SearchQuestions about puppy ears
I know this should be in the cropping section but I figured that more people look at the general than the cropping since they already have their dogs ears done. lol
So......here it goes:
Now...I know that majority of you guys (expecially the breeders) dont like the fact that new puppy owners shouldnt deal with the cropping of the ears, that is up to the breeder. Well that is not my case because I unfortunatly dont have over $1,500+ to get one like that so I have a couple of breeders that I have lined up that do not like to crop ears. They believe it is up to the owner because nowadays not everybody wants ears done. Anyways, I am wanting to know some really cool tips that anyone has ofund that worls awesome for them! I have read a lot of things online about this, I have talked to people and I have also read all the things here on the forum.
Also, I am wanting to know if there should be any tests done on my puppy before he goes under anesthesia so that he doesnt end up dying on the table! (I have heard this happening before!)
Also, whem would be the best time to neuture a male? I have heard mix things........
Any of your help will be appreciated! I dont not need to hear about it being up to the breeder and whatnot! I know what majority of you think and I am just wanting to know info on the ears for a fisrt time person!! Thanks
I have found a great vet for the procedure and I have talked to people who have gotten their dogs ears done by him and all that!
Thank you for the web site! Checking that now!
I am a little worried if I wait that long to fix wont he be a bit agressive with my dads dog? (Female Husky) Or will he lift his leg indoors or is that more of a little dog thing?
I am waiting to get my puppy this spring so any help at all will be awesome!
I suggest that if you are already concerned about $ then you might want to wait until funds aren't an issue before getting a puppy. A cropping alone cost 1000$. Also it will be too early to neuter him, his testicles probably won't even have dropped yet. This won't change his general behavior just his desire to mate, although it might stop him from lifting his leg...might
I second what Control Freak said. Our vet said that the first year and the last year are the most expensive. We didn't crop Harley's ears but the vet we were talking to about it charged $500. We have spent thousands this last year on both our dogs and Harley is not even 10 months yet. Dogs are a financially responsibility. They have drained our emergency fund so we bought pet insurance to help with the costs, but it is still $90 a month!
Just things to think about...
We kept Drakes ears natural because we're in a very populated area and the doberman persona still lives. He's not a show dog nor a guard dog so we didn't see the need. Every time we go on a walk or go to the park, we've heard a lot of compliments about his ears being natural and haven't heard anything against it. Their image really changes with natural vs cropped ears.
Our breeder also gave us a discount because we didn't have the ears cropped.
My biggest advice is to get his ears cropped early about 8 weeks. From everything that I've seen it is much easier to get results. As far as posting his ears yourself its not rocket science, you can do it. YouTube has some good instructional videos too. On the topic of neutering if you castrate a male prior to reaching maturity he will not develop as he would otherwise because you are removing the testosterone from his body. An easy example is to compare any bull to a steer. The bull will be very muscular and defined the steer is very similar to the females. I understand what you are saying about having $1,500 for a dog. You have spoken to a vet about cropping already so you obviously know what the cost will be. That cost should include the after care of removing the stitches and helping you with the first post or two. Maintaining a dogs health isn't as hard as some would like to believe. I have given my dog all of his medicine and vaccines. I still take him to the vet for check ups. He's due for his 6 month check up now. Some Vets are very expensive and that doesn't make them better. My biggest expense is keeping him in dog food. He's a growing puppy and will go through a 35lb bag in about 9-10 days.
Thank you all for the advise! And YES I know that a Doberman costs money! I have had many dogs in my life. I have always rescued and I wish to rescue but there are not any here in my area right now.
And NO cropping doesnt cost that amount by me. It may be that where you live but by me its anywhere from $200-$250. The reason why I am getting the ears done is because its a personal preference. And yes the vet is a great cropper and I have talked to MANY people who have had their Dobermans, Great Danes, Boxers, and many others.
Thanks Jakezzdobes for your understanding. I just have never spent that much on an animal because like I said Ive always adopted.
Thank you all again for your advise!
Pet Profiles
We had the conversation with our vet regarding Phin being put under for his cropping and what could possibly happen to him, ie death etc. and while they do a pre-op exam and make sure that they are sound prior to going for surgery, complications can happen and things do happen, just as they do with us humans going for surgery.
Our breeder didn't do Phin's ears, the vet that she used has since retired and not all of the new owners wanted the ears done so she asked us if we would be able to take care of it on our own, which I was fine with having grown up with dobermans and having dealt with posting ears previously with my parents dogs.
This is the method that I used for posting Phin's ears, it was easy and worked well for us.
http://www.dobermantalk.com/puppy-corner/47747-ear-posting-directions-ph...
About neutering, we are holding off as long as we can for Phin to finish growing and developing, our vet told us anytime after 6 months is what he recommends, but would like for us to hold out till closer to 2 years if we can so that's what we're aiming for.