Ear cropping is the act of amputating a dog’s pinnae, and training any remaining pinna to stand erect. Historically, the practice originated as a way to reduce pinna injury during dog fighting and hunting.
Ear cropping is illegal in England and Wales, under Section 5 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, and Northern Irish and Scottish equivalents ban the practice unless medically indicated. Furthermore, ear cropping of dogs is a prohibited surgical operation in all European states that have ratified the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals (Council of Europe 1987). Despite this new figures released in February 2022, show a 621% increase in the number of reports of ear cropping raised with the RSPCA in the last six years.
Why do people continue to support this surgical mutilation of dogs? The answer is not a simple one, but in large part it comes down to aesthetics and status. Those who are pro cropping – especially in the US where some have very strong opinions on this – do continue to claim there are health benefits, including that ear cropping can prevent ear infections, and avoid sustaining injuries from other animals or dogs.
Ear infections
It has been suggested that dogs with cropped ears are less likely to suffer from infections of the ear canal. Although the development of some serious infections has been linked to the presence of a heavy hanging ear, there is no evidence that cropping prevents or successfully reduces these infections.
Indeed, if this were the case then it wouldn’t be dogs like Dobermans, Cane Corso and the new emerging ‘bully’ dogs that would be cropped. The top five worst affected breeds in one study on ear infections include the Basset Hound, Chinese Shar Pei, Labradoodle, Beagle and Golden Retriever. Poodle and spaniel types of dogs overall were at greater risk of ear infection. Dogs with long and hanging ear flaps had a much higher risk of ear infection compared with dogs with pointy ears. This evidence is in stark contrast to the typical dogs who get their ears cropped – researchers have identified a strong statistical association with a dog’s breed, with guarding breeds such as the American Bulldog, Dobermann, Italian Mastiff (Cane Corso), Bulldog and Mastiff all significantly over-represented.
Injury
It has also been suggested that cropping avoids later ear injury, or improves hearing, though no evidence is available to substantiate these claims either. There is certainly a trend for those involved in dog fighting – which is again illegal – to use cropped-eared dogs.
Many advocates for ear cropping and tail docking argue that the pain of the procedure has a very small impact on the individual. However, the results of one study shows that by doing these procedures the perception, and arguably treatment, of these individuals is affected for their entire life. That of course impacts people’s perceptions of dogs, but it also affects dog-on-dog interactions, too.
The ability to express normal behaviour is one of the 5 freedoms of animal welfare. In close-range social interactions, dogs obtain and deliver information about their inner state through their facial expression, modifying gaze, ears, and mouth position. Previously, facial expressions were considered involuntary displays of an individual’s emotional state. However, recent research has discovered that dogs produce facial expressions as an active attempt to communicate with others. While this has not been thoroughly studied yet, it is not beyond reason that the modification of dog’s ears by cropping may impact their ability to communicate with other dogs, thus resulting in poorer emotional and social welfare.
Ignorance is bliss
Despite huge educational drives on this topic, one study found that 42% of participants were unable to correctly explain the reason why tail docked and ear cropped dogs had short ears and tails. Similarly, when measuring their awareness, the study found that the majority of participants believed short tails and erect ears were a consequence of genetics, rather than a surgical procedure the owner or breeder had performed.
New data
Using electronic health data from SAVSNET’s network of more than 500 UK veterinary practices, researchers identified a total of 132 dogs that had cropped ears between 2015 and 2022, with rates peaking in 2021. This is not an accurate representation of the current numbers in the UK, but allows insight into the demographic of these particular dogs.
In 84% of cases there was evidence of importation, most commonly from countries where cropping is also illegal including Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Serbia, Spain, Poland and Ireland.
A minority of dogs appeared to be cropped illegally in the UK. As the demand grows, it has come to light that unscrupulous breeders are carrying out this procedure, using crude instruments or DIY ear cropping kits bought online, likely without any anaesthesia or pain relief.
What can you do?
It is important that education continues, and it is everyone’s responsibility to engage. Animal welfare advocates and veterinary professionals have long been campaigning, but we will only see tangible results when the public stop encouraging the market for these dogs. Do not buy them, do not import them, do not endorse them on social media, call out celebrity endorsement, and call out companies who use them in marketing.
The BVA urge the public to remain vigilant when buying dogs and report any concerns about dogs with cropped ears to the RSPCA (England and Wales), SSPCA (Scotland), or the Local Council Animal Welfare Officer (Northern Ireland). If you have concerns about a breeder selling cropped eared dogs, report them to Trading Standards.
There are only rare occasions when ear cropping is medically necessary – indeed, in over ten years working in veterinary practices I have only seen the removal of ears being medically necessary in a small number of feline patients with Squamous cell carcinomas due to ultraviolet sun exposure, typically in white cats.
The demand must stop; we need to drop the crop.
