Floppy ear

[DrPepper]

Our 12 week old Bouvier has cropped ears. One ear stands straight up very nicely, however, the other one flops inward onto the top of her head. Is there any way to train her ear to stand up straight? Thanks!

[Sue]

The best cure is "tincture of time." ;> If the ears were cropped properly, they will stand eventually. In the meantime, they can make their owners absolutely crazy though if they dwell on the ears. Teething will also affect the ears and I can guarantee you that even perfectly standing ears will flop, usually over the puppy's head or stand up like a unicorn horn once puppy starts teething. Some people think that supplementing with calcium helps. I have never used it though, and the ears stood when they were ready to.

If your puppy's ears were cropped long, then it might be helpful to support them so that they do not crease while the cartilage is maturing. A lot of breeders use molefoam and cut a triangle with a rounded base to fit into the ear, then glue it in with surgical glue. Your breeder can help you with this. If your breeder is at a distance, ask if she can recommend someone in your area to help you. I personally have found that the less I mess with ears the better, and if they need support, I like to use 1/2" foam pipe insulation to make a little mold to support the ear.

Be very careful of anyone who wants to tape round and round the ears so they look like little devil horns. If this is not done correctly, or if left on too long, the tape can cut off circulation, causing tissue necrosis, infection, and worse. A friend who is a veterinarian recently told me about a client who had brought in a puppy who she had taped up that way. When both ears necrosed and literally fell off the puppy's head, she brought him to the clinic, expecting the vet to suture those infected ears back onto the puppy. Poor little guy.....