# Taped today :(



## Drewberry (May 13, 2008)

My poor boy. I was really hoping it wouldn't have to come to this. Jager turns 6 months tomorrow and it has been a serious roller coaster with his ears. At New Year's they were both standing so beautifully strong.. since then we've gone to one up.. one down.. then switched... then the last week or two they've both been down.

I've been in constant contact with our breeder about it and she said it was time to tape. So, we went to the vet today. It was probably the most stress he's ever experienced. He hated the taping and went nuts when we came home.. he's so confused. He finally wore himself out and is sleeping.

I just feel so sad for him. I hated having to tape.. and I really hope it was all worth it in the end.


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## allieg (Nov 4, 2008)

He looks so pitiful.. Give him a hug for me.


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## rokanhaus (Mar 20, 2006)

aww...he looks like a Dobie puppy in disguise!!! A nice bone will help lift his spirits and make those ears stronger....


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## maxsmom1229 (Apr 12, 2007)

i totally agree with rokanhaus.....give him good things to chew chew chew away!


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## Drewberry (May 13, 2008)

Some people have suggested using Vitamin E... do I just buy the supplement capsules found in the supermarket for humans or do pet stores sell this in the correct doggie dosage?


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## BbyParit (Oct 6, 2000)

Oh but he sure is beautiful!! Is his name prounced like the drink Jager?


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## Drewberry (May 13, 2008)

It is







But it also happens to be a German word for Hunter. And thank you very much for the compliment!!


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

I love his natural ears. He is very handsome! He sure looks happier with them floppy. We have a whole picture thread on here with floppy eared gsds. I think it makes them cuter! My first gsd had ears that flopped at the top. Then when I adopted my next one I was disappointed that his ears were so pointy!


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## windwalker718 (Oct 9, 2008)

Good time to tape if they're still up and down... looks like a secure job doing them so they won't wobble around. Kandi's right... go out to the grocery and pick up a couple nice long marrow bones for him to gnaw on. It'll keep him occupied and the chewing will help strengthen things. While he's probably a bit embaressed right now by them, giving him something as a distraction and he'll forget about it completely in a day or so. I'd leave them up for 2 weeks at least. One caution I will give is that if he gets them very wet they should be retaped as the moisture inside the ear could lead to an infection. I have taped in basically the same style, but use toilet paper rolls as forms so that air can get into the ear. The bridge at the base is important as it keeps them in the correct setting, not tipped too far towards each other...
One last thing... If/when you consider breeding him REMEMBER that he had weak ears and be very certain that the bitch has shorter lighter leather ears which stood without aid. Otherwise you could fix a negative trait.
He is an absolute cutie!!


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## sju279 (Dec 18, 2008)

Oh, what a sweet boy! I hope that helps him! One of my friends did everything under the sun to get her boy's right ear to stand, but it never did. She's kind of glad though, because he's always kept a "puppy" look. I had to tape one of my Norwegian Elkhound's ears when he was a pup, and it worked. Good luck with him! He's a beautiful boy whether those ears go up or not!


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## schering (Jun 26, 2008)

FUNNY THING. WHEN I STOPPED WORRYING ABOUT SADIE'S RIGHT EAR IT STOOD. IT WAS UP AND DOWN UNTIL AROUND 7 MONTHS. WE STARTED TAPING AT 5 MONTHS ON AND OFF. I WILL BE A LITTLE MORE RELAXED WITH MY NEXT SHEPHERD.


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## Drewberry (May 13, 2008)

Windwalker, all of your tips are very helpful, thank you!! I was concerned about how tight of a tape job it is. I'm worried about infection. Our breeder also suggested 2 weeks up but the vet said just 1 because there's no air flow. I thought about, in one week, taking off the tape around the base so I can check for any odor, etc. and then retaping the base myself. I don't feel confident enough doing the entire job myself... he's a lot of 60 pounds to handle







It took 3 of us at the vet.

Also... I am aware of the danger of them getting wet. I've been working really hard to keep his head out of the snow but a couple times he's plunged his head into a drift and the tips of his ears got damp. I tried not to freak out, but I'm still checking his ears as much as I can for any sign of problems. You said if they get "very wet" so I'm hoping we're ok?


Of course -- thanks to everyone for the compliments, Jager needs all the ego boosts he can get right now







I know if the taping doesn't work, he's still going to be a handsome boy and he'll always be a sweetheart!!


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## Melodie A (Aug 13, 2008)

He looks so pitiful! I think he is super cute no matter what direction his ears are pointing.

Good luck!


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## triordan (Dec 5, 2008)

so how is it going? any updates???


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## triordan (Dec 5, 2008)

drewberry- how are things going??


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## Drewberry (May 13, 2008)

Sorry I've been AWOL









Well, the update isn't so great. Jager got a really nasty ear infection. We discovered it 4 days after the taping, so we took everything off. We spent the next 2 weeks cleaning the ear out and dropping medicine in 2x a day, it was brutal. He's very anxious about people overly messing with his ears now after this whole ordeal.

As far as the ears standing... the left one looks great! The right one is still weak and floppy. The base of the ear looks like it's getting there. I still have hope, but will never tape again. Our breeder is sending us something called "Ear Stays" not sure what they are, but I'll figure it out when I see them.

Hopefully something will work! Thanks for asking!


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## triordan (Dec 5, 2008)

i think those have to be surgically implanted


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## djpohn (Jun 27, 2003)

You might want to try these:

Here are some ear forms: http://www.dogsportgear.com/Dog_Ear_supports.htm ] http://www.dogsportgear.com/Dog_Ear_supports.htm [/url]


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## Xeph (Jun 19, 2005)

I prefer gluing to taping myself...or even better...people actually BREEDING for ears that stand with no help >.< (general comment).


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