WHO CROPS EARS ANYMORE, ANYWAY???!!! -08.21.2010

This entry's title was the reaction I received at the vet's office when I arrived with Orso to re-tape his ears.  Maybe no one came out and said this to me for fear of my reaction, but it was very clear that everyone was thinking it.  I had a very stressful visit to the vet several hours ago.  If you see my previous post about my regular vet being on vacation, you will probably know where I am going with this. Apparently, veterinary schools don't teach ear cropping anymore - which is fine - but it does not mean that it is no longer performed, so if you are a vet, I think that you should be taught at some point in your career how to - at the very least - tape ears that have been cropped. No such luck today.

As Orso and I waited patiently in the exam room, I could overhear all the technicians and the green vet on staff debating who was going to tape my puppy's ears.  It didn't help that they were aware that he was a show dog, so it was especially crucial that the taping be done correctly.  No one who was there had ever taped ears!!!  Distressed by this, I made them call all the local clinics to see if there was a vet anywhere within a 10 mile radius who was comfortable with this practice - zilch!  Having taped Mouse's ears when he was a puppy, I was prepared to do it myself rather than allow someone else to do a poor job, but I had not done it in a long time and was scared to wrap the ears too tight and cause a circulation loss issue.  The vet, the technician and I brainstormed until we came to a reasonable solution.  My friend held Orso, the vet and the vet tech cautiously taped his ears while I showed them close-ups of photos from a few days ago that showed how they were originally looked.  We all agreed that I should go back first thing Monday morning to see my regular vet, who crops show dogs' ears on a fairly regular basis to check the ears and re-tape them.  Through this whole ordeal, Orso sat like a little gentleman on the exam table, completely unfazed by any of the raucous surrounding him.  What a trooper!

Below are two videos. One is of Orso chilling out at the vet's office with my friend next to him and the other is him showing his unhappiness at having his ears taped again.