been doing ear crops since the late '70's). I moved to a completely different state from where I had my older Dane, Athena, cropped.. so even before we decided to bring him home we did plenty of research on (ear crop) vets in the area, and came to a decision
Anyways, the cup was removed along with the sutures yesterday (fyi, this is at our normal vet NOT the ear crop vet which is a few hours away). He had an excessive amount of bleeding at the tip, where it looked as if part of the skin had came off along with the stitch (if that makes sense). I was concerned, vet of course was not. Said to clean with warm water & peroxide & keep it clean & dry. As we got home, being me, I scooped him up & examined again. I noticed it has swelled up pretty badly. The scab is forming now but it just looks terrible. I wanted some opinions on what you all thought. Is it normal? Ok, & other than that, I did further examination & it looks like the ears are NOT symmetrical to each other. As in the one with the bad tip looks wider than the other. I am pretty furious at this. I didn't shop around for a cheap vet, I shopped around for experience. In the office I felt comfortable & believed I had made the right decision with the vet.. Now I am not so sure.

Sorry for this being an essay. I would just like a few opinions. I feel terrible & hopeless. This isn't my first crop & I'm just freaking out a little. Just wanted some opinions before taking Loki to a new vet for a second opinion.

Sorry for the horrible pictures.. it doesn't look as bad in person. I just attached the pictures of the real bad tip, the other ear is fine. Also, I do NOT know why they didn't shave the hair on the ears.

Thank you,

[oceanbluedanes]

Might need some better pictures before I can say much. Based on these pics, I'd say it "looks" necrotic. But I doubt it's really that bad...

Just keep it clean and watch close for infection (smell it).

When do you go back in to get checked? Also is he on antibiotics?

[TMedic37]

After you went to your own vet did you contact the vet who did the cropping and ask all of these questions?

It sounds like you're kind of doubting their knowledge anyways but perhaps they could give you some answers (ie. why the ear wasn't shaved). I know they got shaved at our clinic when I worked at one. Did they free-hand the crop?

That ear tip sure does look sore:S

[pbnjahmz]

I'll take better pictures.. I think my flash made the picture look worse than it does.

Also, I did give the crop vet a call yesterday. The vet that does the ear crop is retired and was not available :/ the office staff I spoke with told me they were going to give the vet a call with my concerns & would return my call. Havent heard back yet so thought I'd try to get a few opinions here.

I was afraid it looked necrotic which is why I posted this. Its very scabbed over. Loki seems to be doing just fine & I have been keeping an eye on him to correct his head shaking. I've been keeping it clean & dry. I couldnt tell how the tips looked when they were up in the cup & was completely surprised by what I saw yesterday.

Thank you,

[lwrees72]

Might need some better pictures before I can say much. Based on these pics, I'd say it "looks" necrotic. But I doubt it's really that bad...

Just keep it clean and watch close for infection (smell it).

When do you go back in to get checked? Also is he on antibiotics?

Agreed. Looks like the tape to the cup was too tight and cut off circulation to the tip.

[pbnjahmz]

Added more pictures.

Might need some better pictures before I can say much. Based on these pics, I'd say it "looks" necrotic. But I doubt it's really that bad...

Just keep it clean and watch close for infection (smell it).

When do you go back in to get checked? Also is he on antibiotics?

Sorry, I missed your questions. My vet told me to just keep a good eye on the site & to keep it clean & dry. She also said should there become any strange drainage or smell to bring him in right away. So Loki doesn't have a set appointment to go back into the vet to get it rechecked. Also, he is taking Clavamox.

I've been keeping an eye on it, & smelling it regularly. There is no other smell to it, other than the metallic smell of blood. Is that normal? I've also been cleaning it as my vet advised.

I've attached a few new pictures (yes, some tape is still glued nicely to his ears :/). First & second pic is from last night; third pic is shortly after I took the first & second pic.. I realized that the scab had fallen off as I was putting his cone back on; fourth & fifth pic is just from this morning

[oceanbluedanes]

These pics show living tissue so I don't think it's necrotic.

Continue cleaning and watching. Glad to hear he's on antibiotics. I think it should heal up.

What I would worry most about now is severe scarring. Once it's healed (no more scab) I would put vitamin E on it daily to help minimize scarring.

[RottenVonSpotten]

The original two pictures look necrotic to me, but the newer ones don't. Either way, it looks pretty painful.

I would never recommend using peroxide. It's a tissue irritant and does not promote healing. A warm washcloth gently once a day to remove any scabs that are large or starting to buckle the edge is usually enough. If you keep antibiotic ointment on the edges the scabs will come off easier too.

Just because a vet has been cropping for decades, does not make them a cropping artist. Personally, I would not be happy with that crop and would be on phone letting the vet know my feelings.

[pbnjahmz]

The original two pictures look necrotic to me, but the newer ones don't. Either way, it looks pretty painful.

I would never recommend using peroxide. It's a tissue irritant and does not promote healing. A warm washcloth gently once a day to remove any scabs that are large or starting to buckle the edge is usually enough. If you keep antibiotic ointment on the edges the scabs will come off easier too.

Just because a vet has been cropping for decades, does not make them a cropping artist. Personally, I would not be happy with that crop and would be on phone letting the vet know my feelings.

Thank you!

I've never used peroxide for any wounds but I just did as my vet advised. I've only used the peroxide on him when the scab hasn't formed over, I mainly just use warm water as well as an antibiotic ointment

I am not happy with the crop, or how it turned out & I understand what you mean about a vet (even one that has decades of experience) possibly not being a cropping artist. I simply chose a vet that was recommended to me, as well as what other owners experiences were. There are pros & cons to everything. I just happened to have a bad experience. I'm trying to look at this as positively as I can. I still haven't heard back from the vet himself, but I will be giving him (as well as the office) another call with my complaints (if that's the right word to use). This battle isn't over just yet.

If Loki's tip isn't necrotic, I don't know if I could put him through another surgery just to get it fixed/evened out.. I will & I do love him regardless, but the vet should fix this issue somehow & like I said, they haven't heard the end from me.

I'll keep you all updated on his progress & what I hear back from the vet.

Thank you!

[oceanbluedanes]

Oh dear, I was on my phone before and didn't see your signature pic...

At this stage, I would seriously consider getting them redone/fixed. He is young and will recover well, you can still salvage this crop. But you would need the right vet to do it... I know of the perfect doctor, but he's in North Carolina so that probably wouldn't work for you. And I would ONLY attempt a fix with the right doctor, NOT the same one who screwed him up.

I wish Dane croppers had to have a special license to do croppings, have to prove their skill somehow, so they couldn't mess up beautiful Danes...

Who does your breeder use and why didn't they help direct you in this?

[HarlequinHorror]

Ditto on what oceanblue said.. they are not a dane crop, they are perfectly long but far too much bell (I think that's what it's called - too wide).. If you wish to have it fixed do NOT go back to the same vet.

[oceanbluedanes]

Ditto on what oceanblue said.. they are not a dane crop, they are perfectly long but far too much bell (I think that's what it's called - too wide).. If you wish to have it fixed do NOT go back to the same vet.

The bell is the 'wider' and rounded part at the base of the ear. Bells are supposed to be the widest part of the ear and they will vary from dog to dog, cropper to cropper, and from one style/preference to another.

This crop not only has too much bell, but it is also too wide all the way up the length of the ear. A nice Dane crop will typically taper from the bell to the tip, some prefer a straight cut while others prefer a subtle little curve just before the tip. This crop is straight and wide. Easily fixable, but only by the right doctor...

[pbnjahmz]

If you guys are referring to the Dane in my signature.. That's my older Dane, Athena, as a 4 month old. LOL

Are her ears badly done too? I thought they turned out fine. I've attached a couple pics of her from this year.

The last pic is of Loki. Sorry to confuse you all.

Thank you all for the responses, I will be on the phone first thing tomorrow morning with the vet himself (hopefully) speaking of my concerns & how I feel the outcome of the crop is. Should I get his crop redone, it most definitely wouldn't be with him.

[kayla baxter]

They look much better as an adult, but would still be considered too wide for a dane crop. For comparison, my harl boy also has a wider crop while my fawn pup has a nice show crop:

[oceanbluedanes]

I agree with Kayla, they do look better as an adult but are still not what I would consider a good Dane crop.

But if you like them, who cares? I will admit I have seen much worse on a Dane.

Get us a good picture of the baby's ears and we can tell you more... Sorry, I thought your siggy was the baby.