As you can see on the above pic, Wesha seems to develop a folded ear. This is not a health problem at all, but it is not the way it should be. And I do not find it attractive. So I have been trying to get as much information as possible to see what we can do about it. Apparently, these ears start to fold when pups start teething. It has been said to disappear again after teething, but this doesn't seem to happen very often. Once the cartilage is firming, the ear will remain folded. So if you want to do something about it, you should do it while the dog is still young.
The options are:
- do nothing, hope that it will disappear again by itself
- do nothing and try to find the folded ear cute
- tape the ears for about 2 weeks (and repeat if necessary)
- glue a piece of cardboard in the ear so that it stays in the correct position
Oh and according to my vet:
- give Wesha the double amount of "Canosan" (a supplement for building strong ligaments and cartilage)
For days we have been discussing these options. We don't like the cardboard option. So we might do either nothing or tape the ear. And we will give Wesha the double dose of Canosan (although I doubt that will help).
It is so hard to take decisions like this. I don't want to cause Wesha any discomfort. And at the same time I don't want her to have a folded ear. I got some skin-friendly tape from the vet, just in case.
11 comments:
What does the breeder think--and does she think it'll hurt her? I'd imagine she's still growing the cartilage is more flexible, and wouldn't be as painful, if at all. It would be annoying, and I'm sure she'd try to get it off.
And do you know how to do the taping so it wouldn't hurt her?
Yes, I talked to the breeder about this. She told me about the cardboard option. She also said that it was not pleasant for the dog.
I have found some pretty good examples on how to tape the ears. I do suspect that Wesha would try to get the tape off. But hopefully, she would get used to it quickly.
I taped Dance's ears while she was a puppy. It didn't cause any discomfort at all. She looked a little silly with tape on, but her ears are beautiful now... so I think it was worth it.
Thanks Devan. :) Always good to hear. Since I have been giving Wesha the double dosis of "Canosan", the ears have been better. To my surprise, it seems to work!
That's good! Just remember not to panic if they fold again. The ears will do that off and on for a while.
Here's a pic with one taped ear:
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i19/Toller2008/tapedear.jpg
^ I hope the url shows up for you! Sometimes it doesn't on blogs for some reason.
The other had corrected itself at the time of that picture, but I taped them both off and on until she was about 8 months old. Make sure you use medical/sports tape, and I also suggest sticking it to your clothes once gently so that it's not too sticky. The method I used in the above pic is the most successful one I've heard of.
Thanks again! That looks like a pretty simple way to correct the folded ear.
Dance looks like Wesha, with the white spot on her nose. :D Do you have a website where I can see more pictures of her?
Certainly! It is:
http://community.webshots.com/user/Toller_obsessed
Oh... I cannot see anything because I am not a member there :(
nou eh.............
ik vind zo een oortje wel lief. is uniek!!!!
Really? That's strange. I've never had anyone encounter that problem before, but there's always a first for everything! I have pictures on another site, so I'll update it and then give it to you soon!
Post a Comment