CONES & Collars

• Cones

• Collars

• Body Suits

Dogs and cats sometimes must be prevented from tearing out surgical stitches, removing a bandage, licking a wound or a hot spot, or scratching at their head or neck. A common practice is to fit the dog with an Elizabethan collar (sometimes referred to as an e collar) which is a stiff, opaque, plastic cone that is unwieldy, uncomfortable, and looks like a lamp shade on your pet’s head. It is usually secured to the pet head by attaching it to their regular identification collar.

Thankfully there are now alternatives to your pet wearing an annoying lamp shade. Some have simply change the standard e collar by making it transparent so the dog can see through it, and made it more flexible. Others have kept the original design but have made the cone out of stiff, lightweight foam that is covered in a designer fabric. Another version is made of a soft, lightweight fabric that is unsupported.  A different approach is a flat ring made from a soft, flexible foam covered in nylon which looks something like a flatten donut.

There are inflatable collars that do not block a dog’s peripheral vision or their ability to drink or eat. These collars look more like an inflatable donut. Another approach is a neck collar. These collars are made of flexible plastic and foam and look like a cervical collar a person would wear with a neck injury.

No one collar will likely work for every dog or situation.  The standard Elizabethan collar offer good protection to prevent a dog from having access to their paws, body, or ears, but it is at a price of blocking the dog’s peripheral vision not to mention being unwieldy, and uncomfortable. The foam and fabric versions of the collar may not prevent the dog from gaining access to it front legs and paws. The inflatable donut collars may not prevent a dog from scratching its ears. And the cervical type collars will generally only prevent access to the upper legs and rear end.

So choose a product that will prevent the dog from gaining access to the area on its body you want to protect, and is the least intrusive and most comfortable for your dog.  

Suitical Recovery Suit

The Suitical Recovery Suit was rated 4 paws by the Whole Dog Journal and is a top pick of mine. “Simple, well-made product, at an attractive price point, in a wide range of sizes.”