So I posted a couple of weeks back because Bonzai had just had his ears cropped and would not stop itching/ scratching the cup on his head! We tried everything to get him to stop, and then my husband noticed that if he looked under the cup, on Bonzai's right ear, the cup was actually digging into his head We took it off and there was a sore there - obviously itchy!
Well we took him in to get his stitches out, and the vet decided to not post yet to let the sores heal. After a couple of days of applying Neosporin it healed nicely so we went back to have his ears posted. That was this past Friday.
Now he will NOT stop shaking/ scratching his posts! He takes a few steps and has to stop and rub his head on the ground, or scratch. I think one of those sores may be forming on the OTHER side now - right where his natural fold is. This is also (pretty much) the spot where the bridge meets - on top of his head.
I hesitate to take down the posts since it's only been a couple of days, and the vet is 1.5 hrs away. I know I could do it myself, but he really rigged it up with a LOT of tape, IMO. Plus, he's the professional.
Can I just cut out the spot in the tape where it's rubbing? I would have just done this, but I wasn't sure if the natural fold had to be taped. Has anyone else dealt with these "sores"? It's like the tape (and the cup previously) is rubbing him raw and then a sore has formed poor guy!
If he is super persistent something is irritating his ear. The longer you wait to take them down, the higher the chance of sores and you going longer without posting as they heal.
It could be a number of things. Too much tape. Posts too wide. Posts not in the ear properly. You won't know until you take them down.
OK that settles it. The vet told me to use a bunch of baby oil take all the stuff off - is this the best option to use? I do trust the vet, but he strikes me as sort of old fashioned.
I'll be happy to get some baby oil, but if there is a different or better solution to take tape off, I could get that as well
Also, I know that when re taping, to go with the natural fold of the ear, but is it critical to go all the way down to the base of the ear, where the fold meets the top of his head? This is where our problems seem to be. Maybe I could go a little higher?
Pics to come He's getting so big - and even though we are still biting up a storm, his affection side is really coming through now! It's so fun to watch him develop and grow - I just wish it didn't happen so quickly!
OK that settles it. The vet told me to use a bunch of baby oil take all the stuff off - is this the best option to use? I do trust the vet, but he strikes me as sort of old fashioned.
Any kind of oil works--mineral oil, wesson oil, baby oil...but if you are going to be posting the ears yourself there are things that work better; UniSolve by Smith & Nephews is specifically for removing stuff stuck to skin with adhesive tape (ie colostomy bags in humans). I've had pharmacies order it for me and I know you can get it via Amazon and I order it and other ear posting supplies (skin glue like Torbot or Osteobond) from a company called Allegro--I do it in batches when they have free or cheap shipping deals.
I'll be happy to get some baby oil, but if there is a different or better solution to take tape off, I could get that as well
Also, I know that when re taping, to go with the natural fold of the ear, but is it critical to go all the way down to the base of the ear, where the fold meets the top of his head? This is where our problems seem to be. Maybe I could go a little higher?
Usually if you don't start taping from the skull you'll have probems with the puppy popping the post out of the base of the ear. But it actually depends on how the ear was cropped so you'll have to experiment.
But you also said that it looked like there was a sore forming when the bridge met the post and wondered if you could just cut that out so it didn't rub. I'd try that first--if the bridge tape rubs it can cause a sore (and discomfort) and the puppy will keep trying to get the posts/bridge (the irritant) off/out.
IF you are going to use a bridge it should be just above the top of the skull--that way it doesn't have chance to rub. But except for the first two or three postings on puppies cropped young with long show crops I usually don't use bridges.
And professional or not some vets who are great croppers aren't particularly skilled at posting ears. Most often for a vet that does a lot of cropping the ear posting is done by the techs or assistants. No one has a bigger vested interest in making sure the posting is done correctly and that it isn't making the puppy so uncomfortable that he won't leave the ears alone than you.
I use more tape than some people but that's because I don't like posting just two or three rings of tape (bottom, middle and top or just bottom and top) on the post. I prefer posting with a single layer of tape from base to tip--but that's kind of like not doing bridges--it's a preference. And I've seen stuff posted by vets (and assistants) that has enough tape on it to post an entire litter much less just one poor puppy.
Good luck--keep asking questions if you need help--when it comes to ears there are lots of members who will always help.
Well, I took the posts off, and I'm glad I did. The sores weren't too bad, but I'm really glad we didn't just leave it for the full 10 days! They had this glue on the post to get it to stick in the ear and DANG that stuff is sticky!! I'm doing my best with baby oil to work it out, but hopefully over night it can work itself off a little more!
Thanks so much, again, and I'm SURE I will have more questions as we go along!! Luckily, he's a (pretty) good sport and doesn't freak out too much like I last boy use to.
Hopefully this getting sores thing won't continue, or we're in for a fun couple of months!
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