[Kara1994]

This morning, I dropped off my dobe puppy Odin off to get his cropping procedure done. My husband wanted to get it done, but I didn't. The vet definitely made me feel awful, stating how much pain he will be in. This is my first Doberman! What should I expect? How can I ease his pain? I feel horrible :crying:

 

[greenkouki]

Welcome,

If you haven't had it done yet it's not too late to convince your husband you don't want to do it. While there is certainly a stigma from most people, vets included, it is a simple procedure and if done by an expert ear crop vet your pup will not experience much pain or irritation, provided that you give proper aftercare. This emotion and stress show why if you want a cropped pup it's really best to go through a reputable breeder. Almost all reputable breeders take care of the ear cropping for you before you take the puppy home. There are a few good ear crop vets in California and I recommend you search here on the forum to find the best one you can if you do go through with the procedure.

 

[RMcIntyre]

it is probably to late at this point, but if the vet was laying guilt on you about the pain, I would seek another vet. If the vet is uncomfortable about doing a procedure like that then I would try to find one who had more confidence. Of course whether you crop or not is your and your husbands decision. There are vets out there who are very good at cropping ears and do a very nice job at it. Those vets when your pup comes home after they are fully out from under the anesthesia play as before. Now while the area of the surgery may be sensitive for a few days it shouldn't be anything excessive. Most of my pups would only be crying because they wanted attention not because of discomfort. And of course because they are such hams if you talk to them it that oHHHH pooor puppy way they will eat it up and act like everything is killing them. but if you talk happy and play normal they will be just fine.

wishing you the best, and post puppy pics everyone here enjoys them. I enjoy them as much today as I did all those years ago.

 

[Kara1994]

Thank you so much for the insight. Unfortunately I wasn't there when my husband went to pick up Odin from the breeder, but his tail had already been docked, and he gave us a vet to go to for the cropping procedure(also looked up the practice first!) I'm not sure if maybe he's just so used to doing them he was just being very stern, maybe it's just me being too attached to my pup already.

 

[RMcIntyre]

If you didn't worry about the puppy and worry about it being in pain then you probably shouldn't have one. Any good parent is going to worry about their kids. So the worry, concern, questions are all part of it.
the best to you all

 

[allisonJ]

This morning, I dropped off my dobe puppy Odin off to get his cropping procedure done. My husband wanted to get it done, but I didn't. The vet definitely made me feel awful, stating how much pain he will be in. This is my first Doberman! What should I expect? How can I ease his pain? I feel horrible :crying:

If it makes you feel better, I was a bit nervous and when I picked Moose up from the vet he was pretty sleepy but fine. We got home and he slept for a few hours then woke up and was so playful. It was almost like nothing happened. I was expecting the whole thing to be a bit more difficult but it wasn't. They gave him a shot of pain meds that they said lasted a week. We would look at him and say "I wonder if he even knows he's wearing those on his head" bc he acted like it was NBD. There was a weird bump at the base of his ears 2 weeks I think post crop and it went away. He's my first Doberman so OC I am over analyzing everything. Just make sure to make it to all of your posting appointments. I finally scheduled an appt with my vet for next week so I can watch him post his ears with my own 2 eyes. Usually they have me drop him off then call me when he is ready but I asked to watch this next time. I'm so happy we got his ears done and have zero regrets. There is something so beautiful about a Doberman with their ears done. When people post pics of their dogs on here, sometimes I get chills looking at their beautiful ears! Can't wait to see pics of Odin. :2smile:

 

[Dobs4ever]

it is probably to late at this point, but if the vet was laying guilt on you about the pain, I would seek another vet. If the vet is uncomfortable about doing a procedure like that then I would try to find one who had more confidence. Of course whether you crop or not is your and your husbands decision. There are vets out there who are very good at cropping ears and do a very nice job at it. Those vets when your pup comes home after they are fully out from under the anesthesia play as before. Now while the area of the surgery may be sensitive for a few days it shouldn't be anything excessive. Most of my pups would only be crying because they wanted attention not because of discomfort. And of course because they are such hams if you talk to them it that oHHHH pooor puppy way they will eat it up and act like everything is killing them. but if you talk happy and play normal they will be just fine.

wishing you the best, and post puppy pics everyone here enjoys them. I enjoy them as much today as I did all those years ago.

I agree if the vet is laying a guilt trip on you find another vet!!! He is not a good choice for treatment or cropping if you ask me I would not trust him to feed a guppy. That is why good breeders crop puppies before they leave and keep the puppies til the ears are healed before letting them go to their families.

It is a cropped and docked breed so I have to agree with your husband. The AR radicals have done a great job convincing people it is painful. The puppy is asleep just like humans during surgery so the pain is minimal and discomfort soon fades as the puppy emerges as a beautiful example of the breed - alert with the look of Eagles. My puppies come home the same day of cropping and all they want to do is EAT then back to playing. Unless the bump each other they hardly notice the discomfort.

 

[Kara1994]

After my husband had come home I think he calmed my nerves, however I told him about how the vet told me that it's an unnecessary procedure and it will bring him pain, he then had me hold his face then marked his ears up with a sharpie and I think that sent me as a brand new dobe mom over the edge. We're picking Odin up today and I hope I can find somewhere else more local (literally drove an hour and a half for this guy) for aftercare for my pup, somewhere more warm and welcoming. I can't wait to share with you guys too ?

 

[greenkouki]

Your regular vet can remove the sutures in about 10 days to 2 weeks. After that, give it another week or so for everything to heal and you can start posting. It's something you can learn to do yourself. http://www.dobermantalk.com/ear-cro...ting-directions-photo-tutorial-my-method.html

 

[Jaykailee]

I have had my vet do three croppings so far. The first time i was nervous about it, but I did see first hand the vets work prior and many recommended him. They gave me the option to have pain meds sent home with her, and of course i got them. She came home and went CRAZY! Like nothing ever happened, of course she was on pain meds. After that day she never got them again. I personally do not give them the pain meds because with them they have no regard for their ears and that could cause problems such as scratching, poping stitches etc. Also I dont think pain meds would be good for a puppy if it isnt absolutely necessary. Stitches are only in for about a week anyways. Out of my three none of them seemed bothered. Its okay to be nervous, but I do agree if your vet is making you feel guilty that means they probably dont want to crop the ears and could result in a terrible crop.

 

[Cressrb]

Please share with us pictures of Odin and let us know how he is doing.
There is a lot of information on posting and after care on ear cropping
on this forum, plus people willing to help.

 

[Caleb Cox]

I have had my vet do three croppings so far. The first time i was nervous about it, but I did see first hand the vets work prior and many recommended him. They gave me the option to have pain meds sent home with her, and of course i got them. She came home and went CRAZY! Like nothing ever happened, of course she was on pain meds. After that day she never got them again. I personally do not give them the pain meds because with them they have no regard for their ears and that could cause problems such as scratching, poping stitches etc. Also I dont think pain meds would be good for a puppy if it isnt absolutely necessary. Stitches are only in for about a week anyways. Out of my three none of them seemed bothered. Its okay to be nervous, but I do agree if your vet is making you feel guilty that means they probably dont want to crop the ears and could result in a terrible crop.

You should have learned after your first pup to not go to a breeder that doesn't crop before sending the pups home.

The pain of the pups is greatly exaggerated. I was on the edge too with our pup but after seeing her go through the recovery I have never regretted the crop at all. The taping process helped strengthen the bond between our girl and I and helped her be much more acceptable to handling in general.

 

[Kara1994]

Here's my sleepy pup. The crop looks good and even as far as I can tell, is the whole cone thing normal? I also got him a blow up cone because he was trying to scratch