Species: Dog Breed: GERMAN SHEPHERD Age: 6-12 months
Hello my name is nick and i have a purebred west german shepherd from working lines. My dog rock just turned 7 months. His left ear is floppy and his right ear stays erect with floppy tips. His left inner ear is currently braced with dr scholls moleskin and sergical glue. For extra calcium i add a teaspoon of plain yogurt to his meals twice a day. I also add vitamin c in the mornings to his meal. My question is when is it to late for a german shepherds ear to stand. At what age do they stop to develop. Also i read online that i can take him to a dr so he can get a calcium injection in his ears. What do you recommend ?? Some people say if the ear is not up by 8 months it will never go up and some say it will go up. Both ears are large and soft. thanks for your time
Dr. Marie replied:
Thanks for your question.
This is a controversial subject. You will hear many different opinions on things that you should or should not do to get a dog's ears to stand and the truth is that no one knows for sure what is the best thing to do.
In general, I tell my clients that if the dog's ear is not up by 6 months then it is not likely to stand which means that Rock's ear may not ever stand up.
There is no evidence at all that calcium or vitamin C would help. I really can't see how they would. You will definitely have people who claim that they did help saying things like, "My dog's ears were floppy. I gave him vitamin C for two weeks and then they finally stood up." But who's to say that they wouldn't have stood on their own? I find that most floppy dog ears are like that...they can just decide to stand on their own even if you do nothing.
The taping is something that *may* help. It is important that the taping job is done by someone who has experience with taping. There's no harm in taping but again, no one has proven whether it actually works or not. My guess, however is that by this age the taping may not work.
I personally love the look of a floppy eared German Shepherd, especially if just one ear is floppy, but I can understand having a preference for straight ears.
Dr. Marie.
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Disclaimer: Although Dr. Marie is a qualified veterinarian, the information found on this site is not meant to replace the advice of your own veterinarian. AskAVetQuestion.com and Dr. Marie do not accept any responsibility for any loss, damage, injury, death, or disease which may arise from reliance on information contained on this site. Do not use information found on this site for diagnosing or treating your pet. Anything you read here is for information only.
Customer reply:
Just an update on rocks ear. His ears are both straight up and look really good. The mole skin on the inner ear shaped the dogs ear really good. This method worked for me and my buddy had the same issue and the moleskin worked wonders.
Customer reply:
The ears stood at 8 months old
Dr. Marie replied:
Good to know. Thanks for the update.
Dr. Marie.
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Veterinarian, Dr. Marie created this site to be able to provide quick, accurate veterinary advice online. She would love to help with your pet's problem!
Dr. Marie is a veterinarian who practices in a busy animal hospital in Ottawa, Ontario. She created Ask A Vet Question as a resource for good, accurate veterinary advice online. Dr. Marie treats dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, and rats. She has been a vet since 1999.
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