Introduction
Ear cropping is a surgical procedure in dogs where some part of the external ear, particularly the pinna, is removed. This surgery is mostly performed for cosmetic reasons, meet certain breed standards and creating a specific look. It’s a common practice in breeds like Dobermans, Cane Corsos, Boxers and Great Danes. This practice mostly serves the owners’ desires of getting some traditional appearance of their dogs. However, this procedure also has a wide range of associated health risks and complications that are not properly evaluated before going for this surgery. Hence, this article is aimed at highlighting the wide array of issues that can be countered following the ear cropping both in the immediate and the long terms.
Pain and Inflammation After Surgery
Pain is the first and the most noticeable complication that is seen in dogs after ear cropping. When the pinna is cut, the cartilage, skin, nerves and the blood vessels are also incised which result in pain. Even though cropping procedure is performed under the effect of anaesthesia, pain is felt by the dog immediately as the effect of this anaesthesia diminishes. Inflammation occurs there at the wound site resulting in swelling, redness and hotness of the tissues. Owing to this pain, the dog loses its appetite, becomes restless and unable to sleep properly for many weeks to come.
Infections and Contamination of the Surgical Site
Open wounds are highly prone to contaminations and infections. Post-surgical infections occur even in highly managed cases that have undergone careful suturing and antiseptic measures. Signs indicative of infections are thick discharge, pus, an unpleasant odour and swelling. In severe cases, infections may spread systemically in the body causing fever, lethargy and even septicaemia. This makes the use of antibiotics necessary for the wound care and sometimes requiring additional surgeries too.
Bleeding and Blood Clot Complications
Ears are richly supplied with blood vessels that are the main reason behind the significant bleeding encountered during the cropping procedure. Bleeding can occur from improperly ligated blood vessel or from the damage to the wound induced by the dog itself after the surgery. If this bleeding is internal, hematomas may from there resulting in localized swelling and distortion in the final shape of the ears. Treating these hematomas adds to the stress, pain and the healing time as these may require drainage, compressional bandaging, or even surgical intervention.
Slow or Poor Healing of the Wound
It is not necessary that the healing process will always go as planned. Instead, it is dependent on several factors like ear movement, immune status of the animal, nutrition and scratching of the wounds. All these factors may prolong the healing process if any thing goes wrong there. In case of delayed healing, wounds remain open for longer periods resulting in their increased susceptibility to infections and scarring. This condition can sometimes lead to uneven healing of the edges leaving jagged skin. In complicated cases where the blood supply is compromised, tissues start dying and necrosis starts which necessitates another surgery extending the pain suffering period for the dog.
Unexpected Cosmetic Results
Ear cropping is performed with the purpose of achieving a clean and alert appearance in dogs. However, in practice, the final results may not match our expectations. Different conditions of ears may develop there like uneven edges, one standing ear and the other floppy, inwardly or outwardly curved ears and thick scarry edges that look so unnatural. Ideal and flawless results are not even in the hands of experienced veterinarians as tissues’ response varies dog to dog. When the owner is unable to get the desired cosmetic results, he may seek further corrective procedures subjecting the dog to even more surgeries and pain.
Allergic Reactions, Suture Problems and Scarring
Some dogs may develop allergic reactions to the used suture materials. These reactions result in swelling, irritation leading to even open wounds. This is because the body sometimes treats the sutures as the foreign material and initiating the inflammatory response to that. Resultantly lumps of the inflamed tissues may develop at the suture site that are termed as granulomas. In such allergic reactions, suture materials may have to be removed. This leads to more frequent bandaging and extra care of the open wounds. Thus, such reactions not only delay the healing of wounds but can also lead to scars formation. These scars can sometimes be so excessive or abnormal that are termed as keloids. These keloids can be itchy and uncomfortable to the dogs with rigid masses that impart abnormal appearance.
Structural Damage to Cartilage
It is the cartilage that gives shape to the ears. During cropping, if excessive cartilage is removed or damaged, the ear can droop and collapse in an unnatural manner. In some cases of ear cropping, the remaining cartilage can fold and curl in an unintended pattern that creates a completely misshapen appearance. As cartilage regeneration is not easy, the resulting deformities are often permanent. Furthermore, surgical attempts for the correction of these deformities do not guarantee the desired results.
Nerve Damage and Neuroma Formation
Neuromas may develop there from the severed nerves during ear cropping. Neuromas refer to the tangled bundles of nerve endings that are formed during the wound healing process. These are highly sensitive structures that cause longing pain and discomfort in the cropped dogs affecting their quality of life for the years to come. Such suffering of the dogs also induces behavioural and temperament changes in them. These structures are difficult to treat but surgical attempts can be made for their removal which may also go in vain.
Anaesthesia-Related Risks
Inducing general anaesthesia is always risky during any procedure. In the cropping surgery, some dogs may show adverse reactions to the used anaesthetic drugs resulting in breathing difficulties, cardiac arrythmia and prolonged grogginess. Puppies and dogs that are already having some medical conditions are especially vulnerable to these risks. In serious reactions, cardiac arrest and death may also occur.
Changes in Hearing or Sensory Function
As the cropping alters the natural anatomy of the ears, some people believe that it also has some effects on sound localization. The pinna is responsible for directing the sounds to the eardrum through the ear canal. When this is cut in the cropping surgery, the dog’s ability of sound perception is also compromised.
Conclusion
To conclude, we can say that ear cropping is not just a simple cosmetic procedure. Instead, it is a far more complex process that has serious impacts on the physical and social life of the dogs. And the most important thing is that even after surgery, there are very little chances of getting ideal results. Thus, it’s better to love our pets in their natural form rather than inflicting them with serious injuries just for our cosmetic desires.
