# Any point in taping ear?



## Shamu23 (May 14, 2016)

My shepherd puppy turned 6 months old on May 3rd. He has really big ears and they are thin and weak. His ears both stood when he was three months old. They were crossed on top of his head but were thick and strong. Most of his siblings (with one exception besides him) had their ears go up between 5 to 8 weeks of age. His went up at 12 weeks for the first time and went back down after a couple of weeks. They then went up and down many, many, MANY times. One ear stood at a time and they would take turns. Each time they were weak but would stand. Now both are standing, but like I said are thin and bounce and flop all over the place when he walks. The tip of the left ear kinda bends and hangs down. I taped it today to try to help it out a bit. Not just for cosmetic reasons but the crease where his ear folds gets red and irritated and his left ear get dirty and smelly frequently. Because they both stand will taping actually do anything? Does it just need more time to strengthen? I attached a picture I took yesterday after his CGC test because it shows what I mean with his left ear. Thanks for any advice.
Oh and I'm already doing glucosamine and gelatin supplements. I just feel bad taping his ear especially if it's going to be pointless.


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## Suzy25 (Mar 3, 2016)

Not much of an expert on this but were his ears played with a lot? playing with the ears as they are growing and hardening can male them weaker and sometimes cause them to not stand up at all (from my knowledge) 
I'm not sure if taping it in that way will help. I know you can buy foam things that go in the ear to stabilize it and help them stay shaped and standing up right


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

Here are a couple of things you can do to strengthen puppy’s ears. Note the amount of Gelatin to feed.

1. Ear Exercise: Whistle or make a sound that will “perk up” the dogs’ ears. Do this about 30 times per day.
2. Give them large raw (not cooked) real bones: There are 150 muscles in the jaw that when exercised strengthen the ears due to the gnawing, tugging and chewing the bone. Introduce at short intervals as the rich marrow material or bone fragments could cause diarrhea. 
3. Feed one or two skinless chicken necks daily. It has naturally occurring calcium. *DO NOT* use a “Calcium” supplement. 
4. Gently pinch the base of the ears together and massage the base without bending the upper ear.
5. *Unflavored *Gelatin powder: Moisten the kibble with water and sprinkle 1 to 1 ½ Tablespoons on his/her food per feeding. A one ounce box contains 4 envelopes of Gelatin (each packet contains about 2 ½ tsp.). This is found by the “Jello” in the grocery store. It is made from animal collagen. The brand name is Knox Unflavored Gelatin or Great Lakes Unflavored Gelatin. Feed this every day for at least 4-6 weeks. Great Lakes can be bought in larger, cost efficient packages here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005KG7EDU/?tag=viglink20790-20 
6. Make sure that his/her ears are not touching the top of the crate (crate pushes ears down) when sitting or standing.


*"gets red and irritated and his left ear get dirty and smelly frequently"
*This is most likely a "Yeast" issue. You may want to change his kibble to a non-grain. 
Carbohydrates in food turn to sugar.....and Yeast LOVES sugar.

Here are some high quality non-grain foods:
 *ORIJEN *(note that Orijen, although a great food, can give SOME dogs loose stool)* : *Dry Dog Food | Orijen Store Locator: Where to Buy | Orijen 

*ACANA REGIONALS (grain free):* Acana Regionals | Acana Store locator: Store Locator | Acana
*
FROMM'S FOUR STAR (grain free): *Four-Star Gourmet Recipes for dogs - Fromm Family Foods locator: Find a store that carries Fromm
4 Star Non Grains include: Beef Frittata, Surf N Turf, Salmon Tunalini, Pork & Peas, Lamb & Lentil, or Game Bird.

*Nature's Variety* (not Nature's Recipe) Instinct Healthy, Natural Kibble Products for Dogs | Instinct Pet Food for Dogs and Cats 
Store locator: Find A Store | Nature's Variety


 *THE HONEST KITCHEN DEHYDRATED FOOD: *EMBARK: Embark - Grain Free, High Protein Dog Food | The Honest Kitchen Store Locator: Where to Buy Honest Kitchen - Honest Kitchen Stores | The Honest Kitchen A 10# box RE-hydrates to about 35 pounds of food, but you feed more than kibble because it is real food. 

They have a "Base Mix" to which you add your own raw or cooked meat.



Also if it is yeast, 
I would suggest a high quality Digestive Enzyme (helps to assimilate food) & a ProBiotic (keeps the "good" bacteria in the gut). Since about 75% of the immune system lies in the gut (the immune system helps fight allergens) it is very important to keep it very healthy. Below are 3 Human Ingredient Products:
*Sunday Sundae* (Digestive Enzyme & Pro-Biotic Combo): Sunday-Sundae-12oz
*Digest All Plus:* (Digestive Enzyme/ProBiotic combo) Wholistic Digest All Plus? - Digestive Support - Canine
*Gut Sense: *(Pro-Biotic & Pre Biotic): GutSense - certified organic probiotic for dogs


Moms


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## Shamu23 (May 14, 2016)

Thanks for the tips. After a while he got bothered by the tape so I removed it and probably will just leave it off. I'll increase the amount of gelatin I'm feeding. He definitely has yeast in his ear, when his left ear folds down it traps all the dirt in there (we live in Arizona so it's super dusty outside) and it gets pretty gross pretty fast. No problem with the right ear. I'll just have to continue cleaning it frequently so it doesn't become infected. He already eats a good diet (nature's variety instinct large breed puppy, honest kitchen, and primal raw). I think his ears will still strengthen a bit he's just taking his sweet time lol.


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## HappyGoLucky (Apr 7, 2016)

With my Mr. McFloppyEars (lol), at 10 months his right ear is almost always up during walks and mostly down inside the house. Left ear is floppy most of the time, but he does perk it up as well when excited (playing or strong scent). It's either because he is a late bloomer and ears still grow (was still teething around 7 moths, and closer to 8th he lost his last baby tooth), or he is just lazy with them. I finally found a lady in my area who breeds shepherds for 20+ years and knows how to do it very well, and I'm hoping next week we'll meet to tape his ears properly. She knows that he is 10 m/o and says it should be ok. Fingers crossed! I haven't tried gelatin though. Will ask the lady about it when we tape. I feed him commercial raw (Carnivora dinner bison) and give him almost daily bison or elk neck piece or chicken/turkey neck(s). So he gets tons of exercise and good amount of calcium (I hope). I'll post him taped when we do it


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

I've never had to tape a dog's ears before, but JUST based on his age I'd say it's not pointless. At 6 months old it shouldn't be too late.


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