Looking at your dog’s beautiful dangling or erect brown ears, do you feel like piercing them like yours? Ear piercing is very common among us but is it normal for dogs? Or better to say, is dog ear piercing safe and legal?
Firstly, dog ear piercing is less common than human ear piercing. Secondly, it’s a matter of controversy as it can be regarded as animal cruelty in some jurisdictions and states. So piercing a dog’s ear is illegal, which can cause you a lot of trouble.
Piercing is a process by which an instrument or object is placed through the ear canal. However, this involves the risks of infecting the dog’s ears while piercing. Thus, it’s not recommended.
Dog parents look for various ways to beautify their canine buddies. For example, they make their doggy wear cute dresses based on occasion and weather. In addition, they often put a bow tie on them or place them in a stroller if the parents love walking or strolling.
But their ears aren’t meant for piercing. As a result, dogs’ mental sensitivity can’t apprehend this activity, causing discomfort. And while piercing involves pain, this act signifies that you are consciously causing your canine pain.
Everything doesn’t translate competently to animals, especially dogs. This article will discuss everything related to dog ear piercings – whether it’s safe and legal! So keep scrolling for an entertaining read.
Can Your Dog’s Ear Be Pierced?
Technically, the answer is yes. You can get your dog’s ear pierced. But think once about how it makes your doggy feel.
Ear piercing is a painful procedure, and thus, it exemplifies an act of animal abuse. You can even be prosecuted based on where you stay. There has been a lot of debate about ear piercing in dogs over the last few years.
While some owners proclaimed it as art, others considered it an injustice.
According to some dog parents, the right to decide whether their doggy will be pierced should only be owned by the owner. Moreover, some people take this act as only a way of embellishing a pet and praise the owners for getting it done. But many others boycott this activity and even report it to animal police or animal control.
The fact is that dogs aren’t born to experience it. Therefore, ear piercing has no function or benefit in their daily well-being and lives.
Dogs are undoubtedly very intelligent and smart animals, but they aren’t humans. Dogs don’t have the mental ability and intelligence as much as humans. The capacity to understand and accept different clothing and accessories correlate with vast socialization skills and intelligence.
While dogs don’t belong to such a group, they can’t acknowledge things like piercings.
However, it doesn’t mean that you can’t wrap your canine buddy during the winter or have a groomer paint their toenails (although not recommended too). Dog parents love to adorn their dogs in every way possible.
But you must understand that ear piercing is painful and something dogs can’t understand.
You may think that your doggy easily takes shots now from the vet, so that ear piercing would be nothing different. But recall that it was initially a scary process for them, and they have now become used to it while experiencing it regularly from the vet. Moreover, vaccination is of utmost necessity for dogs, but piercing isn’t.
Human ear piercing is very different from that of dogs. For example –
- We don’t move so much here and there, but dogs do.
- We don’t play with other animals, including dogs, or play on the dirt, but dogs do.
Now, while doing all these things, your dog can get hurt. For example, they can scratch their pierced ears and can even tear them on their own or by other animals. In addition, dogs love to roll on the floor, run around, and perform quirky movements, damaging their piercings.
Apart from these, ear piercing often leads to a range of health issues in your dog, which will be discussed below. But first, note that dogs’ ears are susceptible to infection. And by piercing their ears, you are simply making it worse.
Why Do Owners Want To Pierce Their Dog’s Ears?
We understand you won’t wittingly do anything that would hurt your beloved canine buddy.
People getting their dog’s ear pierced may not know or apprehend that it’s a cruel act. Instead, they love to pierce their canine’s ear to adorn them with earrings or other fashionable accessories.
What dog owners should understand is that ear piercing gives pain to your dog. Moreover, it entails numerous health risks. Even after this, if you continue to do this anyway, it would be an act of abuse.
Whatever the reason, it’s not safe or a kind human practice.
Is Ear Piercing in Dogs Illegal?
As mentioned above, it’s a debatable topic.
Many dog parents refer to this process as art and, thus, make their dog’s ear pierced. Besides making them look beautiful, they keep their dog on the fashion trend. So piercing was granted as normal for a time.
However, over the years, people realized that this process could cause pain and discomfort to their dogs. So they might want to avoid getting their ears pierced.
But can dogs express it? Unfortunately, no. So it raised arguments on whether a law should be passed to ban this so-called form of art.
Finally, a bill is passed banning piercing and tattooing animals, including dogs and cats.
However, you might be permitted to pierce your pet’s ears only for identification and medical purposes. Only a licensed veterinarian can perform this act. Unfortunately, people celebrated this bill and started practicing it so often.
Today, it’s considered an act of animal abuse and, eventually, illegal.
So stop thinking about performing this act. As a parent, you must ensure that your canine buddy isn’t in pain.
Is Dog Ear Piercing A Cruelty Act?
Yes, it’s an act of animal abuse. However, you may want to make your dog look trendy; the process of ear-piercing levies pain. And thus, it’s a cruel act.
An activity is defined as cruel when it involves pain. For example, the pain involved in the ear-piercing process might be temporary, yet it’s cruel as you levied it.
Moreover, scratching various body parts, including their ears, is a natural dog mannerism. So they can cause the piercing area to bleed simply by scratching, and you can’t stop them from doing so.
It makes no sense to cause discomfort and pain to your dog through unnecessary activities!
If you want to make your dog look beautiful and presentable for a fashion show, there are hundreds of other things to do. So why go for something that inflicts unnecessary pain? It is indeed called animal abuse or cruelty.
Do you know you can even go to jail for this if reported? So stop thinking about it!
Health Risks Involved In Piercing Your Dog’s Ear
Those thinking of piercing their dog’s ears should remember that it’s illegal now. You can get yourself in trouble by doing it.
Besides entailing physical risks, ear piercing corresponds to psychological implications too. As mentioned, dogs’ mental perception ability can’t acknowledge this activity. Your canine will only remember that you or the one performing the piercing inflicted pain on them without any reason.
In addition, the accessory used in ear piercing also causes discomfort. They are likely to shake their ears or scratch the piercing, causing them to bleed.
More significantly, ear piercing in dogs involves various health risks you should be aware of. Let’s take a look at them!
1. Ear infections
Dogs are prone to ear infections, especially during their puppy and early adult stages. This is because the ears are one of the most sensitive areas in dogs and become more prone to bacterial infections when piercing makes a hole in the ears.
2. Hearing Loss
The hole resulting from a piercing can cause unrestrained ear infections, leading to permanent ear damage and hearing loss. Two holes in the ears disbalance the natural equilibrium that helps in hearing.
3. Nerve Problems
With ear piercing, your dog can also suffer from nerve problems. How?
You may not be aware that multiple strains of nerve endings are present in a dog’s ears, like in humans. So while ear piercing, you puncture through the skin and many essential nerve endings within the ears with the piercing tool.
Upon damage, these nerve endings will lead to consistent pain and, finally, hearing loss altogether in your dog. However, if nerves get damaged from ear piercings, other internal problems can also creep up, like heart health.
4. Pain And Anxiety
If you have pierced your ear, you already know how painful it is. Now imagine that if this pain amplifies to a double degree, how can it feel? Your doggy will undergo this pain during the ear-piercing process. Why?
Here are the reasons –
- A dog’s ears are much thinner than that of humans.
- Moreover, dogs don’t have fatty tissue layers and thicker cartilage like in our ear lobes.
Although ears are among the most sensitive body parts, some dog breeds are known to have more sensitive ears. So they may not like having their ears touched.
Nevertheless, the staggering pain from ear piercing is sufficient to make your dog cry and resist doing the process. Furthermore, the ear-piercing accessories cause more irritation as they may feel heavy.
Whom to Report If Someone Pierce Their Dog’s Ears?
If you see any such practice causing discomfort and pain to your dog, you can report it to law enforcement to let them know. Today, there are many organizations or websites in several states and cities where you can call to report such activity. You can even contact local human associations and societies to give them the details.
So Is Dog Ear Piercing Safe & Legal?
First, if you ask whether your dog’s ears can be pierced, the answer is yes. But what you need to understand is that piercing involves pain and, thus, is considered an act of animal cruelty.
Dog ears aren’t meant for piercing, both mentally and physically. Furthermore, the process involves various health risks too. So ear piercing in dogs is unsafe and illegal based on where you stay. However, you can report the incident to the authorities as the bill bans piercing and tattooing animals.
Simply put, avoid giving unnecessary pain to your dog through ear piercing to make him look fashionable!
Heather Abraham is a professional blogger who owns two dogs, a cat, a parrot, and a leopard gecko. She has a connection with animals since she was a child. She shares her love for all pet breeds and provides information on pet food, toys, medications, beds, and everything else.
She is committed to learning about the internal workings of animals. Her work permits her to work closely with knowledgeable vets and obtain practical expertise in animal care. When she is not working, her love of animals continues in her writing. Her goal is to educate and uplift readers who also have a passion for animals through her writing.