[crf450ish]

Hello all. Please excuse me as I am rather new to the ear cropping thing and searched and searched this forum for usefull info but couldnt find what I was looking for. I'm looking for a vet to crop ears of my puppy. He is 6 weeks old now and we would like to get his ears done. Are there any excellent vets in the Tacoma, WA area? Olympia, WA area? I live in pierce county. Thanks.

 

[crf450ish]

Were considering taking our little Rosco to Sherwood OR @ Crossroads Vet Hospital. It's a drive from Tacoma, WA but If theres no other options closer we will go to OR. On another note, what puppy food do you all feed your pups? Currently we have a bag of beneful puppy chow from wal*mart

 

[crf450ish]

I would call the local breeders in wa and see who they use, you can find the list on the dpca website. As for food i feed my 11 week old pup taste of the wild. You can buy it at a local pet shop. You wont find it in walmart or any other general store. 6 weeks is young to have the pup now so those are signs that you might of unknownly got him at a backyard breeder. If that is the case if you find a vet to crop the ears properly make sure they test for vWD and any other genitic problems that could have been passed to the pup from his parents.

Von Willebrand disease? What symptoms are there?

 

[crf450ish]

I've heard that there is a reputable vet in Olympia, WA that performs ear crops. Is this true? And we plan on having blood work done on Rosco also at the time of the ear crop.

 

[crf450ish]

GOOD NEWS! So I talked to Tahoma Veterinary Hospital in Spanaway, WA. They DO NOT perform ear cropping operations, BUT they said they would be more then happy to assist with any post operation needs as necessary. Dr. Kertson owns the hospital and would be the individual we would request. We have used this clinic many times for many different reasons(my moms epileptic dachshund and I trust them. So if we go down to Sherwood Oregon to have roscos ears cropped by Dr Kent Smith , Dr. Kertson up here in Spanaway will be happy to assist with post operation needs. I'm satisfied at this point. I also have a ton of info regarding taping and posting. This is what I have so far:

http://dpca.org/BreedEd/kb/index.php/articles/47-ear-caretaping/153-taping-advanced-for-puppies


http://www.altobellodobermann.com/ears/Ear-taping2.htm


I feel a little sketchy about taping and posting myself. But I am confident with enough research and talking to people who have done it, I can do it myself with sucess. Patience patience patience, I would have to tape and post for 6 months afterwards. I learned that it is VERY easy to tape too tight and cause damage to the ears. Any suggestions? And thanks everyone for your input. It was either Surrey, BC or Sherwood OR and since I dont have a passport or an enhanced drivers license I figured going to Oregon is ours and Roscos best bet

 

[crf450ish]

Have no idea about a vet in Olympia, but about the blood work - if you want vwd status it's too late if you plan on waiting until the crop. That is a simple swab that you order and get in the mail, swab the inside of your dogs cheek and mail it back and wait for the results. I highly doubt your vet does DNA testing for vwd and quite probably doesn't even know about it. Most vets only know about outdated and inaccurate vwd testing methods.

Is there a link to a website where I can order the test?

 

[crf450ish]

I hate to burst your bubble, but honestly you will be MUCH better off learning how to do it properly from the many threads here on it or finding someone around you experienced it in. Most vets have absolutely no clue how to properly post ears. If you are coming down to Sherwood I would be more than happy to meet you and show you how myself as I live by there. I wouldn't be able to show you on your own puppy since he/she will be freshly cropped and not ready to be posted, but I could show you on my 5 month old puppy. I'm sure there are also experienced people close enough to where you live that would be happy to show you how to do it, it's not hard at all.

Also, I know my vet crops. I can highly recommend him as a VET, but I have no idea what his crops are like so that is something you would need to look into yourself. He is Dr. Paradis at the Woodburn Pet Hospital. Woodburn Pet Hospital - Veterinarian In Woodburn, OR USA :: Home I have seen freshly cropped pups there (including a doberman) either being picked up after their surgery or back in the office for aftercare, but their ears were up and covered so I couldn't see what the crops were like.

NO NO NO, lol no bursting of my bubble is happening. This is a learning curve for me so I have an open mindset. And as you say, I WILL learn more on here then anywhere else, I'll take that as a true statement. I belong to many other forums for many different hobbies and other things etc. so I know the true real knowledge that is out there. Can you PM me with your contact info. so that I can get in touch when the time comes to have Roscos ears cropped.

 

[crf450ish]

I live in Olympia and I have no idea who that would be.
While they may be a reputable vet, it does not mean I would go to them for a crop on my Doberman

Sue

Thank you! All I have been doing all day long is sitting in front of my computer researching and making phone calls, e-mailing. I e-mailed someone from the DPCA and got a reply back with lots of usefull info. From that info I was able to get in touch with a breeder in the area and even she recommended Dr. Kent Smith in Sherwood, OR and Dr. Douglas in Surrey,BC. After everything I've learned today I would have to say the info and opinions represented here on this forum are the most valuable.

 

[crf450ish]

Heres our little guy:

 

[crf450ish]

Since your breeder didn't let the puppy go with crop ears and two/three weeks to early. I suggest you leave them natural.

Crop ears are the least of your worries.


Seriously what is up with people getting puppies at a young age. People that buy puppies this young should be charged just the same as the "breeders" or more for buying from these so called "breeders"

I really hope you stay on this forum and learn. Maybe also teach another person about getting puppies from not reputable breeders.

And I think rude people get their teeth knocked out...."Seriously" hind sight is 20/20 pal. Had I known any better I would not have purchased the puppy. The fact that I do own him now this young doesnt mean he has a bad home. He has a good home. I'm not going to sit idly by and "hope for the best", No, I will do everything in my power to make sure my dog receives the upmost adequate care. And I am still considering leaving the ears natural.