cspell

My dobe is 6 months old and one of her ears refuses to stand. It bends down just above the base of her ear. She has a bad reaction to tape. Last time my vet taped both ears flat on top her head and her skin got infected and took forever to heal. I feel bad taping them up. Any suggestions on helping her ear stand? I don't want to damage it. I have tried the breathe right strips and it does seem to help but not quite enough.

crxman321

I'd have to see a picture of the ears to really say what I think you Should do. Iv'e never ever heard anything about a dog having a bad reaction to tape. I'm assuming you didnt get your puppy from a reputable breeder. Breathe right strips wouldnt help if half the upper ear is bending down. Its not uncommon for one ear to be weaker then the other add that with poor Tapeing and its a Disaster for you and the dog. Keep tapeing and ask someone besides your vet if you think hes half the problem. I know when I got my first dobe from a BYB this was my problem. If only I would of known people up the road from me had been raising european dobes and could tape ears in their sleep it would of saved me alot of problems. Most bybs ask anywhere from $300- $600 and $750 with ears cropped for a unhealthy nightmare. To get a real dobe temperment/looks that way is pretty much impossible.

StarlaineK9

At six months old you can get that ear to stand but you have to be diligent at taping. That means ONLY talke the ears down to change the tapes then put then right up again. You must do this for at least a month straight.

You did not mention if the other ear is standing ok? I assume it is but is it standing correctly? If so you only have to do the one ear. I suggest go back to the breathe right strips if you do not want to do the full ear tape. You must keep that ear up....for every minute you let it flop you are setting yourself backwards. I use two strips if the ear needs extra support....cut off the wide part at each end and make the strip one narrow piece. You should be able to get two of them on the ear that way. You can also run a piece of tape around the ear after the strips are on around the part that is weak to add extra support. Thay should hold the ear up yet be comfortable for the dog. Remember you must be diligent and not let that ear droop....keep taping for at least a month if not 6 weeks.

Send pics if you can....I might be able to help pyou further if I can see what you are dealing with.

Good luck

Elaine

Julie W

If you want ears to stand they HAVE to be posted until they are done. If you leave them down between postings and let them fall you are either 1: vastly increasing the amount of time they will need to be posted or 2: ruining them forever so they will never stand. At 6 months old you should still have time if it's not just completely floppy to get them up in posts again. If you can't use tape I know I saw somebody on here use vet wrap. Others will be along shortly I'm sure to give you different materials to use as I've never had one that couldn't have tape.

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Dobemom2b

The only thing I can suggest is to try the torbot glue and the foam pipe insulation cut and glued inside the ear.

Is it the glue on the tape? You might try looking for a tape that has no latex in it, if it is a latex allergy the top suggestion should be avoided since it is latex. The only other thing I can think of is to try putting a layer gauze over the ear itself before putting the tape on, but then most backtape the post so you still need a non latex tape. Masking tape I have heard can be used, it isnt very durable and has to be redone every couple of days, not sure if it would present the same allergy problem.

Sorry I can't help more, I have a posting problem myself because my pups ears were cut at 8 weeks but not posted till almost 20. I still have issues with them pulling to the inside when hyper focused, especially the right one breaks at the base and folds in on top of his head when he is being walked and gets very excited. He may have some pockets still but mostly he has ears that are almost flat instead of a curve that would support the shape of a pricked ear.

Good Luck!

Add
There is also a paper medical tape but again if its the glue thats the problem that may not help much. Be careful with vet wrap it can and will tighten after its put on.

StarlaineK9

Some dogs do react to the tape....rare but it happens. Usually though it is a staph infection on the head and ears not the tape.

Breath right strips will help if done correctly but I agree it would help to see what you are dealing with......

Sometimes dogs have heavy ear leather that makes it harder to get the ears up....a slight shortening of the ear (recrop) is sometimes just enough to cause the ear to stand. That is a last resort however, so keep taping for now....at 6 months old it is not uncommon to have these ear issues.

Regards,
Elaine

StarlaineK9

If you use anything stretchy make sure you DO NOT get it too tight. If you cut off the circulation on the ear tip you will loose it.

Regards,
Elaine

Murreydobe

If you want to avoid posting methods using tape, you might try using molefoam instead of breath rite strips-this provides more support for the entire ear than a breathe rite strip.

Molefoam can be found in the foot care section, it's made by Dr. Scholl..make sure you get molefoam and NOT moleskin.

Take a sheet of the molefoam and cut it on the diagonal, so you have two triangles. Each of the triangles then are clued into an ear, using Skin Bond to attach them. This also has the advantage of nothing being put into the ear canal. The directions I found said to put a piece of tape on the very top and bottom of the molefoam "props", but you probably can skip that step.

Note: it's NOT a good idea to use this method with puppies in the beginning stages of ear posting. You need a rounded post to start off with to make sure the ear gets shaped correctly. Using molefoam too soon will result in a flat ear.

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CH. Birchrun Who's On First, aka Razzle
Foxfire N KO Simply Madness WAC, aka Connor

dobesanddragons

6 months old isn't too late to get that ear up. Keep posting. It isn't ready for breathe rights. You mentioned something about your vet...is the vet the ones that posted the ears up to this point? Or have you?

You have to keep posting. Check out the link Kratty posted to help you learn how to post or try to find a reputable Doberman breeder near you to help you with this problem. It is a good one. Here are some other links:
http://www.dpca.org/BreedEd/ears1.htm
http://www.rockytopboxers.com/Earwraps.html
Some use tampons, some use paper towel rolls, some use backer rod. The type of tape you choose to use is important, it shouldn't hurt the ears. J&J Sports take is a good one. You can also put small thin pieces of paper towel with antibiotic under the tape if you have a small sore that needs to heal. The key is small. If the ears are infected, smelling, they need to air out before you do anything.

Keep up with the posting and know you can get them to stand! Don't feel bad about posting, done properly and with the right materials, it isn't painful & doesn't bother the puppy at all.

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If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything -- Unknown

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crxman321

heck no its not uncommon I had a Diaster on my hands lol Theirs so many diff looking crops I'm not sure if I understand so I'd rather see a pic. But keep Tapeing and dont let them hang around to long between postings. My problem was I was so worried about hurting the dog and making her uncomfortable that I kinda screwed it up before I even started. And my vet grrrr well thats another conversation.