The biggest issue with ear cropping is that it is unnecessary mutilation and a non-essential procedure. Traditional cropping performed by owners is painful, stressful, potentially dangerous for both the dog and owner, and could lead to hearing loss or infection. However, even if cropped surgically by a vet, the practice carries risks.
All surgeries are dangerous to some degree and we try to put animals under general anaesthesia only when necessary. An elective cosmetic procedure is not a necessary surgery. This is a flawed argument. Spaying or castrating a dog carries a number of benefits, including reducing unwanted pregnancies and thus unwanted puppies, reducing the incidence of some kinds of cancer, and increasing longevity. It does carry risks, like all surgery, but the benefits outweigh the costs in almost all cases.
Ear infections can be more common in dogs with droopy ears, but that does not mean all dogs with droopy ears get ear infections. In fact, studies have found that in breeds where cropping has become less common over time, there has not been an increased incidence of ear infections.
Furthermore, the dogs that are more predisposed to ear infections are not breeds that have their ears commonly cropped anyway. Overall, we feel it is much kinder to be aware of the risk of ear infections if you have a dog with floppy ears, and monitor and clean them more frequently — simply removing the ears is hugely unfair to the dog. Other arguments for ear cropping are equally as invalid — there has been no evidence dogs with cropped ears hear better than those with droopy ears, and incorrectly cropping an ear can actually make hearing worse.
The other arguments that dogs with cropped ears look more fierce or natural are entirely subjective, and not enough of a reason to perform the procedure. Finally, dogs with cropped ears can have problems with expression compared to dogs with normal mobile ears. It is unknown if this affects how dogs interact with each other, but there has been some evidence that it affects how dogs interact with people.
Because some people think a dog with cropped ears looks fiercer, they may subconsciously treat dogs like this more negatively, causing all sorts of welfare issues.
This is especially important for us vets, as we deal with dangerous dogs every day and need these subtle early warning signs to know when to be wary. This means that all ear cropping is illegal unless a vet recommends it for medical reasons; no UK vet can perform ear cropping for cosmetic reasons.
Ear cropping does still occur in the UK illegally, and there have been a number of cases in the news recently where breeders have been arrested for doing so — please report anyone you suspect of doing this to the RSPCA or police.
Although much of the world has outlawed ear cropping, some countries have not — cropping ears is still practised in the USA. The American Veterinary Medical Association AVMA does recommend against ear cropping, but no state has explicitly banned it and the practice is still widespread though thankfully getting rarer.
This means that, particularly at dog shows, cropped ears are a common sight. There are increasing numbers of dogs with cropped ears in the UK, after being imported mainly from the USA — this practice perpetuates the stereotype of certain dogs having cropped ears, and creates a market for American breeders to keep cropping ears.
Furthermore, as mentioned above, The Kennel Club has not updated all of its breed standards to explicitly state which dogs should have naturally upright ears and which should be floppy as with the case of the Dobermann. Oddly enough, though owners who crop ears often cite risk of infection as a reason for doing so, infection is actually one of the risks of the surgery.
The American Kennel Club supports ear cropping in order to maintain the standards of appearance for certain breeds, and they even claim that it protects dogs' ears from being bitten and helps them hear, for example. Not only does ear cropping create unnecessary physical pain and discomfort for dogs, but it can also leave them with lasting psychological trauma.
Pups also use their ears to communicate , and chopping off parts of them can hinder an owner's ability to understand what their dog is telling them.
The practice also perpetuates false stereotypes about certain breeds; some owners crop the ears of Doberman pinschers and American staffordshire terriers, for example, because they think it makes the dog look tough or ferocious. Plus, ear cropping is not always successful. Surgeries performed by unskilled veterinarians can leave a dog with mismatched, bent ears that remain scarred for life. Ear cropping has already been banned in Canada, Australia and many European countries.
The U. All are cruel and unnecessary! Please sign and share, and hopefully this can put an end to the cruelty! People directly equating cosmetic surgery with surgery to reduce animal overpopulation clearly don't give much thought to how actuation are ethically justified, rather than just what the action is.
But even in terms of just the action, tapping ears and crating puppies alone to get the ear to stand to show height At least once the balls are out, that's the end of it. You're very welcome. I see red when people like "bullymaster," above, make such ignorant comments.
Of course, he is not a Hub Pages member, but from his name and comment, I can peg him perfectly: He is a white male, dyed-in-the-wool redneck; probably from the deep South, or with ancestry there, is most likely an uneducated member of the hateful "Tea Party" that wants to return to the days of slavery, keep women 'barefoot and pregnant,' and take away all rights of every living creature except for white males.
His very name says it all. Thanks for your support in this Dzymslizzy, I worked for a vet who did these procedures along with tail docks and I felt awful, awful, awful when those ear parts fell to the ground as if they were useless strands of hair.
Not to mention the painful recovery of many pups whose owners had to pick up pain meds. Floppy ears help keep bugs out, protect the ear and are used for important doggy communication. There is NO reason for this cruel procedure, any more than there is any reason why cats should be declawed. As you so correctly point out, if they are so interested in the so-called "breed standard," then they should pay attention to how the dog is BORN! That is the true standard for the breed.
Altering an animal's appearance by surgical methods for cosmetic or other artificial and unnecessary reasons is not only cruel and barbaric, it is selfish and egotistical. Can't get more real than this. There are more than cosmetic reasons for neutering dogs, try to work for a shelter and see how many dogs and puppies are put to sleep.
It's terrible. I am so anxiety that it;s nuts. I hope keeping them taped a little while longer will help. Great hub alexadry, personally I would never crop a dog's ears or tail I like the floppy ears!
Ask your vet for ''protective gear'' maybe an elizabethan collar and extra padding. I don't think it should be a problem, but play it safe and ask your vet. Your pup may be wobbly after the surgery so the crate will keep him safe. We have great danes. I wanted to find out why people would chop their dogs up. With danes, they were originally bred to hunt wild boar. Their ears were cropped because of the of veins in their ears, they could bleed out if something happened.
Now, I don't know of anyone who hunts boar with their dogs, so my babies have all their ears. I want to show my girl, but I'm not cutting her up to do so. She's perfect!! This is a very old post, but I'm a groomer and I love the look of the big deer ears on the Schnauzer and really don't find the cropped ears on them very attractive, but it's all a matter of opinion. Besides that, I agree with this thread about cropping being unnecessary and I just don't understand why some people feel the need to change the ears just because they like the look of it better?
Does it not matter that it is painful for your dog to go through just for your superficial needs? I guess I just don't understand it at all. Some of my favorite breeds great dane, doberman are dogs that get their ears cropped a good amount of the time and I think they're gorgeous just as they are. I don't mind the look of the cropped ears on them at all, either, but I don't see any reason that it has to be done or any reason that I would want to put my dog through that.
I hate the fact that it is painful to my dog, but sometimes our dogs have to have surgery or other things that our painful and that is why they have pain meds. I had my schnauzers ears done 11 yrs ago only because she had ears that stood straight up and they were huge like the ears on a deer.
I wish they would of flopped over. I now have a new puppy and he is 7wks old and I am researching my options. I found the Dr that did my older dog in another state, I just hope that my new puppy doesn't have huge deer like ears that stand up. Flopping over is great, but I haven't read comments about someone cropping ears because the ears are ridiculously huge and already stand. Yes, i have owned a APBT before, only reason i don't have him now is due to family issues Requiring double the training, socialization and care than a less "dog" breed.
Especially since they do have such a "bad" name due to irresponsible breeders, ignorant owners and the over exaggerated and inaccurate media But yes, i will continue to research this further.
I own two Rottweilers so I can understand the bully breed passions. Only thing is that a dog with cropped ears very likely looks highly aggressive and this can add to the negative stereotyping that responsible pit bull owners have to fight against.
Not to mention the psychological hindrances on the dog's mind at a time when permanent damage to the puppy's temperament can be sustained as a result of the trauma of the operation, post-operative bandaging, racking, and taping. Some dogs also become sensitive to having their ears touched after the procedure. Make an informed decision before you crop and learn as much as you can about pitbulls. Buy only by a reputable breeder who knows what he is doing and that temperament tests its breeding pool and gives health guarantees.
This is in your best interest as you may end up with a weak nerved dog or one suffering from orthopedic and other health problems..
Pitbulls are lovely dogs but as a dog trainer, I can attest that they require loads of socialization, leadership and training.
They are not a breed for ''everyone''. It takes a great amount of nurturing and care to own them responsibly and fight breed specific legislation which if allowed to expand may force owners to give up their beloved Pits and even put them to sleep as it already happened in Jacksonville and other towns see news below. I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or not.
I own no dogs at the moment, although, i plan to in the near future and it will most likely be an APBT. I'll also be up front with this, i'm I'm a female. I love reading about dogs in general, anything to educate me further. I asked because I noticed many pro-earcroppers were often owners and breeders of Dobies. Most people seem to be ok with APBT if left uncropped.
Do you show your dogs or are they just pets? I love APBT's as well, and love their natural rose ears. The rest I like the look of cropped ears better. Either way, i do love all these breeds with a passion.
Especially the APBT. Yes, indeed you were very civil and understanding! I also like engaging in conversations on debates and learning stuff. Just for curiosity: when you think about cropping ears and making the decision, are you considering a particular breed? Is there a breed in particular you feel that MUST have a cropped look to look good? I feel like there are some breeds that for some people it is unacceptable to go un-cropped whereas there are others were floppy ears are not so much of an issue Just curious..
So, the knowledge i've gained here is how cropping a dog ears causes MUCH more problems than not cropping them. However, i am pro-cropping regardless. So, at least i'm informed when making this decision. Once again, good for you I am happy to see in this last post your honest opinion.
You like the looks of erect ears and are pro-cropping, whereas I am not, and things will remain this way Know that I am always open to civil discussions about this.. I agree with the idea that breeders should breed for erect ears, rather than floppy ears. It would make more sense if the dogs were just naturally born with erect ears instead of going through all the trouble of cropping ears.
But i guess, until i see breeders doing this, i will be for ear cropping. Like it or not, that's my personal opinion and taste, whether its "cruel" or whatever. It may not be directly related to domestication from the very start, as I agree the very first dogs may have been healthy, but definitely as years passed, the selective breeding of domesticated dogs to create specific breeds certainly was deleterious to the wellbeing of many dogs According to PBS: ''By tinkering with its genetics, humans made the dog the most varied animal species on the planet — and also created a host of hereditary health problems.
Let's make some examples: The flat face of a bulldog causes serious respiratory disorders,the excessively wrinkled skin of the Chinese Shar-Pei causes frequent skin infection, Bloodhounds suffer chronic eye irritation and infection, Dachhounds suffer significant back problems, and large breeds suffer from hip displaysia About floppy eared dogs, this trait is categorized as a ''pedomorphosis,'' in other words, a tendency to retain juvenile traits in adulthood floppy ears are characteristic of newborn wolves.
It cannot be listed as a defect or hereditary disorder. If you read according to AVMA there are German Shepherds with erect ears developing recurrent ear infections, whereas there are Beagles with long floppy ears never getting ear problems So floppy ears are here now, like it or not,..
I personally cannot see how a dog may benefit from cropping them just because the dog does not look good with them Ear cropping is like forcing an Asian baby to undergo surgery to change the shape of almond eyes But I doubt breeders will want to wait so long to ''see results'' and would rather chop than wait.
Hmm, i don't think it has to do with domestication why dogs have all these health problems. Not domestication. I'm sure the first domesticated dog didn't have all these problems. But then man too things to the extremes. I'm just saying, this "dilema" wouldn't be going on if humans had never "created" floppy eared dogs. Nothing to hmmm about.. I did not post your previous post because I could not find literature backing up your ear canal statements I am aware that floppy ears are a result of domestication, the farm fox studies indeed back this up however, we cannot force all dogs with floppy ears to be cropped just because they were domesticated!
There are many other ''inconveniences'' caused by domestication ''ie hip displaysia, elbow displaysia, trouble breathing in brachycephalic breeds, skin infections in Chows etc So German Shephards have erect ears yet, they are one of the breeds most likely to develop ear infections!
And working at a vet's office I have experienced this first hand! Also ''No group deems high incidence of otitis externa a valid reason for advocating routine cropping of the ears of Cocker Spaniels or Poodles. Nor are traditionally cropped breeds among those with the highest incidence of otitis externa, even in countries where cropping is rare. Thus it cannot be assumed that ear cropping has a medical purpose unless this is in some way demonstrated''.
And again ''Current veterinary opinion appears to be that ear conformation affects ventilation and may be a factor contributing to otitis externa incidence and severity. However, most dogs with hanging ears will not suffer from infections,16 and ear conformation is not considered to be a primary cause. The basis for this opinion includes the low incidence of otitis externa in many breeds with pendulous ears e.
To debunk the myth that ear cropping is beneficial and prevents ear infections, according to AVMA. So reducing the pinna will not likely prevent ear infections but actually opening the ear canal will, therefore this debunks the myth that ear cropping is medically necessary when we obviosuly know it is not.. These procedures cause pain and distress, and, as with all surgical procedures, are accompanied by inherent risks of anesthetic complications, hemorrhage, and infection.
Therefore, the American Animal Hospital Association opposes both the cropping of ears and the docking of tails when done solely for cosmetic reasons. Veterinarians should counsel and educate pet owners that these procedures should not be performed unless medically necessary. The American Animal Hospital Association also encourages the elimination of ear cropping and tail docking from breed standards.
So lets face the facts: ear cropping is not done for medical reasons even though many pro-ear croppers wished it was. In Europe where this practice is banned and considered animal cruelty, there are millions of happy dogs with full length ears to prove things.. People who like the look of cropped ears would be far more honest to themselves and others just to state they like the looks rather than trying to convince others otherwise and passing out false information..
I did not post your previous post because I cannot find literature backing up your ear canal statements Breeds like Beauceron and Bouvier des Flanders are continental herding breeds, meaning they not only heard the flock but protect them from predators.
The erect ear allows them to be better able to pinpoint sound. As far as the flap of the ear protection the ear drum that is not the case. The ear drum is well inside the ear and protected by the other structures of the ear just like yours is. Almost all wild animals have erect ears, or open ear canals.
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