Hi everyone. I'm new here and also new to ear cropping/posting so please bear with me. We recently posted our pup's ears for the first time. When we took them down, some of the tape stuck to his ear. We were able to get it off without much difficulty, but soon after I noticed a little swelling in the inner ear. It's also not standing like it was before this posting (floppy on the top part), seemingly due to the slightly swollen/heavy part of the ear. I massaged it and the swelling definitely went down. It came back a bit later on, but not like it was initially. Earlier, there was also some localized heat in that part of the ear.

I'm looking up hematomas, but not totally sure that's it. Could tape coming off the ear cause damage enough for a hemotoma, or is it just some swelling from the irritation from the tape? I'm afraid to post again with even the small amount of swelling that's still there. Not sure what to do or what it is. Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you!

P.S. I didn't get any responses in the Puppy Corner: Help with Cropping and Posting, so hopefully someone will respond here. 😊 TIA.

There are a few possibilities here--it can be very difficult to tell over the internet. Pictures might help us give a little advice, but if the problem continues and gets worse, you may need to head to a vet.

Is the swelling near the tip of his ear, or down deeper on the inside?


He may merely have a simple irritation, possibly even an infection causing some swelling. Do you see any sign of redness or irritation/open sores inside his ear? Does they smell bad? If the post was rubbing on the inside of his ear, it could also cause some localized redness/swelling.

He could be sensitive to the tape you used and starting up a skin reaction to it.

You might have even taped him a little too tight (or too loosely).

Did your vet say anything about him bleeding more during the cropping procedure than usual? Dobes can have an inherited bleeding disorder which would make the development of a hematoma more likely, but I would think it would have shown up when his ears were cropped initially.

How long has it been since he was cropped? Make sure his ears are healed completely before you even start to post for the first time. Usually it takes about another week after the stitches are removed for them to be ready to go. At this point, you should not post him again until any irritations or sore spots his ears have developed are healed and his skin is pink and healthy.

We do have a thread with a little advice about removing posts to help prevent soreness and irritation which can happen when you remove the tape a little too roughly.
https://www.dobermantalk.com/ear-cro...ear-posts.html

Hematoma's are blood filled pockets and I don't think what you are seeing on your puppy's ear is a hematoma. You certainly can't create one because some tape didn't come off easily. What are you using for post material? Backer rod, pipe insulation, tampax tubes, wire ties, or popcicle sticks?

It kind of sounds like it's the kind of swelling you get if you've taped a section too tightly and it causes fluid build up in a section of ear where there would normally be blood flow. I wouldn't repost until ALL the swelling is gone and then I'd be very careful to not tape too tightly.

I'm not sure what you are trying to describe when you say the ear wasn't standing like it was before--? I thought you also said this was the first time you had taped the ears. Who was doing the posting before you if it was someone else. And if there is a swelling on one area of an ear it may case the pinna (ear leather) above it to start to die and be much more floppy that it was before.

How long are you leaving the ears posted or how long did you leave the ear posted that developed the swelling?

What kind of tape are you using--the one that over the years for lots and lots of people seems to work the best is Johnson & Johnson Zonas tape or Johnson & Johnson Sports tape--they are virtually identical except it's often easier to find the Sports tape--both are breathable, low tack (not very sticky) adhesive tape--the adhesive is latex). The best way to handle taping is to lay the tape on loosely and when you have everything taped then use your hand to scrunch the tape against the ear and the post--which should have been prepared with a wrap of the same tape around the post with the sticky side out.

Do not decide to use Vet Wrap or any other type of self amalgamating tape--they can tighten up if you stretch them when posting and sometimes they shrink for no particular reason and they shrink if they get wet--no suitable for posting ears. Also sometimes people get upset about the amount of hair loss on the ears when taping--it grows back--but you really want the tape to stick to the ear and the post and Vet Wrap does not and depends to some extent on it's original purpose (leg wraps on horses) where you do want it to shrink a bit once one--NOT something you want a tape to do on an ear.

As for taking tape off you should be using one of the products made for allowing easy removal of tape--and I believe that there is a video showing how to remove tape without pulling hair, hurting the puppy etc. It would be in the section where there is also a very good video showing how to best post ears with backer rod and Zonas tape. If you haven't got one of the products for removing tape--virtually any oil will soften adhesives and make them much easier to remove. Any cooking oil (Wesson oil for instance) baby oil, mineral oil etc but you do have to be sure that you clean the ear to get all the residual oil off (Down detergent works well for that) otherwise you'll have a big problem getting the tape to stick to the ear for the next posting.

The single biggest mistake you can make is taping the ear too tightly and cutting off circulation. Probably if you feel that there is heat on ear in some location you should take the post down and air it out and repost. Ditto for any odd smell--you nose will tell you pretty quickly that something is awry. The solution is always to take the post down so you can clearly see what's going on--in this case I'd wait until the swelling is entirely gone before I reposted.

Have you located anyone near you who could give you a hand with posting for a couple of times? Show and tell is about the best way to learn tapng--but the video that Greenkouki made and posted to the ears section is really well done and easy to follow. But for the time being--keep asking questions if you don't understand any of what I've said and either I'll answer or one of the several people who have been through many puppies and postings will.

In the meantime--good luck...

dobebug

Thank you so much for your response. I created a response to your questions in a separate message app, with hopes that I addressed all of your questions.

Swelling is about an inch from the tip. Ear seems to be normal, pinkish color. Two very small dots on the inside that have scabs now. No odor at all. Small area of discoloration along the edge, purplish... looks like a tiny bruise? The post did come out, so like you said, it could have rubbed a bit. Nothing wrong with the other ear so not sure it's a skin allergy or sensitivity.

Vet didn't mention anything about increased bleeding. Both parents are clear of VWD. Been about a month since his cropping. We are using tampons. I agree, I'm afraid it was a little too tight. The vet did the first few postings. We did one so far. Both ears were up when we took the vet's posting down. They just seemed to lean in a bit, especially when alert, creating that teepee look rather than the nice "U" shape we're going for. It's when we did the posting that the swelling happened and then the top part of the ear seemed to flop over. Postings done by the vet were left up for a week. We did our first post and I was a little worried about it (with it being our first) so I wanted to check on it. Our post was up for about 24 hours. We took it down to check on it, not long after that is when I noticed the swelling. I massaged it for like 30 minutes and it definitely went down, to pretty much normal. It seems a bit swollen/thick again now though. Post has been down for about 30 hours. Vet appointment tomorrow.

We used the tape the vet gave us. Which, unfortunately I'm learning, I think one of the 2 kinds of tape is Vet Wrap. And yes, it definitely took fur off. 😔 This morning I bought J&J Zonas tape and it will be here tomorrow. When we took the vet's posting down, and cleaned the ears with alcohol, I also used baby oil for the residue. Worked great! Definitely plan to use that again.

I am terrified of wrapping too tight. I feel like that may have been what happened this time, and the Vet Wrap certainly didn't help. I'm glad it was only wrapped for a day! I will NOT be using that tape again. Instead, I'll use the Zonas tape.

There are a couple AKC trainers in the area that I plan to contact to see if they can assist with posting. NO ONE in our area, even county, does cropping. The vet that did his cropping is almost an hour away.

I'll also see what the vet says tomorrow. I really hope the swelling goes down and we can fix his ear. Most likely lost some good cartilage growth from the initial postings. But I'd rather have to post a little longer and have it fixed than have the ear (you called it pinna... ear leather?) permanently damaged and unable to fix his floppy ear. I've been so worried about this.

Thanks again for taking the time to respond. I really appreciate it!

Many (most) vets who crop aren't good at posting. Your best bet for in person help is to contact your closest DPCA chapter club. Go to www.dpca.org and click on chapter clubs to find the ones near you. Our club has had quite a few people contact us for help, and we've always had a member willing to go help someone post ears - even driving hours to do it.

That was very helpful information, thank you. I have sent a message and also an email to the DPCA with hopes of finding someone in my area that can help me with the posting. Fingers crossed I find someone! Thanks again!

Where are you?

Bel Air, MD 21014