Tips for Caring for Your Dog's Newly Cropped Ears

If your dog has just had their ears cropped, you want to make sure you take proper care of them so you can ensure they are going to heal correctly, stand the way they should, and not get infected or injured during the healing process.  how you can properly take care of cropped ears right after your dog comes home.

Your dog will be sent home with their ears taped and stitched

Once the ears are cropped, the vet will put stitches in them and tape them. The stitches will come out after about a week and a half. You will take your dog back into the vet to have the stitches removed. They will also reexamine the ears at this time and make sure everything looks good.

The tape will remain on your dog's ears for around a couple of months. The tape will more than likely be changed when the vet takes the stitches out and at regular intervals thereafter, depending on your vet's recommendation. Your dog may also wear a cone around their head when they first come home. This is due to the amount of itching and irritation they will experience at first. It will leave them wanting to scratch their ears, which they absolutely cannot be allowed to do.

You'll want to care for your dog's ears properly

You want to make sure your dog's ears don't get wet. You also want to do what you can to keep your dog as comfortable as possible. You can do this by putting a small amount of petroleum jelly on the edges of their ears once in the morning and again in the evening.

Do not ever allow your dog to scratch their ears. Also, you want to keep them away from other dogs until the tape comes off their ears. Otherwise, the other dogs can pull on their ears and cause injury to them or prevent them from standing the way they should. If your dog's tape gets wet, you should take them into the vet right away for a re-taping.

If you can't keep your dog from scratching, they may need to wear the cone for longer.When your dog first gets their ears cropped, you should try to be with them at all times, or have someone else watch them while you are at work or otherwise unable to be with them. For more information, talk to a professional like Animal Clinic of Bensonhurst.