Ear Posting Guide
There are many different ways and types of supplies vets and breeders use to post cropped ears. Below is how I have done mine over the years. And is not that expensive, It is the easiest, and fastest means of ear posting that I know of. You will want to continue posting your Babies ears until they are standing consistently on their own and have the look that you want. This may take as little as 2 weeks or up to six months or a year. Be patient and be consistent. My Vet suggest posting the ears for 4-5 days at a time, unwrapping/cleaning the ears and letting them air out 1-2 days, Then re post them for another 4-5 days and repeat the cycle again. Some people let them air for 12-24 hrs and then re post. See what your vet suggests.

Supplies Bandage Tape or Athletic Cloth Tape Super Plus size tampons (must have cardboard applicators)Not Plastic Rubbing Alcohol Cotton Balls or Squares or soft cotton cloth Pair of Scissors with a blunt tip Osto-Bond Skin Bonding Latex Adhesive Uni-Solve (can be purchased at any medical supply outlet ) Duct Tape Mineral Spirits

Preparing the Posts 1. Unwrap the tampon and push the cotton tampon about 2/3 out of the cardboard applicator. tape the cotton tampon to the applicator so that it don't slide. 2. Pull the top part of the cardboard applicator outward to make the post the right length for your puppies ears.I put it in the ear to measure it and then tape it. Then wrap with cloth tape. 3.Next I put the Osto-Bond on the post that is going to be touching the puppies ear and the inside of the puppies ear in a small strip in center. Or you can use white surgical tape or duct tape cut a 8” piece length wise so that you have 2 pieces that are about 1” wide. With the sticky side facing outward, wind the tape around the entire post starting from where the applicator meets the cotton tampon all the way up to the top of the post. Use as much tape as is needed to completely wrap the length of the post. Repeat this for the other post.I prefer the Osto-Bond as you don't have so much glue on the puppies ear. But both ways work.But if you have a puppy that is sensitive to the tape or glue fasten the post securely without any tape or glue. And make sure when you do the outer wrap that it is secure.

Posting the Ears: 4. First, clean the ears using a cotton ball,square, gauze,or sponge, that has some rubbing alcohol on it. The ears need to be clean to make sure the glue or tape sticks to them well, you will need to wipe the ears inside and outside to remove dirt and oil from the skin.

5. Take one of the posts and insert the cotton portion into the base of ear snugly. You must make sure that the post is in far enough so that it won’t pop out of the base of the ear if the puppy shakes its head. Once the post is fitted to the ear, gently pull the ear up & smooth it in an upward direction so that it sticks to the post. If the post is too tall for your puppy’s ear size, you can carefully trim the top of the applicator or leave it a bit long so that there is no possibility of the ear tipping inward.Make sure that the tip of the ear does not exceed the size of the post or you will end up having an ear tip that flips inward.

6. At the base of the ear on the side that was not cut (nearest to the top of the head), you should notice that the ear has a section that folds backwards. When wrapping the ear base, allow this flap to be folded slightly. If you do not, the flap will try to fix itself after it’s been taped and a sore is very likely to occur. Which happens quite often. Using the cloth tape wrap a piece of tape gently around the base of the ear and around the post. I use about 4" strips. Do not wrap the tape tightly or you will cut off circulation to the ear and cause irreparable damage. The best way is to stick the tape to the area and gently rub it to the ear as you wrap it around the post. If you smooth the tape as you go, you are less likely to wrap the tape too tightly. The tape just needs to stick to the ear and the post,it does not need to be fastened tight.If you get it to tight your going to damage the ear.You can add as many layers as you want to keep it in place. Make sure your using short strips don't just wrap around and around with a solid piece of tape.

7. Continue taping the ear all the way to the tip as you did in step 6. Make sure to cover the tip so that it doesn’t curl outward or get damaged if the puppy tries to remove the posts. 8. Repeat steps 5-7 for the other ear.

9. Using a piece of athletic tape long enough to go around the head and ears, make a bridge between the two ears. Start at one ear go up and over the ear across the top of the head and over the other ear down under the chin and back up to the starting ear. make a growth space in the tape by pinching about 2" of tape together. To strengthen the bridge you can run the tape up and over the ear several times.But i don't run it under the chin more than once. Then take a piece of tape and wrap gently around the base of each ear holding the bridge tape in place. When forming the bridge, make sure that the ears are standing straight and are not tilted inward or outward. However you tape the ears in position is how they will stand in the future.

10.I use an E-Collar to protect my babies from digging at there ears. As the ears heal they will itch and the puppy will scratch at them. and there is nothing more horrible than your puppy digging out the stitches and having laid open bloody ears. And the pain that your pup will go thru, as well as the vet bill for having to re suture the ears. Removing the Ear Posts

1. To remove the tape without pulling off hair or hurting the puppy, You can use Uni-Solve to loosen the glue I pour a few drops on the back of the ear and wait a few seconds. Or a few drops on a Q-Tip and rub down the tape and ear. Do not allow to run down puppies ear. You can use mineral spirits but I prefer Uni-Solve as it is made for human skin tape removal.If you use mineral spirits you do not want to allow it to run on the skin.

2. Using blunt tipped scissors, cut the tape length wise from the back of the ear going straight up the middle. This will prevent you from cutting the edge of the ear or cutting off the tip of the ear accidentally. Peel the two halves of the tape apart. If needed, add a little bit more Uni-Solve or mineral spirits if the tape is still sticking to the ear.

3. You may also need to apply a small amount to the ear post itself if it is still sticking in the ear. It should then pull out very easily and without removing hair or skin. I use a Q tip to gently rub against the tape and ear to loosen with the Uni-Solve.

4. After you have finished removing the posts clean the ears using an ear cleaning solution or rubbing alcohol on cotton balls or a soft cloth.I prefer cotton balls. As your going to have gunk from the ears draining and healing.

5. If you need to re-post Allow the ears to rest for 1-2 days so they can air out, which will help to prevent ear infections and allow any healing from irritation from the posts. If you notice a bad irritation from the tape put the post in without the tape. 6. If after 2 postings the ears do not stand as you want them you can re post. This can be done as many times as you need to but always remember to let the ears dry for a day or two in between postings. If I have a pup that has ears that are about right but not quite I will remove the posts but leave in the cross bridge that I make from duct tape. The duct tape is sturdier and holds well.