Post-Operative Ear Crop Care

Post-Operative Care

The ears of your dog will be taped up on a styrofoam cup. Discourage your dog from shaking its head or rubbing its ears. If necessary, you can crate your dog to limit its activity. Watch for swelling or if the ears are not beginning to heal. You will receive enough pain medication to last a few days. Give as directed. You will also receive antibiotic ointment which is to be applied to the cut edges of the ears once a day. Daily application is very effective to aid healing and for removal of scabs.

*DO NOT apply ANY tape (Duct tape, masking tape, Scotch tape, etc. will hamper and not help the process) at home or attempt repairs (shoving a post back into the ear or leaving broken posts will only make it worse - please take off the entire wrapping if either of these happens). Small mistakes can result in big problems. Come to the hospital for all taping and posting repairs as soon as possible within the specified time period.*

You will return to the clinic one week after surgery to have stitches removed, but we will leave the ears taped on to the cup, which will remain for another week. After the second week with the ears taped to the cup, return to the clinic for the first posting. The cost of surgery includes all ear postings when you come within the hours of 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday (no appointment necessary). If you come to the clinic for posting before/after these hours or on Saturday, there will be a $10.00 charge.

Posts must be kept dry (even other dogs licking them can be a problem) and clean. If posts become wet, rubbing will create very painful sores and delay the posting process, so please take off the entire wrapping if this happens. Posts are replaced weekly if there are no problems in between. Leaving the ears floppy for a day is okay, but the sooner we can post them up the better.

Most dog ears will stand within 6 to 9 weeks, but there are exceptions. Some may stand sooner, others later. Surgery is 98% successful when following recommended care. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions!