I’ve got a 7-month-old Doberman with a long crop, somewhere between a medium and large length. At first, I only taped them for a few days, and although the ears stood up, it wasn't right. I then switched to a posting method for a few months, but they didn't stay up permanently; one was fine but the other would stand for a few minutes and then flop back down. Recently, I tried taping them with straws and had better results—the floppy one didn't drop as quickly. This past week, I used a taping method with a water bottle and after 5 days I changed the dressing and saw a good result. The ears are standing up exactly as they should. I’ve put another lot of tape on just to be sure. Do you think there’s a chance they’ll stay up now? Food-wise, I’m feeding him Royal Canin—I mix the Maxi Puppy dry food with steamed chicken and carrots once a day, plus a calcium tablet every two days. What do you reckon?
Translated from French
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Hi everyone,
Does anyone have any recommendations for vets in France or Spain who are still willing to do ear cropping?
desert.eagle33 at live.fr
Thanks
Hi everyone,
Does anyone have any recommendations for vets in France or Spain who are still willing to do ear cropping?
desert.eagle33 at live.fr
Thanks
Fahb, the difference between a dog with cropped ears or a docked tail and a human with piercings or tattoos is that the human made that choice for themselves. Even in a world where we could talk to our dogs, I highly doubt they’d tell us they're happy to have their ears or tails cut off.
In theory (and I do mean in theory), police officers on patrol should stop any owner they see with a dog that has cropped ears. They’re also banned from dog shows, even if they’ve come from a country where ear cropping is still allowed.
Yes, the law is a bit of a grey area, but it doesn't matter—you either love your dog for what they are naturally, or you love them for how they look, and in the latter case, you shouldn't really have a dog.
I understand everyone's perspective; take the Doberman, for instance, a breed created by Mr Dobermann WITH cropped ears. That look was an integral part of the breed. Visually, I’m in two minds because I do like the look of a cropped Doberman, but the world is changing and animal welfare is moving with it, which is a good thing! What more could we want for them? Ear cropping is a major surgical procedure, not something to be taken lightly, and as it's based purely on the dog's appearance, there’s no benefit to it—on the contrary, plenty of complications can occur. And for the record, almost all dogs that have gone through this won't let you touch the outer part of their ears, the bit that was cut and stitched. It’s a clear sign that they’re suffering.
You know fahb, there are loads of laws and plenty of ways to get around them. For example, since January 2005, smoking has been banned in public places, yet despite the law, you still get people smoking at bus stops or on train platforms and they hardly ever get into trouble. It’s to the detriment of their own health—which is their business—but also the health of others. When it only affects one person who is responsible for themselves, I don't really mind, but when someone else (or an animal in this case) is involved, that's what bothers me. If a dog really had the choice, they wouldn't want to have their ears cropped (or their tail docked, but that’s not the point of this post). So, my conscience tells me to follow the law even if I sometimes think it’s unfair... but definitely not when it comes to animals.
So that should be enough to spare the dog from that torture, at least I hope! Mind you, I just hope there isn't a vet out there who’d actually agree to do it despite the ban.
Hi,
Personally, I don't think it's very clear what you're getting at. I haven't read the whole thing because, frankly, the sentences in all caps and the constant repetition are really off-putting. If you've actually got the text in front of you, you'll see that if the police catch you, you risk a fine (you can find more details in the legal guidelines).
It’s worth noting that a lot of people campaigning against "mutilation" (as they call just having a dog’s ears cropped) have piercings and tattoos themselves!! WHAT A JOKE!!
The vet I spoke to (who was really helpful and gave me a proper answer because he saw I was a responsible, sensible owner who was determined to get the facts) even told me...
"Sir, we don’t do it here, of course, because the law has changed and that’s that. But since you’re asking the right questions about how to stay on the right side of the law and, above all, avoid any over-the-top trouble if something were to happen 'one day'...
I’m 99% sure that if you find a vet willing to do it, they’ll be smart enough to write up a medical exemption first, which would basically bring you into line with the rules... and no police officer on the street is going to say a word to you while you're out for a walk. I’d even go as far as to say that if your dog were to get into a scrap with another dog, they’d ask for his vaccination record, and I’m almost certain his ears wouldn’t even be mentioned!"
SO THANK GOD FOR THE ACTUAL LEGAL TEXTS AND THE COMMON SENSE OF A PROFESSIONAL VET!
Also, for the more stubborn lot out there, cropping the ears of dogs involved in high-intensity sports, on top of the look that goes with it:
1. In no way affects the decline or "dilution" of the breed.
2. Can help the dog avoid certain health issues caused by long ears.
3. Can even prevent neck pain and help the dog carry its head better (not necessarily in terms of weight, but more about ease of movement and mobility...)
So, there you go...
Honestly, I was getting sick of seeing "IT'S FORBIDDEN, IT'S FORBIDDEN, IT'S FORBIDDEN" on every forum, and every thread turning into "I'M FOR IT, NO I'M AGAINST IT, WELL I'M FOR IT".
I already knew it was illegal and why the people who made the law did it. My question was: what do we actually risk!?
I’d had enough, so I went straight to the vet and he printed out the actual law for me right there and then!
I’m currently going through it with a fine-tooth comb, both his print-out and by re-reading all the relevant legal articles in the Animal Welfare Act (the official government guidelines).
As it turns out, it’s exactly what I thought... it’s banned, and that’s that!
That’s why, pretty much every time you go on a forum or an official site, you never hear about anyone doing a year or two and a half in prison just because they had a dog with cropped ears! You also never hear about someone having to sell their house because they had their dog’s ears cropped and had to pay a fine of over £85,000!
Normally, the maximum you're looking at is a category 4 fine, so about £75!
The text is actually much more focused on the fact that a dog with cropped ears and a docked tail isn't allowed to be entered into any kind of show! BUT THAT’S IT! They practically—if not "only"—talk about entering them into shows!!!
So okay, it’s illegal!! But that’s all there is to it!
