POPSICLE
STICK/TONGUE DEPRESSOR METHOD
EQUIPMENT NEEDED:
Good quality adhesive tape, scissors,
Popsicle sticks, cotton balls, rubbing alcohol and patience. An extra
pair of hands can also be very useful.
Make sure the ear that is to be taped is
clean and dry, rubbing alcohol wiped in the shell of the ear with a
cotton ball will work well. Start by measuring the Popsicle stick to the
ear, from the bump inside the ear to the tip. Trim the Popsicle stick
to the right length. Cut 2 strips of tape for each Popsicle stick to be
used, a little longer than the stick. Affix these strips of tape to the
sticks in the following manner. Place the stick onto the sticky side in
the center of one piece of tape, then place the other piece of tape on
top of both with the sticky side facing out.
This is very important as this sticky side affixes to the ear. Cut two
more pieces of tape for each ear, one to go around the bottom --
approximately 7 - 8 inches long, and another to go around the top --
approximately 1" long. Use full width. Take one of your tape covered
sticks and prepare to affix to the ear. It is most helpful at this point
to have someone holding the pup!
To affix the stick to the ear begin at
the bottom putting the rounded end just above and sitting on the bump in
the ear, hold the stick at an angle away from the head of the pup and
stretch the ear up to the stick. This is also important as it tightly
stretches the ear and helps eliminate ‘sinks.'
Holding the stick to the ear, wrap your piece of tape around the ear at
the base, starting at the front and going around between the ears. This
is a procedure called circle taping in which you put the strip of tape
below the crease in the dog's ear, right where they fold back. Take care
not to release the upward stretch on the ear as you reach for the next
piece of tape. Then the tape has to be pleated to form fit the ear. Do
the same at the top of the ear with the full width piece of tape. To
prevent the tips of the ears from curling secure the ear tips to the
tape-covered sticks.
BE CAREFUL NOT TO WRAP THE TAPE TOO
TIGHTLY AS YOU COULD CUT OFF CIRCULATION TO THE EAR!
When both ears are up you now need to cut
a longer piece of tape to go around the whole thing. A piece
approximately 10 -12" will do. Starting at the front of the left ear at
the bottom (stretch ear upwards) take the tape across the front of the
head to the right ear (stretch ear up) and affix to the bottom front of
this ear, always parallel to each other. Continue around the ear to the
back where you will join the tape to the piece you just placed across
the front, all the way across until you are back where you started. Once
in place, lift this bridge and stick the two cross bars together, so
that they will not stick to the top of the pup's head. Be sure that the
tape is not too high on the ear or the ears may begin to tilt inward.
Keep the tapes on as long as you can, it
is important that the ears do not tilt towards each other but do remain
in a parallel position. In fact it is better that they tilt a little
apart at the top. Keep the tapes straight and in good repair. Remove
them by cutting through all the layers, loosening the tapes on the tips,
and briskly taking the sticks off. Repeat the entire procedure as often
as necessary. Always put the ears back up immediately. Remember that for
every day the ears are left to flop you have 2 extra weeks of taping
ahead of you. GOOD LUCK!
submitted by Judy Bohnert, Equinox,
Canada
EAR TAPING &
AFTER-CARE OF THE CROPPED EAR
Ear cropping of the Doberman Pinscher is usually done
at approximately 7 to 8 weeks of age. The operation requires anesthesia
and the puppy must be fasted for approximately 12 hours prior to
surgery. Most often, this surgery is performed by someone who
specializes in the cropping of ears......for the expert cropping of ears
is more an artistic endeavor rather than the technical veterinary
surgical procedure of spaying, etc.. Although the actual procedure does
require the puppy to be anesthetised, it may lessen your fears about
cropping to know that the actual operation takes only 30 minutes and the
puppy is under anesthesia for only that time as is required for the
surgery. The very first thing your puppy did after being cropped was to
eat ---- which shows you how much the whole procedure actually bothers a
young puppy!!
NOW WE MUST BE
CONCERNED WITH TRAINING THE EARS TO STAND ERECT
For the first 7 days after ear cropping, your pup will
remain in his rack (or cup) with sutures holding the edges closed.
Between 7 and 10 days after cropping, the sutures will be removed, the
cup changed, and again.....for 7 to 10 days the pup will remain in his
cup with the ears taped erect until all the cut edges are healed. Having
the puppies ears up in a cup makes it very easy for you to keep the
edges clean. I recommend using Peroxide to clean the edges and then BFI
Powder dusted on the edges to help dry them out. BFI Powder is also used
for Athletes Feet and is readily available at most drugstores. If this
is not available, just use the juice of an Aloe Leaf to help heal the
edges.
Although we often laugh at the prospect of seeing our Doberman Pups with
cups on their heads it really is the easiest way to keep the ears up
erect while they heal. Unfortunately, it is also usually very easy for
the puppy to remove the cup with regularity, and as it is vitally
important that the pups ears remain in the cup until they are completely
healed, I must instruct you as to how to make the cup and attach it to
the puppy's ears.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR PUPPY
INTO A CUP-HEAD
You will need to purchase plastic or styrofoam cups in
the 8 or 9 oz. size. Depending upon the length of the ears you will need
to take two cups and tape them together one on top (inside) of the other
to form a firm support. Then take a 1 inch wide piece of tape and
beginning at the inside of one side of the cup, tape up and over the cup
ending up on the inside of the other side of the cup.
Next, take "Rubber Cement" and brush this over the taped sides of the
cup..........about two times........and let it dry until it is tacky.
Cut two pieces of tape, one 3 " longer than the inside of the ears, and
one 1" longer than the outside (Hair) side of the ears. Clean the ears
of completely with Alcohol to remove any ear wax and greasy residue.
Sandwich the ears between the two pieces of tape, putting the longest
piece on the skin side of the ears, and the shorter piece on the hair
side of the ears. Using your hands, press the tape onto the ears. Make
sure the cut edges of the ears are not under the tapes. Placing the cup
onto the head, tape each ear up onto the cup stretching it as tightly as
possible. With the puppy facing you, place a piece of tape across the
front from one cut edge to the other in a horizontal fashion so as to
help fasten it to the cup. Once the ears are healed the ears are removed
from the cup and the process of "ear-posting" begins. This must
continue, FAITHFULLY, UNTIL THE PUP IS APPROXIMATELY 6 MONTHS OF AGE. I
know this may seem like forever............but, in actuality it is only
a small portion of this dogs life, and if you want properly erect ears
it is necessary that you be diligent. The ears must be cleaned weekly,
and the tapes changed at this time. Allow the ears to remain out of tape
only for that time required to dry out the ear canal from the cleaning
process.....1/2 hour is quite enough. When your pup is 3 to 4 months old
you may notice that the ears are standing during this 1/2 hour wait and
be tempted to put off re-taping till the next day. DO NOT WAIT!!! Your
pup is still teething and if those ears fall you will have wasted all
you time and end up having to keep the pups ears taped until it is 8 or
9 months of age. BE PATIENT, BE CONSISTENT, AND TRUST ME. I have taped
hundreds of ears in the past 25 years following this method and have had
100% success!!
SUPPLIES NEEDED TO
TAPE THE EARS:
- 1 Roll of 1" wide CLOTH Adhesive Tape (Curity is
best...Zonas is good, Johnson & Johnson Sports Tape works well)
- 1 BOUNTY paper towel
- 2 Popsicle sticks (can be purchased as craft sticks
in craft stores)
HOW TO FORM THE POSTS:
Fold a paper towel in half, then in half again. Cut
approximately 1 inch off the folded edge. Open each piece up to form a
section of towel which is a rectangle. Place a popsicle stick in the
center of the rectangle horizontally and then fold over each side of the
paper towel, (as indicated in the above picture) folding each side of
the paper towel to the center and covering the popsicle stick. Roll each
rectangle up tightly into a tube around the popsicle stick. Secure this
into a roll with a couple of pieces of adhesive tape. Begin wrapping
adhesive tape around each roll, turning the tape so as to begin
reversing it, so that it is sticky side out. Each roll will then
resemble a post a note tube. Holding the ear with one hand as erect as
you can possibly make it, insert a tube into the ear canal as far as it
will fit. With your hand, form the ear around the post. Wrap one 5"
piece of tape around the ear and tube at the base, and one 2" piece of
tape around the ear as close to the tip as possible. Repeat with the
other ear. Form a bridge between both ears with another long piece of
tape. It is preferable that this be done near the base of the ears
(actually over the tape securing the post to the bottom of the ears).
This "bridge" should be tight enough to prevent the ears from falling
down, but not so tight as to keep them permanently standing ramrod
straight. I like to have approximately 1" play between the ears being
totally erect and out to the side. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER
IS THAT YOU MUST HOLD THE EAR UP TIGHTLY WHILE PUTTING IN THE POST AND
WRAPPING THE BOTTOM. This keeps the ears from having a "set" (bend)
where they meet the base of the top of the head.
ABOVE ALL,
DON'T GIVE UP!!
by Naglers Dobermans