kimmy80

When we had Luck's ears cropped, he came out of surgery with one perfect ear and one needing some help.

We have been taping it up and having problems with him getting it off or it not staying up, the way we would like. So we would have to re-do it.
he ended up with an ear infection, so we had to lay off it for awhile. Now he seems all better. My question is, do u think it would be better to tape them both up and bridge it over the top or just keep doing the one ear by its self?

Another question is: Is it a bone or a muscle that helps the ear stand erect?
The vet say muscle, but I have heard other stories...

Thanks

reddobes

It is okay to tape up just one ear, but some dogs will bother it more because it is "off balance". I don't use a brace between the 2 ears, but some do. If you do it is VERY important not to have it be too tight as this can cause a pocket at the base of the ear and the ears tipping inward (toward each other). You can search on here for posting/ear threads - many have great pics and there is a ton of info.

There are muscles that move the ear around (i.e. face forward, held back and anywhere in between). There is no bone in the pinna (ear flap) itself. There is cartilage in the ear that gets more stiff as the puppy ages. Some dogs may need posting over a year depending on the style of crop, thickness of ear and strength of the cartilage.