Why should they be installed?
It is necessary to put ears on dogs so that the pet does not raise doubts about its elite status. Erect ears give animals a more aesthetic and impressive appearance. This issue is especially important for exhibition animals.
If the identified defect of lop ears is not a congenital defect and was not obtained as a result of injury, then simple manipulations will help correct the situation (in other cases, the help of a veterinarian and surgeon will be required).
Some dog owners do not consider ear studs necessary. Moreover, the standard of many breeds allows them both standing and hanging positions. In any case, the choice remains with the person, and the dog is completely indifferent to what ears it has, because this will not affect its devotion and love.
Is it safe
Properly performed gluing does not cause any harm to the dog. However, if the owner does not have experience, it is better to entrust the first gluing to your breeder or another specialist who has experience working with this breed. Since the procedure is repeated many times during the change of teeth, over time the owner will learn to do it independently and the need for specialist intervention will disappear.
Some of the most common side effects and problems include:
- Allergy to the patch in a dog;
- Excessively tight ear;
- Fixation of ear position that does not correspond to the breed standard;
- The appearance of irritation and bacterial infections;
- Painful sensations caused by a patch or glue in the ear when they are removed.
Advice! At first, keep a close eye on your puppy. An attentive owner will promptly detect the appearance of a characteristic unpleasant odor, anxiety of the puppy, itching and redness. These symptoms are a sign of developing inflammation and require immediate removal of the patch and healing of the painful area.
Why they don’t get up - reasons and solutions
Newborn puppies are born with small ears pressed to their heads. As the animal grows, they straighten out, the cartilage strengthens and they take on a vertical position.
The time has come, but the dog’s ears don’t stand up. Why? The answer to this question is often of great concern to owners. The process of ear raising is influenced by five main factors:
- Genetic inheritance.
- Unpurebred (mixed puppies).
- Lack of calcium in the body.
- Too thick (fleshy) ears.
- Thin and weakened.
The main thing is not to panic and not to give up. Problematic ears need human help and can be fixed. The set of activities includes:
- proper nutrition;
- special vitamins;
- manual massage;
- ear gluing.
Nutrition
If the puppy's diet does not have enough calcium, or he did not get enough of it through his mother's milk, his ears may droop. In this case, you need to review your pet's menu.
Small breed puppies born from bitches who have suffered from postpartum eclampsia (loss of calcium in the blood) will most likely have problems with ear placement!
You can add calcium to your dog’s body using natural goat’s milk or calcium-enriched cottage cheese. It is not difficult to prepare it at home.
Recipe for making calcined cottage cheese
Edible gelatin, which can be added to the puppy’s food or prepared aspic dishes based on it, will help your dog replenish the lack of calcium.
Excess calcium in a pet’s body is no less dangerous than its deficiency. In this regard, it is important to comply with the daily norm of its consumption.
Vitamins
To strengthen cartilage tissue, special vitamins should be added to the puppy’s main diet: Excel, Polydex, Canina, Beafarm, Calcefit, Volmar, Kanvit. Vitamin “Steed Plus” is good for lifting weak ears, but it is quite expensive and you can’t buy it in every store.
“Silver Trail” Calcium Peptide is a little-known Russian brand. Its natural composition and nano-method of supplying calcium to the bone and cartilage tissue of animals receive the highest marks from experts.
Before purchasing and using zoovitamins, you must consult a veterinarian.
Massage
Massage is an additional measure to solve the problem of drooping ears. It helps in combination with nutrition and vitamins. It is not difficult to do, and the dog perceives the massage as if it were affection.
During this time, the puppy should not be distracted and should be completely relaxed. Grasp the base of your baby's ear with your thumb and index finger. Using kneading massage movements, work the cartilage itself and move towards the tip, slightly pulling and directing the blade vertically. Perform several massage techniques at once in this way.
The massage will not harm the ears and the number of procedures during the day is unlimited . Thanks to it, blood flow increases in the tissues, which has a beneficial effect on the process of strengthening and maturation of cartilage tissue.
What to do if your ears were recently standing, but suddenly fell off?
It happens that a Chihuahua's ears stand up on time, but after some time they unexpectedly fall down. The reason may be the replacement of baby teeth with permanent ones, which occurs at the age of 4-6 months. During this period, all minerals are spent on the formation of new teeth, and there is not enough of them for growing cartilage.
Vaccination and stress can weaken the immune system due to the introduction of viruses into the body. The consequence may be an unexpected fall of the ears, which can only be stimulated to rise by eliminating the problems that have arisen.
To lift the ears of a Chihuahua, it is provided with a complete, fortified diet, and fermented milk products are included in the menu. During the period of vaccination and quarantine, they properly care for the puppy and protect it from stress and anxiety.
Bonding - pros and cons
The “gluing” method helps to radically make your puppy’s ears droop. It has proven itself in practice and is widely used for installing cropped and undocked ears on various breeds of dogs.
Some pets behave excitedly after gluing. They try to rip off the bandage and the structure with their paws, and rub their heads against the furniture. This way they can damage the ear cartilage and make the situation worse. In this case, you should loosen the tie and wrap or put on a special protective “collar” for the puppy.
Sometimes, after removing the adhesive plaster, an allergic reaction, pimples or scratches are clearly visible on the ears. Suitable for their treatment:
- baby powder;
- hydrogen peroxide;
- pharmacy blue.
After the ears have rested, the wounds have healed, and the crusts have dried, you will need to repeat the gluing procedure.
The “gluing” method is completely safe for the physiology of the animal and has no contraindications. This procedure should be carried out carefully, observing all preparatory and main steps.
How to put ears on an adult dog
Of course, to avoid surgical intervention, you can try to adjust the animal’s diet, add the necessary microelements and drink a complex of vitamins. But if these measures do not change the picture, then the only solution will be surgery. Because the ear cartilage of an adult dog has already been established and will not radically change its structure.
Today, the surgical procedure for installing ears is quick and painless. Veterinarians already have techniques that have been developed over the years. One of them is when a whalebone is sewn into the ear, thanks to which the ear stands up. The procedure is not long, on average it takes about an hour. After its completion, the dog’s ears require careful hygiene and dressings; the wounds will heal in about two weeks. During this procedure, an experienced surgeon will take into account the shape of the head, breed and, of course, the wishes of the owners. The supply of ears must be carried out by a qualified specialist, and only in a specialized institution.
How to put ears on an adult dog
Staging methods
Ear fitting for dogs is carried out using soft and hard structures. Both methods have the same goals and similar execution techniques, but differ from each other in the materials used.
Rigid design
The rigid design is used for large dog breeds and long cropped ears. You can make it yourself from scrap materials or buy it at a pet store. To create a basic hard “crown” you may find it useful:
- foam rollers for the liner;
- medical glue will help to glue the curlers;
- a pencil so as not to get your hands dirty;
- Popsicle sticks for rigidity and as a guide line;
- General fixation will require medical or surgical tape. Reinforced construction tape or masking tape will also work.
Make sure that the glue does not get into the animal’s ear canals and do not forget to first remove hair from the ears and degrease them with an alcohol solution.
Soft design
This setting option is suitable for small breed puppies. It provides for gentle gluing without glue or complex rigid fixations. Making gluing using a soft structure is not difficult.
The necessary materials are a 3 cm wide adhesive plaster and cotton swabs (for rigidity). As in the first case, the fur from the ears must be shaved off and the ears wiped with alcohol, otherwise the procedure for removing the adhesive tape will cause pain to the puppy.
There are many options for gluing and setting ears. Any materials can be used: sanitary tampons, cut-outs from plastic cards, pen refills, plastic bottles and foam sponges.
The main rule is do no harm. It is important that the devices do not injure the puppy, are durable and light, so that they are easy to install and not difficult to remove.
At what age should ears stand up?
Natural setting occurs due to the compaction of the cartilage. The recommended age varies between 2-5 months and depends on the breed.
Standards for different breeds
Representatives of small breeds are famous for faster growth. Yorkshire terriers require only 2-3 months to train. For German Shepherds this takes 4-5 months.
Large and giant dogs, whose average weight is 26-50 kg or more, have to wait the longest. This group includes Caucasian Shepherd Dogs, Alabais and Great Danes. Their owners should be patient, as the approximate waiting time is 6-8 months.
When to start worrying
You need to puzzle over how to put ears on a puppy after 7-8 months. Most often, shape is achieved through surgery, but there are also safe methods used in the early stages.
Sometimes help may be needed when creases appear, there is no change at all, or there is a prolonged loss of progress when changing teeth or after the first vaccination. In these situations, you should contact your veterinarian.
Step-by-step instructions for installing undocked ears on small dog breeds
All small and decorative breeds have the same way of setting problematic, undocked ears. Let's consider it using the example of the Chinese Crested Dog, whose ears can be set on the 21st day of life. To do this you will need:
At the base of the auricle there is a delicate septum. Work carefully, ask another family member to help you, fix the pet's head . The noise and vibration of the machine can frighten him.
- Shave the hair on both sides of the ears with a trimmer. This will reduce their severity and ensure painless removal of the adhesive plaster. Remove any remaining fur from the edges with scissors.
- Wipe the ear with alcohol or any degreaser to make the patch stick better.
- Cut a piece from the adhesive plaster that is the length of the ear and place it on the table with the adhesive side down.
- Cut half a cotton swab and place it on the adhesive plaster.
- Place the second and third layers of adhesive tape on top of the cotton swab.
- We cut out the resulting strong sizing according to the shape of the ear, with the cotton wool facing down, and glue it to the inside of the ear, so that the ear canal is visible.
- We wrap the ears like a tube, but not too tightly so that the animal is comfortable.
- We wrap the folded ear at the base of the cartilage around the circumference with adhesive tape. Do not bring your ears close to the top of your head, as this may cause them to be positioned incorrectly. The bandage should look natural.
- To prevent the ears from falling apart in different directions and leaning forward, they will need to be fixed horizontally. They need to be connected to each other so that they are vertical. We connect them with adhesive tape at the base.
The puppy needs to stay in this bandage for about 5 days. Then the patch is removed, carefully unwinding it and trimming the hairs of the fur with scissors. It happens that after the first gluing procedure the ears already stand up.
If the result of raising was not achieved, then after a 12-hour rest the ears are glued again in the same way until they become stronger and take a vertical position..
The Chinese Crested Dog has two varieties: hairless and powder coated. The ear placement pattern is the same for both. According to the standard, the hairless variety must have erect ears, while the puffer variety is allowed to have both erect and hanging ears. According to breeders, a puff with erect ears looks more impressive.
Manufacturers rating
Among the popular brands of ear glue are the following:
- Tear Mender is made in the USA and acts as an alternative to fixatives. The composition does not contain toxic compounds, it is completely safe for animals and humans. It is made on a water basis. After application, the skin continues to breathe under the adhesive layer, so there is no need to take a break from the procedure. It is characterized by fast drying (30 seconds - 3 minutes), economical consumption, and excellent fixation. Packaged in 60 and 177 ml bottles. In a tightly closed container, the shelf life is unlimited, after opening – a year. Re-application is carried out if the need for adjustment arises. For removal, it is better to use baby oils; they are harmless and at the same time soften the skin.
Tear Mender glue cannot be stored or transported at low temperatures. After defrosting, use is prohibited.
- Beleza Cemento Para Oreja is made in Spain. Provides complete correction of your pet's ears. The composition is safe for animals and humans. Before application, you need to prepare the auricle (cut hairs, degrease). The fixation lasts up to four days, the procedure is repeated if necessary. Sold in 30 ml containers.
- Cherry Knoll Ear Fix is an ear adhesive made in the USA. The base is latex. Does not contain allergens, toxic compounds, completely harmless to the skin of humans and dogs. Fixation occurs quickly (up to 5 minutes), without pain. Sold in 30 ml containers.
