Ear Cropping and Other Corrective Surgeries
Ear cropping, tail docking, and dewclaw removal, as well as corrective ear surgeries or supportive tapings, are cosmetic procedures that have been performed on show and performance dogs over the years.
In recent times, there have been legislative efforts in the United States to make it illegal to perform cosmetic surgeries on dogs. This has been the law in other countries, such as Great Brittan, Europe, New Zealand, and Australia for a number of years, and cosmetic procedures must be done outside of these jurisdictions.
Dr Frace believes, “As long as it is legal, can be performed painlessly, and is done by a licensed veterinarian familiar with the techniques and committed to providing good results, I don’t believe it should be made illegal.” Often, unlicensed, inexperienced breeders and others perform “scissor cuts” outside a veterinary setting to save money, causing pain, suffering, and poor results. At dog owner request, Dr. Frace has been performing these procedures surgically for over 40 years, with good results.
When ears are cropped and tails are docked, they need to be done by those familiar with the surgery and the breed standard. Veterinarians interested in learning these techniques do so from an experienced surgeon — always inquire about a vet’s training in this technique.
Purchasing dogs that are pre-cropped at an early age should be strictly avoided.
Notes on Breeding and Standards
Ear crops and tail docks can be modified for length and shape depending upon the show standards or the personal look for a particular patient’s overall size and head shape. How well the ears stand is mostly due to genetics, rather than mistakes in cutting and shaping the ear.
We are familiar with cropping of all breeds. Our “Ear Crop Protocol” includes instructions for patient care throughout the process, as well as a list of breeds and suggested ideal ages to perform the procedure.
In addition to ear cropping, we perform the following types of ear surgeries:
- Ear hematomas—Surgeries for removal of free blood and clots from the subcutaneous tissue, caused by excessive head shaking usually secondary to ear infections.
- Ear infection drainage—Surgeries such as lateral wall resection to allow drainage and aeration of the ear canal, secondary to chronic infections and thickening of the vertical and horizontal ear canal. Often this tissue becomes calcified and rigid, as well as extremely narrowed ear canals (the Cocker Spaniel breed is the most commonly affected). Some dogs and cats may require complete ear ablation (removal of the middle ear and external canals) in severe, chronically infected ears.
- Ear pinna amputations—Surgeries to treat cases of cancer and severe lacerationsthat have destroyed the circulation to the ear. White cats often acquire squamous cell carcinoma on their ears from exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet light.