Cropping is the removal of part or all of the external flaps of an animal's ear. The procedure sometimes involves bracing and taping the remainder of the ears to train them to point upright. Almost exclusively performed on dogs, it is an old practice that was once done for perceived health, practical or cosmetic reasons. Veterinary science states there is no medical or physical advantage to the animal from the procedure,Slatter, Douglas H. (2002
''Textbook of small animal surgery''
3rd edition. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders (imprint of Elsevier Health Sciences), 2896 pages, , p.1746 leading to concerns of

animal cruelty Cruelty to animals, also called animal abuse, animal neglect or animal cruelty, is the infliction by omission (neglect) or by commission by humans of suffering or harm upon non-human animals. More narrowly, it can be the causing of harm or su ...

over performing unnecessary surgery on animals. In modern times, cropping is banned in many nations, but is still legal in a limited number of countries. Where permitted, it is seen only in certain breeds of dog, such as the

pit bull Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. The term was ...

Doberman Pinscher The Dobermann (; ), or Doberman Pinscher in the United States and Canada, is a medium-large breed of domestic dog that was originally developed around 1890 by Louis Dobermann, a tax collector from Germany.Schnauzer, Great Dane, Boxer and

Cane Corso The Cane Corso is an Italian breed of mastiff. It is usually kept as a companion dog or guard dog; it may also be used to protect livestock. In the past it was used for hunting large game, and also to herd cattle. History According to the ...

History and purposes

In 2000, veterinarian Bruce Fogle wrote:

Traditional cropping

Historically, cropping was performed on working dogs in order to decrease the risk of health complications, such as ear infections or hematomas. Crops were also performed on dogs that might need to fight, either while hunting animals that might fight back or while defending

livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to anima ...

herds from predators, or because they were used for pit-fighting sports such as

dog fighting Dog fighting is a type of blood sport that turns game and fighting dogs against each other in a physical fight, generally to the death, for the purposes of gambling or entertainment to the spectators. In rural areas, fights are often staged ...

bear-baiting Bear-baiting is a blood sport in which a chained bear and one or more dogs are forced to fight one another. It may also involve pitting a bear against another animal. History Europe Great Britain Bear-baiting was very popular from the 12th ...

. The ears were an easy target for an opposing animal to grab or tear.Dead link : possible duplicate page : possibly an equivalent page, and better-documented topic-authority : Cropping the ears of

livestock guardian dogs A livestock guardian dog (LGD) is a dog type bred for the purpose of protecting livestock from Predation, predators. Livestock guardian dogs stay with the group of animals they protect as a full-time member of the flock or herd. Their ability ...

was, and may still be, traditional in some pastoral cultures. The ears of working flock-defense dogs such as the Caucasian Shepherd Dog (Kavkazskaïa Ovtcharka) and the Pastore Maremmano-Abruzzese were traditionally cropped to reduce the possibility of wolves or opponent-dogs getting a grip on them. According to one description, cropping was carried out when puppies were weaned, at about six weeks. It was performed by an older or expert shepherd, using the ordinary blade shears used for shearing, well sharpened. The ears were cut either to a point like those of a fox, or rounded like those of a bear. The removed auricles were first grilled given to the puppy to eat, in the belief that it would make him more "sour". An alternative method was to remove the ears from newborn puppies by twisting them off; however, this left almost no external ear on the dog. Both ear-cropping and the use of spiked collars were described more than three hundred years ago, as a defense against wolves. Dogs may have their ears cropped, legally or not, for participation in dogfights, themselves illegal in many jurisdictions.

The procedure

The veterinary procedure is known as "cosmetic

otoplasty Otoplasty ( el, Wikt:οὖς, οὖς, , "ear" + , , "to shape") denotes the plastic surgery, surgical and non-surgical procedures for correcting the deformities and defects of the Pinna (anatomy), pinna (Ear, external ear), and for reconstructing a ...

", and involves the removal of a portion of the pinnae, the external flap of the ear. Cropping is usually performed on puppies at 7 to 12 weeks of age.Practice of Dogs Ear cropping
icDoggie's Paradise. Accessed September 2011 After 16 weeks, the procedure is more painful and the animal has greater pain memory. Usually up to of the ear flap is removed in a cropping operation, and the wound edges are closed with stitches. The ears are then bandaged. Long crops are taped until they heal into the proper shape. The procedure is recommended to be undertaken under general anaesthesia; opponents' primary concerns revolve around post-operative pain. American veterinary schools do not generally teach cropping (or docking), and thus veterinarians who perform the practice have to learn on the job. There are also problems with amateurs performing ear-cropping, particularly at puppy mills. In the last 100 years or so, ear cropping has been performed more often for cosmetic purposes. In nations and states where it remains legal, it is usually practiced because it is required as part of a

breed standard In animal husbandry or animal fancy, a breed standard is a description of the characteristics of a hypothetical or ideal example of a breed. The description may include physical or morphological detail, genetic criteria, or criteria of athlet ...

for exhibition at

dog shows A dog show is an event where dogs are exhibited. A conformation show, also referred to as a ''breed show'', is a kind of dog show in which a judge, familiar with a specific dog breed, evaluates individual purebred dogs for how well the dogs ' ...

.Ear cropping and tail docking
The Canadian Federation of Humane Societies/Fédération des sociétés canadiennes d'assistance aux animaux (CFHS/FSCAA). Accessed September 2011. In the US, although tail-docking, dewclaw removal, and

neutering Neutering, from the Latin ''neuter'' ('of neither sex'), is the removal of an animal's reproductive organ, either all of it or a considerably large part. The male-specific term is castration, while spaying is usually reserved for female animals. ...

procedures remain common, ear-cropping is declining, except within the dog show industry. Some show ring competitors state they would discontinue the practice altogether if they could still "win in the ring."

Examples of cropping styles

Animal welfare and law

The practice is illegal across most of Europe, including all countries that have ratified the

European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals The European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals is a treaty of the Council of Europe to promote the welfare of pet animals and ensure minimum standards for their treatment and protection. The treaty was signed in 1987 and became effect ...

, and most member countries of the

Fédération Cynologique Internationale The Fédération cynologique internationale (FCI) ( English: International Canine Federation) is the largest international federation of national kennel clubs. It is based in Thuin, Belgium. History The FCI was founded in 1911 under the auspice ...

. It is illegal in regions of Spain and in some Canadian provinces. The situation in Italy is unclear; the ban effective 14 January 2007 may no longer be in force.Cani pericolosi, l'ordinanza della Turco "Stop al taglio di orecchie e coda"
(in Italian) ''La Repubblica'', 15 January 2007. Accessed September 2011. "Dangerous dogs, the ordinance of Turco: 'stop the cutting of ears and tails' " Ear-cropping is still widely practiced in the United States and parts of Canada, with approximately 130,000 puppies in the United States thought to have their ears cropped each year. The

American Kennel Club The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the United States. In addition to maintaining its pedigree registry, this kennel club also promotes and sanctions events for purebred dogs, including the Westminster ...

(AKC) and

Canadian Kennel Club The Canadian Kennel Club (or CKC), founded in 1888 and chartered under the Animal Purebred Act, is one of the national kennel clubs of Canada. It maintains breed registries A breed registry, also known as a herdbook, studbook or register, in ...

both permit the practice. The AKC position is that ear cropping and tail docking are "acceptable practices integral to defining and preserving breed character and/or enhancing good health." While some individual states have attempted to ban ear-cropping, there is strong opposition from some dog breed organizations, who cite health concerns and tradition. The

American Veterinary Medical Association The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), founded in 1863, is a not-for-profit association representing more than 99,500 veterinarians in the US. The AVMA provides information resources, continuing education opportunities, publicati ...

"opposes ear cropping and tail docking of dogs when done solely for cosmetic purposes" and "encourages the elimination of ear cropping and tail docking from breed standards". In 2009, veterinary chain Banfield Pet Hospital announced they would no longer do tail docking, ear cropping or devocalization on dogs. While it has been suggested the cropping may interfere with a dog's ability to communicate using ear signals, some also argue that cropping increases a dog's ability to communicate with ear signals. There has been no scientific comparative study of ear communication in cropped and uncropped dogs.Coren, Stanley (2001
''How to speak dog: mastering the art of dog-human communication''
New York: Simon & Schuster chap. 9

ages unnumbered Ages may refer to: * Advanced glycation end-products, known as AGEs * Ages, Kentucky, census-designated place, United States * ''Ages'' (album) by German electronic musician Edgar Froese *The geologic time scale, a system of chronological measurem ...

/ref>

Legal status by country

Non-canine animals

Cropping of large portions of the pinnae of other animals is rare, although the clipping of identifying shapes in the pinnae of

, called earmarks, was common prior to the introduction of compulsory ear tags.Lexique Camarguais
(in French) Manade Devaux. "Lexicon of Camargue terms" Accessed September 2011 Removal of portions of the ear of

laboratory mice The laboratory mouse or lab mouse is a small mammal of the order Rodentia which is bred and used for scientific research or feeders for certain pets. Laboratory mice are usually of the species ''Mus musculus''. They are the most commonly use ...

or neutered

feral cats A feral cat or a stray cat is an unowned domestic cat (''Felis catus'') that lives outdoors and avoids human contact: it does not allow itself to be handled or touched, and usually remains hidden from humans. Feral cats may breed over dozens ...

for identification, i.e. ear-notching or ear-tipping, is still used. The practice of cropping for cosmetic purposes is rare in non-canines, although some selectively bred animals have naturally small ears which can be mistaken for cropping.

Notes

References

External links

{{Commons category, Dog ear cropping Dogs Cruelty to animals Dog health Animal welfare