Oh no the cone of shame!!!

[MomObvious]

Fletcher is getting neutered soon and I have been looking into better options then the dreaded cone of shame (you know those cones to keep the dog from licking rear end wounds) I just think the cone would suck to wear for a dog. So far, I have tried the baby onecies with a hole cut out for a tail. He doesn't seem to mind it, looks super funny but he can get out of it and with Fletcher's love of eating fabric (he has a new thing for Mr. Monster's little socks) I'm concerned about this option. I am considering buying one of those wide foam e-collars, but I'm wondering if I am OCD-ing about something that is no big deal. So I need some first hand advice on this one.

How long did your dog need to wear the cone or stay away from the stitches? I know they will come out in 10-14 days but will I need to make sure he does not lick/chew on the area for the whole time?

Did your dogs hate the cone of shame as much as I think they would?


I just want my little Fletcher to be comfortable as possible after surgery. I'm sure it will be less than I am thinking, Mr. Monster had ear tube surgery in March and he was back to his normal bad self within hours.

Melissa

[Karlin]

Never used cones myself -- if you are there with the dog then they don;t need one most of the time anyway. The Kong folks make an inflatable collar now and there are other soft collars as well-- I think other options are a lot more comfortable than the stiff Elizabethan collars. They generally only need something for the first few days anyway, in my experience. All depends on the individual dog but not one animal in my place has ever had an e-collar for a neuter. With males they heal pretty fast anyway.

[Soushiruiuma]

Guinness might have glanced at his stitches once. Never wore anything.

Thistle seemed distraught that someone had shaved her beautiful tummy, she licked at the edges of the shaved area, but showed no interest in the stitches.

My vet used dissolving stitches, I'm surprised your vet doesn't?

I wouldn't buy anything, if he's going after the sutures you can deal with it then. I've heard of girl's swimsuit with hole for tail, and little boys' underwear backwards (there's already a hole) if you're looking for other options.

Or you could distract with something like a brand new bully stick.

[cavalover]

I used the BiteNot collar for Butters when my husband and I had him neutered in January. It worked great! Here is the review I wrote on it a few months back:

http://www.cavaliertalk.com/forums/s...bitenot+collar

Nicki posted some additional recommendations on alternatives through that thread

[Super Princess]

i read in a artacle once someone used tshirts or doggy tshirts to avoid it chewing...do you think this would work on spay/nuter stitches?

[Emkaybee]

Younger males have a simpler surgery and usually bounce back pretty fast. My Tucker had to be stopped from licking--not all dogs do, though. He wore the cone and sometimes a pair of snug boxer shorts for the full two weeks. Your little guy may not be interested in licking, and if he is, may heal so quickly he won't need protection for too long. I must say having an almost full grown Golden in a cone inside the house was a lot like having a bull in a china shop. Hope you don't need to go through all that!

[MomObvious]

Oh man I forgot about getting him some new fav treats. He loves antlers and a fresh bully stick would be a good idea.

Karlin, I can't get Fletcher interested in the kong. I have tried his kibble, peanut butter, cream cheese and even some organic meat baby food (which he loves mixed into his kibble as a treat) Fletcher also loves strawberries I even mashed some but in the kong he sniffs it might lick it once then walks away. I'm baffled, is Fletcher just too lazy to work for a treat???

And Butters collar is ones I'm thinking about. Hmmmm, it is pretty easy to distract Fletcher, and I'm with him 24/7 so maybe I will just see how it goes. I'm going to at least check out of the softer e-collar is sold locally just in case. We have a Care-A-Lot Pets, that store is amazing at carrying a wide variety of dog items that actually dog people like and use. For example, they carry a bunch of antlers and bully stick in like 100 sized.

Thanks for the advice, I'm just worried not about the surgery itself but taking care of my spoiled man after. Oh and my vet does use the self dissolving stitches. But still, my self dissolving stitches took forever to heal I remember but that was after a c-section a little more invasive that a simple neuter but......

Melissa

[cpell009]

Lady was spayed last Wednesday and she didnt need the cone. They used the dissolving stitches as well, and she didnt really lick at the wound. She was super sleepy the evening I picked her up, and she wasnt interested in any food or treats. She was a little sore and yelped a bit every now and then that night, but pretty much just slept. The next day she acted like nothing ever happened and I had to try and restrict her jumping. Since neutering is a more simple surgery than spaying, maybe you wont need the cone after all. Especially if you can supervise him for the day or two following the surgery. I was a mess the day of the surgery and every yelp she let out that night made me want to cry! Good luck with Fletcher, you'll feel sooo much better once its over

[My Henry Boy]

Henry didn't bother himself at all. We didn't use a cone.

[ashleighelizabeth]

I think it all depends on the dog too. Sonny had staples when he got neutered and he was completely interested in licking down there. He wore a baby onesie most of the time which he could get out of and then he wore a cone when we weren't home because we couldn't trust him not to lick. He HATED his cone in the beginning ( I felt so bad that I went to like 4 vets offices and multiple pet stores buying different cones to make him more comfortable) however after a couple of days he was used to the cone and it didn't seem to bother him.