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Ears fell last night and cannot get back to the vet until Monday

8K views 31 replies 10 participants last post by  allisonJ 
#1 ·
Moose went to the vet Thursday to get his posts out. The vet said to bring him back when they fall. We came down to our beach house last night. I didn't think they were going to fall so quick but they did. Anyhow, I bought the same supplies from the super helpful ear posting thread and tried to do it myself...it's not working and I am afraid I will mess up his ears. Do you think it is ok to wait until Monday morning to get them re posted or should I try to find a vet at the beach to do it? I'm afraid they won't know how to do it either. I called my vet at home who said it will be ok until Monday but I've read some other things that say to post them asap when they fall. Just looking for some clarification on that...
 
#3 · (Edited)
At his age (almost exactly 3 months, right?) it would be OK to let them fall til Monday.......but it would be better if you can find a way to post them.

What trouble are you having when you try to post them yourself? A lot of people have to try several times at first before they feel that they are getting it right.

If you can post a picture of your efforts that would be nice. Usually if the ears are posted a little wrong for a couple of days, you can just correct the problem with the next posting you do--it’s a constant correction thing anyway (exception, if the post is popping out of the bottom of the ears, or if the ears immediately fall forward over their eyes or sideways really far from the position they are supposed to be in (at 10 and 2 o’clock; they should look like this \_/ ) Then you should repost immediately).

Your vet’s instructions to take the posts out and then repost when they fall (as a general procedure) is definitely wrong, however. Ideally, the pup should remain in posts all of the time, except for the few minutes when you take them down and let them dry out before reposting. If he knew you were going to the beach and the pup’s ears might get wet, perhaps he could have given you that advice, because you should change the posting whenever it gets wet.

Still, you really should try to learn how to do it yourself--don’t be scared--because then you could deal with little emergencies like these without having to wait for a vet appointment.
 
#5 ·
Ok thanks, I'm going to try again. I got super frustrated. The posts come out of the bottom and I am having a hard time keeping him still. It doesn't hurt him, it's just hard to keep him straight. It is also hard cutting ghat 2" tape down the middle to make it 1". When i wrote down the supplies from Zephyr instructions, I guess i should have paid more attention to the words instead of the photos bc he says he prefers 1" tape but bought the 2" and was cutting it. I think i need to make the posts longer. i am afraid of jamming it tight down there and i am also confused on the bell part...I'm going to keep trying. Here is the current sitch over here:
 

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#6 ·
Hi Allison!

A couple of things:

Personally, I would not be concerned. I did not even begin to post my current youngest's ears until he was 12 weeks old. It was a rather long crop and they stand perfectly.

Secondly, I would continue to attempt to post Moose's ears on your own. You WILL get it right. Not only will you have complete control, but honestly, the process can be one of the best "bonding" experiences between a pup and their human.

Also, I would be a little suspect of a vet who suggests that you bring a pup back to be reposted when his ears "fall". Posting should be continuous, usually through teething (6-7 months), with minimal down time throughout. Just enough time to un-tape, clean, dry and repost. Maybe an hour or so.

Posting always seems daunting to the first timer. Eventually, you will look back on the experience with fondness.... As will Moose.

JMO

John
Portland OR
 
#11 · (Edited)
You shouldn't use the vet wrap if you’ve never used it before--it’s easy to get it too tight. That given, your posting looks ok. Take off the vet wrap; add another strip of tape if you need to. I use duct tape sometimes to stick the end of the tape to the tape underneath if it won’t stick well. NEVER stick it to his ear though.

Hints--Um...let’s see:

1. Have all your tape cut, your post prepared--everything nearby and ready to grab to use on your pup before you start with him. Some kinds of tape will rip lengthwise once you make a little cut in the end, so you may be able to rip your tape to make it narrower instead of cutting it.

2. Taper the post like a pencil tip before back-wrapping it (back-wrapping makes the post sticky on the outside). Don’t try to backwrap the tapered tip. I wouldn’t bother with the bumper at this point. Make the post a length so that it is about 1/2 inch longer than the tip of the ear when it is installed.

3. Sit down in a chair; hold your puppy between your legs, facing away from you. Try to make him sit so you can reach his ears better. :) Kind of wrap your legs and feet around in front of him, so you are holding him sorta snuggly and he can’t wriggle too much. You may need to take a break between ears if he can’t sit still--but once you do this a few times, after he’s in place between your legs the actual posting of each ear really only takes about 20 seconds. In the long term, you can get him used to you handling his ears by giving him an ear rub when he’s not posted--most dogs love that. It’s good for his ears’ circulation too.

4. Twist the post into his ear as deep as you can get it as you pull up gently on the ear (His ear canal turns inward at the bottom, so you really can’t push it in too far and hurt his inner ear or anything--see picture below). Stick the ear onto the post as you keep stretching it up lightly. Don’t let go!

5.. Immediately wrap one strip of tape around the bottom of the ear--as far as you can get down on the post, up and over his ear right where it meets the top of his head (leave that natural little fold in there folded back), and then down across and around the bottom of the ear back to the post, stick it again to the post as low as you can get it. When you wrap the tape, don’t pull it tight; just lay it gently around the ear and scrunch it together to make it stick firmly.

6. Keep holding on. His ear should still be sticking to the post, lightly stretched--run tape around the post at the top of his ear--don’t leave any of his ear sticking out above the tape.

7. You should be done, though you can run another piece of tape around the middle of his ear if you want, or another round of tape right above the tape at the bottom if it is needed.

If you need to remove the post and tape because you don’t like it or it gets wet, work baby oil up under the tape to get rid of the stick so the tape will slide off easily and not pull on the pup’s hair when you take it off.

 
#12 ·
THANK YOU SO MUCH Melbrod! I left for 30 min to pick up food and came back to him out of his posts! That little weasel managed to get them out while he was in his crate. I didn't like that posting job anyway, so I'm going to try again with the tapered ends. I'm enlisting the help of my 9 year old step daughter when she gets here in an hour. This should be interesting. Thanks again for the help. I'm going to prepare all of the supplies now so when she gets here we will b ready to rock n roll.
 
#13 · (Edited)
If you have help, you might try holding him like I described and have the second person hold some kind of food in their fist with just a little bit sticking out so that he has to stretch just a tiny bit with his nose up and pointing away from you, and concentrate on nibbling it out of her hand. If your helper holds the food at the right distance from him so that he is not excitedly lunging for it, you *might* be able to distract him and get him to hold his head still. Or they can use an almost empty peanut butter jar or jar of baby food for him to lick at.
 
#14 ·
Great directions from Melbrod--I'll echo the GET RID OF THE VET WRAP!! You don't need it--everything you need to post an ear can be done with adhesive tape (preferably a sports type tape which are low tack--deliberately not very sticky, and breathable. I prefer the Johnson and Johnson Zonas--available from most vet offices--comes in 1 and 2 inch. Or from a variety of regular drug store--Johnson and Johnson Coach Sports tape--mostly you can find this one available in 1-1/2 inch but occassionally some place will have it in 1 inch. All of the sports type tapes will tear easily if start the division with a short cut with scissors at the beginning.)

The other thing is to make the post longer than you think they need to be. It's easier to cut off the excess length than to discover that the post is too short to support the ear tip.

Good luck--and keep tellng yourself that it doesn't have to be beautiful to do the job and it's true that almost any mistakes can be corrected with the next posting.
 
#15 · (Edited)
A sorta obvious addition--if you need to cut the post shorter after you’re finished posting, put your finger and fingernail over the tip of his ear so that you can feel exactly where on the post the tip of the ear ends. Then you can use scissors or shears to cut about 1/2-3/4 inch above that. And make sure you’ve got a good hold on that ear so you can hold it still even if he isn’t. I’m sure you can imagine what *could* happen if you don’t. :(
 
#17 ·
Moose is SO cute!! I do not have my Doberman yet (she's only 3 weeks old hehe!) but my breeder highly recommended the zip tie method. I've watched dozens of different videos and read countless threads and it does seem like this is a much easier method to me. I am very thankful that when we actually go to pick up our puppy she is already going to be 15 days out from surgery and our breeder is going to help teach us all in person. I think it is definitely something important for you to get comfortable doing yourself since it is such a bonding experience. Make it fun with lots of little treats! I can see how going to the Vet every time to post ears could end up being a bad experience for him just since most pooches aren't entirely fond of the Vet haha!
This is a video my breeder shared with me. I do think some extra zonas tape would be helpful for those houdini puppies hehe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNro0F38g9M
Have fun with that sweet pup! I love how dorky they are with their ears all taped up haha!
 
#19 ·
awe thanks :) I watched a few youtube videos today (ok, like 20 LOL) and saw a few zip tie tutorials. Definitely looks easier and I might try it tomorrow. You are correct when you say Houdini....Moose has again shaken the posts out of his head! I have to sleep so we are going to retry in the am. Congratulations on your puppy! So exciting , can't wait to see pics :)
 
#18 · (Edited)
Getting there, but next time you post, the ears need to be slanting outward from bottom to top \_/ when he is alert, instead of pointing inward /_\ That is what the bumper helps to prevent; the extra bulge on the post goes inside the ear right up against where the top of the head and the ear join (more or less) and pushes the ear straight up instead of letting it slant inward.

Or perhaps your picture is a bit misleading---was he sitting with his ears pulled back a bit instead of at the alert when you took the picture?

Anyway, you probably don’t need the bridge over the top of his head holding the ears together anymore--sometimes the bridge itself is what pulls the ears in. In fact, you might want to try to remove the bridge now, if you can, (without taking down the rest of your posting), by cutting away the tape over the top of his head which is holding his ears together and appears to be pulling them in instead of letting them slant outward.

It’s OK if he looks a little donkey-ish right now with his ears a little sticky out-ish; as his ear muscles strengthen, his ears will end up standing in the correct position on their own.

Anyway, next time you post, try it with no bridge; make sure you pull the ears straight up, or even very slightly outward as you tape them--and his ears should fall gently into that ideal 10 and 2 (or 11 and 1) o’clock position \_/ when you let go of them.

You’d rather have them slant outward than inward, or you can end up with ears that almost touch at the tip when the dog is alert, instead of ears that stand straight up to give them that “intimidating” doberman stare. :)
 
#20 ·
I think I had them too close together and went to cut the middle out but it was too late....he already got out of this new set. He shakes them out. Don't worry, I'm not giving up! I'm determined to figure this out. Thank you so very much for the super helpful tips. I'm going to try again in the morning...I've been at this for hours and maybe just need to recharge my own batteries before I try again. :)
 
#21 · (Edited)
Get a good night’s rest!

But don’t give up. It’s awkward at first, but soon you’ll be able to post them in your sleep.

Posts coming out of ears at the bottom is a very common problem, especially with young puppies. Sometimes you need to start with a thinner backer rod--3/8ths instead of 1/2 inch, so you can get the post all the way down into that little bitty puppy ear. Then as the pup gets bigger, you will need to switch to the 1/2 or maybe even 5/8 inch size so the rod will be stiff enough to hold his bigger heavier ears straight.
 
#22 ·
Get a good night’s rest.

But don’t give up. It’s awkward at first, but soon you’ll be able to post them in your sleep.

Posts coming out of ears at the bottom is a very common problem, especially with young puppies. Sometimes you need to start with a thinner backer rod--3/8ths instead of 1/2 inch, so you can get the post all the way down into that little bitty puppy ear.
oh, no wonder. :2smile:I saw that thin size at Home Depot and thought it was to small so I bought the 1/2" and the 5/8". Of course now I am on an island and the closest home depot is an hour away. I watched a youtube video with a vet who used a straw. Maybe that would suffice? only for tomorrow to hold me over until Monday. My husband said, this is a lot of work maybe we should have left the ears. NONSENSE I said! It's easy I promise I'm just having a hard time bc i'm learning. Tomorrow is a new day and I WILL get these posts in his ears!
 
#23 · (Edited)
I would think a plastic straw would be too sharp at the tip which is in the ear, unless you padded it with a piece of a cotton ball or something. But with the duct tape and backwrapping on it, it would probably be stiff enough for now.

Your attitude to learning new skills seems admirable to me. :) But don’t ruin your vacation posting ears--if you must, you *can* wait until Monday when it sounds like you would be closer to the supplies you need. I personally just wanted to learn how to post by myself so I could avoid the inconvenience of heading to the vet every time there was a problem. And there are lots of folks here who are VERY experienced with posting ears, who can point you to better solutions to problems, and different methods of posting, way better than almost any vet can.

Vets have all kinds of things to be knowledgeable about--the best way to post ears and solve posting problems is generally not high on that list.
 
#26 ·
Good afternoon, we are back at it. Crossed the bridge and went to Walmart to buy more supplies. I watched the zip tie videos and figured I may as well try that too. so far, they are in his ears but its only been 30 minutes and he's napping. The real test will come in an hour. I found it very easy to do...I bought 1" tape, construction grade zip ties, special tool to cut the zips and 3M super 77 spray adhesive. I decided to give it a go without the spray adhesive just to see if he can even stand this method. I wrapped the ears very loosely but the post is pretty far down in the ear. I DID NOT make a brace for various reasons. Please see pics and lmk your thoughts on this....the ties are so strong and bend a little out bc they have been coiled up in the bag. I tried to bend the other way but they still tilt. I watched another video that uses duck tape and the 3M spray and I bought some just in case but not going to use unless I really need it (I may not)
 

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#24 ·
My breeder uses 2 super skinny craft sticks wrapped in a choose a size paper towel (fits sideways). To give you an idea of the type of sticks you need - she use to use corn dog sticks when she could buy those.

Once I started doing in on my own I tried the foam stuff but could never get her to keep them in her ears. The craft sticks I bought are some off brand but the package says the size is 5" x 1/4" x 3/32". Zonas tape keeps it together. Don't worry if they are longer than his ears, he may look silly, but he will no matter what and he was born with his ears flopped down so anything sticking up seems awkward to him.

Supplies for ONE post:
Two craft sticks (she might have used 1 at the very beginning, but switched to 2 quite quickly as Piper kept breaking them)
-1 choose-a-size paper towel (the short sheets), or a longer one kept standard width and cut to just over 5" in length.
-The backer rod - just for the bumpers to prevent the pockets as shown in the other post. I cut mine in half lengthwise when she was younger since it was pretty fat.
-Zones tape: one super sort piece, 2 one inch or less pieces, another piece to hold the small backer rod bumper in place per that tutorial and then enough spiraled straight off the roll as needed from top to bottom.

To use this method - first have everything ready. fold the paper towel in half the fat way to make it roughly square. Open it back up and put the craft sticks inside the crease the fold it back together. This ensures that they stay tucked in the middle. Roll it up like you do when you are putting a sleeping bag away - evenly and tucked tightly. Once done make sure the sticks don't stick out the bottom end. There needs to be a tiny bit of paper towel past the bottom end (1/8-1/4" should be plenty) for a bit of padding to protect the ear on the bottom. Use the tiny piece of zonas to hold it together in the middle so it is easier to tape the rest. Then use the approx 1 inch pieces to cover the ends, figure out where the bumpers need to be, use a bit of zonas to put them on, then spiral zonas tape along the whole thing to keep it together. FYI The breeder didn't use bumpers - I think she was just really good at wrapping just so and pulling the ears up really tight. She also didn't cover the paper towel from top to bottom as it is breathable. Hers covered the ends and probably once around as she spiraled up to hold it all together. Mine wasn't that slick, so I was thorough instead ;)

I read somewhere to kind of twist as you put it in. Try wiggling like a lever forward like (like jousting sticks - haha) or back a bit (but not out sideways! That would put it toward the ear canal), you will be surprised that there is a spot where it seems like it doesn't line up with the ear quite right, but goes in much better then can be straightened. That was helpful for me. That and practice. I started doing my own after watching the breeder do it many times so I would be prepared when I took a trip as well :). Like other people have said - have your supplies ready and have one person hold the puppy while the other posts. If the puppy escapes even once they will try that much harder forever after. Soon enough he will sit still because he knows you won't hurt him and it will be over faster that way. Make sure you give lots of yummy treats at the end for a good job.

After you have it seated in the bottom pull the ears up pretty tight - it helps prevent shaking out. Use a piece of zonas tape to tape the tip onto the post- the ears are pulled tight up, but the tape is NOT tight, I pull the ear up, hold it onto the post with one hand , then lay the tape gently on with the other (it is emailer to be firm with one hand and stay gentle with a second one) and wrap it around without pressure. Then wrap from bottom to top, outside-back-inside-front directionto prevent pockets and preserve the natural fold in the ear (I think - others can chime in if I'm getting it backwards, I'm having a hard time remembering at this time of night.) You might find that as you get close to the top with the real wrap job that your tip wrap puts the tip at the wrong angle causing a wrinkle of the ear leather. Just untape the tip now that the rest of the ear is secure and retape properly. I tape the whole ear without gaps so there the ear eventually has a smooth shape. And then do one more piece of tape near the bottom to prevent shake outs, but make sure the ear is open enough to breathe and hear. Once you are all done taping give the entire thing a good squeeze for a few seconds. The heat from your hands seems to really set the tape and keeps them on better.

As for the bridge - it should be 3/4 of the way up the ears - the puppy holding person should hold the ears in an even V and then the taper should tape the tape end to one ear, unreel the tape to the other, go around that ear and back to the other. Essentially making a loop with the ears inside. Stick the sticky sides of the tape together in the middle and use a small extra piece looping around your bridge middle to make sure it says stuck to itself. You want a V and not what you had in the picture because it allows the bases learn to work on their own and become strong. It is just helping them most of the way. After a week or so of this you will notice the bridge is often loose as he holds them together himself!

If any one is really interested in this method and wants pictures I could do some up to the posting part. Piper is done posting and I don't want to get the stink eye from her.
 
#25 · (Edited)
1st - Moose is a big family spoil of a handsome little man.
2nd - You have come along posting very nicely, with all the earlier advice.
3rd - Puppies can be little monsters, when they purposely break their posts.
Our last girl would run right under the coffee table, to rub her foam backer rod out.
So we had to discourage that route, once off moms lap.
4th - When we had a lazy ear on a 7 month old girl once:
Our breeder said, "she's never sold a pup, with bad ears"...LOL...all her dobermans, end up with perfect ears.
5th - You will win the battle, the posting experience trumps the early frustration (from trying)...so congrats.

I think we started with 7/16" foam rod...probably ended with 3/4 or 7/8", at +8 months of age.
- our Kelly had one smaller ear canal, so bottom end of foam had to be trimmed smaller in diameter, for left ear
We used the bridge tape way too long, and ear tips touched on full alert...took over 2 months to correct.
Moose's bridge tape is too short and already pulling the tips together...not good.
- ears should be posted at 10 o'clock & 2:00, at rest
- un-bridged ears, allow the ear muscles to work & dobe gets to rotate ears & develop muscle memmory
- bridge tape, is like putting ones hand in a cast...just restrictive...but I don't know at what age, its best to ditch
 
#28 ·
IF you use the zip tie method you MUST brace the ears. In a pup at this age I would brace regardless of the method used.

He's shaking the posts out because the aren't deep enough into the ear. I've used the 5/8 backer rod on many young pups. What you need to do is taper the end of the post. Sort of like a pencil tip. Just cut it and then back wrap the entire post in the zones tape. Then "screw" it into the ear so that it gets deep enough. You can't hurt the puppy doing this.

I've had some that were ruined by the zip tie method. So, I would say it works great for super paper thin ear cartilage, but not as well with thicker ear cartilage.
 
#30 ·
Actually, they are far from flimsy...the complete opposite...they are construction grade zip ties....i had to buy special snips to cut them:2surprise: Anyhow, that is part of the problem I think bc they are too heavy duty and come in 2' and3' lengths so they were coiled in the bag. We took them down yesterday and decided to just let him be until we go to the vet tomorrow morning. Oddly enough, his right one is standing now by itself but the left one is not. We have been messing with his ears so much the last couple of days, we don't want to make ear posting a bad experience. I am def going to try the foam backer rod again as most of the advice I'm getting is to go that route. :2smile:
 
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