Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Nervous new mom!!!

Collapse
X
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Nervous new mom!!!

    Hi I am the proud new owner of a 9 week old black Great Dane. We want to crop his ears and we made the vet appt for Tom morning I am freaking out because the vet just told me that he CANT be around my 4 year old chihuahua or at LEAST 2 weeks I don't know how I am going to keep
    To have that be possible! Also I was wondering about the healing process he is so playful and clumsy I am so worried he won't heal and will mess up the bandages. Anyone able to share their experiences with what to expect? How long until they are back to normal?

  • #2
    After the initial surgery bandages come off from the crop they need to be changed every other day until the stitches come out. Usually 10-14 days from surgery.

    That is ONLY THE BEGINNING! After the stitches come out you have to start taping and posting until the ears stand. That means he is constantly taped (change tape every 4-5 days) for anywhere from 4 MONTHS to 2 YEARS depending on the length of the crop and the leather of his ears. During this time you really can't leave his ears down for any extended amount of time or you will ruin the progress. If you aren't prepared for a long term commitment, don't crop!

    You need to do a lot of research on taping. Taping wrong can cause complications. My breeder told me about someone who taped one of her pups too tightly and he ended up losing most of his ear. There are tons of good youtube videos demonstrating. Just google Great Dane ear taping. I am using the pipe insulation method which is working well. It's less cumbersome than the cup method and less flimsy than tampon applicator posts.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    sigpic
    Dane Mom: Beauregard (M) 25 Weeks

    Comment


    • #3
      What!!!! All the vets I talked to said 1 month to 6 months and the process would be done and they all said they haven't seen it take 6 months I am so confused I have a chihuahua also and I can't keep them apart so I don't know how it's possible!


      Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by murpheyhannah View Post
        What!!!! All the vets I talked to said 1 month to 6 months and the process would be done and they all said they haven't seen it take 6 months

        Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
        Danes have longer and heavier ears than a lot of dogs that get cropped - boxers, dobies, ect. The amount of time in tape depends on the length and type of the crop and the genetics of the dog.

        Crops come in different lengths and types. There are "Pet Crops" Which are wider and preserve most of the "bell" of the ear - this wide bell base makes them stand more quickly. You can get a Short Pet Crop or a Long Pet Crop or somewhere in between. There are also "Show Crops" - short, medium, and long - which cut down the bell of the ear to narrow it. Also a short show crop is going to be longer than a long pet crop, generally speaking. If you are getting him a really short "pet" crop it will take less time. (But super short pet crops don't really look very good on Danes IMHO.)

        Ask around the forum, there are definitely people here with long show crops still taping after 18 months!

        Mine has a medium show crop (on the shorter side of medium) I'm hoping his will stand soon. He's been in tape for a little over 6 weeks so far. Everyone who I've talked to says his ears are standing very quickly for his crop type. His will stand for about an hour or 2 but then they begin to droop and need to go back up. I'm betting on at the very least another full month with him in tape. I've been told that once they get to his stage, leaving them down for too long after they droop can "crack" or "break" the cartilage and make it much harder and take a lot longer to get a permanent stand.

        Please read thru all the taping discussion on this board. 3-4 months seems to be about the shortest average time to permanent standing. Of course there are outliers - I'm sure someone somewhere taped their puppy for 2 weeks and had a miracle stand, but don't count on it happening for you!

        Originally posted by murpheyhannah View Post
        I am so confused I have a chihuahua also and I can't keep them apart so I don't know how it's possible!
        You won't have to keep them apart for very long - I'm guessing the vet is just worried about the chihuahua pulling out his stitches. They are in for under 2 weeks, so you will probably only have to keep them apart for that amount of time. After that, they are healed and they are only in tape to train them to stand. At that point they won't be hurting him anymore and he will be used to the tape and it won't be a big deal.

        I'm not going to lie to you. Taping is a pain in the ass. Especially the first few weeks because his little ears are so tender and its heartbreaking to hear them yelp when you are removing tape or squeeze too tight. You need a lot of patience and it helps to have another person helping until you get the process down.
        Last edited by -moppet-; 12-12-2013, 11:10 PM.
        sigpic
        Dane Mom: Beauregard (M) 25 Weeks

        Comment


        • #5
          Yep. Unless you're prepared for a long process don't crop. Zephyr's crop is too wide for my taste, it makes him look like bat dog sometimes, but they were standing by the time he was 5 1/2 months. Riddle has a much nicer crop but he was 9 1/2 months when his were finished. He has a brother who was cropped by the same vet who is still being taped and they'll be two in March.
          Does this vet know dane crops? They're very different from am staff, boxer, etc crops. Have you seen pictures of their work? I will always have cropped dogs, but I'd take the wonkiest natural ears over a bad crop any day.
          See the difference?
          Zephyr CGN, RE, TT- crazy harlequin
          Divine Acres Riddle Me This- regal fawn

          http://thegrownups.ca/ on life and (not) growing up.

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by murpheyhannah View Post
            What!!!! All the vets I talked to said 1 month to 6 months and the process would be done and they all said they haven't seen it take 6 months I am so confused I have a chihuahua also and I can't keep them apart so I don't know how it's possible!


            Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
            Are these vets experienced with GREAT DANE cropping? It's a whole different ball game than other breeds. I prefer natural ears (and in some countries it is actually illegal to crop). However, I can appreciate a well done crop on a Dane. That's the problem though - if you dont have the crop done right it will not look good with their head, if you dont tape & post the right way and for long enough they will not stand. If you arent willing to put in the time (4 month to 2 years) then dont crop.
            "I don’t care if a dog is 150 pounds or 10 pounds, and whether the issue is leash manners or biting visitors. There are no dogs who need a heavier hand—there are only trainers who need more knowledge and a lighter touch." Suzanne Clothier
            sigpic
            Rocky & Emma
            Follow our adventures at
            www.instagram.com/spottedangels

            Comment


            • #7
              Have you seen Dane crops this vet has done? Did you bring in pictures and your pup and discuss what you wanted done? You have to research the whole process and the most important part is getting a vet who does good crops, nothing looks worse than a hack job and he will have it for life! The taping which can take a year or more at worst case. Personally I'm a little concerned that you have no way to keep two dogs apart, what would happen if one gets sick or injured? What do you do when you are gone?

              Comment


              • #8
                I did not keep my puppy away from my other dogs after his crop. Not sure why that is a requirement? Mine was fine. I also agree with making absolutely SURE your vet has done Dane crops and maybe seeing pictures. Ask if he removes part of the "bell" of the ear (that is the main part that makes Dane crops look terrible, in my opinion.) because he should. The crop should be long and narrower. The longer the ear, the longer it takes to stand. A medium pet crop may stand quicker (6-7 months old done with taping) but it doesn't look as nice as a longer crop which will take longer to tape. Also, once you get the hang of taping it isn't so bad, but you really have to be devoted to it or you can really mess it up. And a crop flop is much worse than uncropped any day.
                ~ Lisa & Rupert

                Comment


                • #9
                  Just like everyone has already said cropping and then the aftercare /taping can take a long time and sometimes the ear never stands or not fully. It is a big commitment to do a crop.
                  I would definitely not have a vet do a crop on my Dane pup if they aren't experienced in cropping Danes. I would want to see their work and get references before hand. I also would want someone to show me how to tape correctly and care for the ears. I would learn as much as possible before going ahead with a crop.
                  I have had Danes cropped in the past and love the look of a nicely done crop with that said my current Danes have been left natural
                  sigpic
                  Dale AKC CGC Evaluator
                  Associate Member GDCNE
                  Member GSPCA
                  Member NAVHDA
                  Member Central Maine Kennel Club
                  High Hopes Great Danes & German Shorthairs

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I got 2 great danes at once, and cropped both at the same time. You just have to be diligent and watch them. Mine chew on each others ears alot, but they are getting better at behaving. I also know. that when my pit bull was alive, he would lick my great danes ears after a crop. Not sure if that kept them clean or what..but the puppy enjoyed the soothing licks. I never had one infection either. I think your vet is over paranoid in my honest opinion. Bandages will come off alot that first few weeks after a crop..you just gotta tape em back up. It's alot of work to crop and post..alot! Be prepared, get lots of tape, as you will run out. Not sure what method of posting you are using either, but get lots of pipe insulation, or backer rod etc..u will want to clean those ears alot as well, and use fresh stuff.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      thanks for all the help!

                      guys thanks soooooo much for all the help!!!!!! i did take him to a vet that i was comfortable with and once i sat down and talked to him (for almost 2 hours) i was told i am too much of a type A personality and was freaking myself out. he did great in surgery and when he came home he was awesome he didnt even seem to care about the block on his head until it started itching and then he tore the stitch out of both ears but thankfully he was already healed for the most part so it didnt do any damage. as for him and my chihuahua being apart i couldnt do it they love to play with each other so i just watched them 24/7 and they did fine he went and had his stitches fully removed and was in tape for only a week and a half before he ripped it off and when i took him back to the vet to have it retaped he said they looked fine?!?!?! so we are giving them a trial week to see if they stay up and look ok and if not he said he will tape them but in his opinion they were good. IMG_1235[1].jpg

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        In the picture the pup's ear looks great. It seems it only took a little over a month, maybe another few weeks if they start to bend or fold.

                        In reading your original post, I thought your anxiety over the procedure was way too exaggerated. My experience is similar to yours but also think my experience was much better because I had no problem with scratching or the ears being very irritable. I also did 2 pups at one time and 2 singularly. I had the vet's office do the taping once a week. It helps alot when the vet and vet's techs are experienced. The experiece of the taper makes a difference in the length of time to get the ears to stand.

                        Comment

                        Working...
                        X