Milo's Story

Dogs and cats with extreme features are growing in popularity. Some features, like exaggerated wrinkles and flat faces, are deliberately bred into animals. Others, like cropped ears, are done to the animal after birth.  

That’s what happened to Milo. Milo was just 6 months old when he came to our London centre, and he’d already had his ears cropped.  

Dogs with cropped ears are often brought to the UK from other countries. But Milo’s owner had got Milo from a friend, who’d said that the procedure was done at a vet in the UK. They were shocked to learn that wasn’t possible, as ear cropping is illegal here.  

Our vets could see that Milo’s ears had been cropped recently. They also learnt that cotton sewing thread had been used to close the wounds, rather than surgical stitches. The thread was still in his ears, with scar tissue developing over the top, leaving them sore and unable to heal.

After lots of expert care and attention from our team, Milo became a happy, friendly boy. We found him a loving new home in Kent. 

How ear cropping harms dogs

People often want dogs with cropped ears to fit a ‘powerful-looking’ aesthetic. They might be influenced by what they’ve seen on social media, TV and films. But the impact on dogs goes beyond how they look.  

Ear cropping is often done without any pain relief or anaesthetic. And in most cases, it’s done with a standard knife or blade.  

Ear cropping also stops dogs from living a normal life. For example, dogs with cropped ears can’t use their body language to communicate with people and other dogs. This can then lead to behavioural problems, like aggression and anxiety.  

Despite being painful, traumatic and illegal in the UK, Milo is just one of many dogs out there who has – or will have – cropped ears.