For those who crop

[MolliePR]

Now I'm not trying to start a huge debate, just looking to get a decent opinion for those owners who have or are thinking about cropping.

Mollie is almost 10 weeks old and Im 100% sure about cropping. I know it's a cosmetic surgery, but my father has owned APBTS my whole life and they were all cropped.

Per experience, when is the easiest time to get them cropped? I know right now is a bit too early but Im already looking for recommendations as I have seen some very nice and some not so nice crops.

I just want this to be a not so difficult thing for her as well as for me.

 

[MolliePR]

Mollie

 

[SizzleDog]

IMO, if the breeder didn't have her cropped, her ears should stay natural. There are way too many vets out there that have no idea what they're doing, and they can really butcher ears. Better to have no crop than a bad crop, in my opinion.

(And no, I'm not anti-cropping... check out the dogs in my signature. I'm PRO cropping, or at least pro choice-to-crop. )

 

[Aleron]

I think APBT ears are a lot easier for vets to manage - they can be done at later ages and are easier to get right. A lot of vets here do short APBT type crops on every dog because those crops tend to be much more forgiving. Sizzledog is right though, you need to find a good cropping vet and that vet may not be local. Ask on some APBT forums who people recommend in your region. Cropping is really quickly becoming a dying art, since AVMA is now opposed to it and it's just not PC any more. Even finding a vet who will crop isn't always easy.

 

[kady05]

Now is the PERFECT time to crop.. I won't crop a dog any older than 14wks. old. Sako was cropped at 9wks. by my breeders vet.

This is him at around 11wks. after the stitches came out..

and current, 8 1/2 months:

If you don't plan on showing her, I don't really see the point in cropping. Sako is cropped because he shows in conformation and he had TERRIBLE ears as a pup and there was no way I was risking that killing his show career.

However, if you do decide to crop, definitely make sure you find a competent vet. Ask to see pictures of dogs that vet has done.. a bad crop can totally ruin a dogs look, IMO.

 

[SizzleDog]

However, if you do decide to crop, definitely make sure you find a competent vet. Ask to see pictures of dogs that vet has done.. a bad crop can totally ruin a dogs look, IMO.

Exactly - and with a bad crop, there's little that can be done to fix it after the damage has been done.

 

[kady05]

Exactly - and with a bad crop, there's little that can be done to fix it after the damage has been done.

Yeah my friend ran into this with her APBT.. went to a highly recommended vet and still wasn't thrilled with the results, so her dog had to get cropped again on one ear.

Are we allowed to link threads from other forums? If not, mods. feel free to remove this, but this is a great thread re: ear cropping (that said friend started, actually): Ear Crop Information and Care

 

[Kat09Tails]

I'm not pro cropping but I am 100% against crappy crops. I would suggest contacting a local UKC breeder to see who they recommend or even better who their guy is.

Also it's much less urgent on pits to get a crop done by a certain age - I recently saw two that were done on Am Staffs at 6 months and 2 years old. They looked and healed just fine.

 

[kady05]

Also it's much less urgent on pits to get a crop done by a certain age - I recently saw two that were done on Am Staffs at 6 months and 2 years old. They looked and healed just fine.

Not if you take pain into consideration. Pups bounce back a lot quicker than adults, and the surgery is much easier on them. No vets in my area will even touch an adult dog for a crop, no matter what the breed. There are a few out there that use the laser that will, but I'd still never crop an adult.

 

[Kat09Tails]

Not if you take pain into consideration. Pups bounce back a lot quicker than adults, and the surgery is much easier on them. No vets in my area will even touch an adult dog for a crop, no matter what the breed. There are a few out there that use the laser that will, but I'd still never crop an adult.

If pain is really in consideration you shouldn't crop at all. JMHO. Honestly both these dogs were fine. If you go browsing this topic on am staff and pit boards you'll see lots of examples of older dogs who have been cropped with no problems.

 

[AdrianneIsabel]

I've always thought that cropping to hide mismatched ears is cheating but honestly I've seen dogs cropped from puppies to a 4 year old female to finish her GRCH. While I think it's stupid, and cruel, she healed quickly and easily with pain management. That said puppies recover so much faster than adults. A pediatric spay/neuter is a quick almost pain free (monitored in studies) heal compared to the higher stress and pain as the dog ages.

I'd start looking for a local owner/breeder and find their vet they use. vets should in theory have a portfolio like a tattoo artist.

Be sure you are specific with what type of crop you so desire.

 

[kady05]

If pain is really in consideration you shouldn't crop at all. JMHO. Honestly both these dogs were fine. If you go browsing this topic on am staff and pit boards you'll see lots of examples of older dogs who have been cropped with no problems.

If you bring it up on Pit Bull Chat, where I'm very active, 99% of the members will tell you NEVER to crop a dog older than 4 months. And throughout the Am Staff community it's the same way.. and like I said, no vets in my area will touch an adult dog for a crop.. so it's obviously not just my opinion

 

[MolliePR]

Thanks! I will definately start looking at vets to crop. I have a friend who has 6 APBTS and 5 are cropped. All have very nice crops so I will definately be asking him so I can get her done ASAP.

Kady05, Sako's ears look spectacular! I'm personally leaning towards a bit of a shorter crop though

 

[kady05]

Thanks! I will definately start looking at vets to crop. I have a friend who has 6 APBTS and 5 are cropped. All have very nice crops so I will definately be asking him so I can get her done ASAP.

Kady05, Sako's ears look spectacular! I'm personally leaning towards a bit of a shorter crop though

Thanks, I get a lot of compliments on it Keep in mind that he's only 8 1/2 months old and has a ton of filling out to do, so as his head grows, his ears won't be *as* tall looking, if that makes sense.
His crop is considered a show crop though.. here's a picture illustrating the different crops:

If you search on actual Pit Bull forums, you'll find plenty of pictures of cropped dogs. Best to have pictures to show the vet what you like and don't like. I went with my breeders vet because #1, it was easier since she just took him while she still had him (I picked him up a week after he got cropped), and #2, I loved the look of her dogs that had been cropped by this vet.

 

[stafinois]

It's common practice for APBTs & AmStafs to be cropped later with their new owners rather than with the breeder like most breeds with longer crops.

That being said, I did have Grant cropped while still with his breeder because I liked the results from her vet.

Grant as a little guy...

Grant now...

Check around for a local kennel club. There may be a breeder of cropped breeds in the club. Ask for photos of other dogs cropped by the vet, and take photos of dogs with crops that you like.

 

[Vintage Boxers]

I do it at 11 wks. Show crop with a vet in Chicago.

I don't do and most good vets won't do a dog after 16wks, unless it is to redo a crop.

My recommendation is to research a vet that has great exp. and you can see previous work.

 

[kady05]

It's common practice for APBTs & AmStafs to be cropped later with their new owners rather than with the breeder like most breeds with longer crops.

I have NEVER heard this, and any of my APBT (ADBA type APBT's generally aren't cropped anyway) or Am Staff breeder friends would not agree with that statement at all. Not sure what you mean by "later" though. Like I said, I'd never crop a dog past 14wks., maybe 16wks. but that'd be pushing it.

 

[stafinois]

I have NEVER heard this, and any of my APBT (ADBA type APBT's generally aren't cropped anyway) or Am Staff breeder friends would not agree with that statement at all. Not sure what you mean by "later" though. Like I said, I'd never crop a dog past 14wks., maybe 16wks. but that'd be pushing it.

I've been involved in AKC/UKC dogs for 15 years. Most of the dogs get cropped by their new owners after they go home at 8 - 9 weeks. Granted, I was dealing more with the performance and/or show crowd rather than the pet crowd. I don't understand why you find this so shocking, and wonder what breeders are cropping entire litters before they leave, because that would definitely NOT be the norm.

 

[kady05]

I've been involved in AKC/UKC dogs for 15 years. Most of the dogs get cropped by their new owners after they go home at 8 - 9 weeks. Granted, I was dealing more with the performance and/or show crowd rather than the pet crowd. I don't understand why you find this so shocking, and wonder what breeders are cropping entire litters before they leave, because that would definitely NOT be the norm.

Okay, well that makes more sense. That's why I said "not sure what you mean by later", when I read that, I think later as in, when the dog is 5-6 months old.

Sako is a show quality dog, not pet quality, so that is what I'm referring to.

My breeder had Sako's entire litter (minus.. 2 of them) cropped before they went home. I paid for it, but he was done by her vet and I picked him up a week after his crop. One of the males from his litter now looks like crap because of his crop, so she's pretty set on having future litters all done by her vet prior to them leaving her care now (if they're being sold as show quality and/or the buyer wants to have the dog cropped). I know of quite a few breeders that offer this to their puppy buyers.

 

[Aleron]

I have also known of Amstaffs and APBTs being cropped at later ages without an issue. My understanding is because of the style of crop they get, they can be done at later ages. Same with PyrSheps actually. I also know plenty of people who have had to have their show dogs of various breeds "recropped" at up to 2 years old because the ears were standing properly. Just like anything, people have their opinions on the subject but it doesn't mean that everyone agrees.

Here is an APBT forum thread about cropping later. Quite a few people against it but a couple of show people have said they have done them/seen them done at up to 12 months without a problem: • View topic - Age limit for ear crop??

A show breeder on this forum says they have done them at up to a year old with no problems: What age to ear crop an Amstaff? - First time Amstaff Owners - Amstaff Forum Amstaff Information American Staffordshire Terrier Pitbull Board Forum Discussion Pictures Info Amstaffs APBT

And another Amstaff breeder saying show dogs sometimes have to have late crops due to ears ending up not laying right:AmStaff Network - Puppy Ears.

What I gathered from my quick search is that later cropping is certainly is done and done by people who are pretty knowledgeable and involved in the breed.