Although Dr. Harroff has performed ear surgery on dogs of all ages, an ideal time for the procedure is between 10 and 12 weeks of age. This procedure is considered to be major surgery which takes over an hour to complete. During this time, the patient is completely asleep under general anesthesia and monitored for heart-rate and oxygen levels with state-of-the-art medical equipment. All patients stay overnight and are discharged the next day.

Patients scheduled for surgery should have no food after 8:00 p.m. on the night prior to surgery. Water can be available at all times. Patients should arrive at the hospital between 7:30 and 9:00 a.m.on the morning of the surgery.

If you are considering having your dog’s ears cropped and have any questions, please contact Cabarrus Animal Hospital to schedule your surgery.

Since only rarely do ears stand immediately after sugery, owners must be committed to working with the ears for several weeks and possibly months after the surgery is complete. Immediately following surgery, the ears are taped to a box which sits on the head. This allows the incision area to be exposed to air.

Ten days later, the sutures are removed and the box is kept on the head for approximately one more week until the edges of the ear are completely healed. After the box is removed, foam rubber strips are used to keep the ears standing erect until they can stand on their own. A nominal fee is charged for each ear-taping procedure.

If one or both ears fail to stand erect, surgery in many instances can correct this problem. Each case must be evaluated by Dr. Harroff on an individual basis.