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Oh no the cone of shame!!!

MomObvious

Well-known member
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
 
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.
 
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.
 
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?
 
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!
 
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
 
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 :)
 
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.
 
Same here. None of our dogs wore one. The Vet sent home one ( just as protocol) ..but I removed it. We always had the laser surgery done w/ our males...so they healed very quickly. Our Vet is a good friends of ours....and says that she rarely... if ever has seen a dog break open the incision. They are too smart to want to hurt themselves. In fact..they never even seemed to notice anything was done..and left that area alone.
 
Fletcher is scheduled for surgery Thursday morning. I know (in town) where I can buy a soft e-collar but I'm going to play that by ear. I am armed with a new bully stick and a new antler as well. I know he may be a little sleepy Thursday evening, but I expect him to be his normal self Friday. I'm a little less worried now that so many of you have said it was a no big deal. You guys understand Fletcher is baby.

Melissa
 
Melissa, Henry's neuter was a piece of cake, and he had double incisions due to his undescended testicles. He was in the vet by 9 am, home with me by 5:00. He was a little sleepy that night, still playful. By the next day he was back to normal and it was difficult to keep him calm.
I will keep your baby in my prayers for a quick surgery and faster recovery!
 
Good luck on Thursday. Oz, who was a real monster when he was neutered at a year of age, never needed the collar. He never paid any attention to his stitches, at least while I was around. I don't think he licked them while in his crate because I never noticed any redness or swelling. I never even took the collar home from the vet after surgery. Oliver never wore one either when he was neutered - no problems from either of my boys, or from my girls when they were spayed.
 
I rarely used a cone on all the spays/neuters I have done on my own and the rescue dogs I have had through the years. The few lickers I have had I have requested a cone from the vet. It usually doesn't bother the dog.
 
None of my dogs have ever required a cone after spaying/neutering. You might want to wait before you spend your money.
 
I am a new member here on the website. My little cav Charlie is getting neutered on Tuesday. We are a bit nervous but we know we are in goods hand with our vet. I cannot imagine my puppy with a cone.
 
I used the Kong Cone, mainly because I was hoping to avoid the bruises on my shins from Cody running into me with the Plastic cone :). I kept it on him about 2 days but he really did not mess with his stitches much. The cone is very flexible so he was still able to get passed things and it really did not bother him much. I had a bit of a time finding one as the 2 major pet stores in our area did not carry it. Found it at one of the smaller independent stores. The other nice side it was only about $6.00.


Kong 001 by StacyandCody, on Flickr
 
Fletcher didn't need the cone of shame but for a few days and even then only when I couldn't watch him. I was a little nervous about letting him not wear it at night when we were sleeping but I solved that but putting him in the bed with us :jmp: I'm a pretty light sleeper and he likes to sleep like on my pillow. I love love love having him in the bed!!!!! My favorite is waking up in the morning to Mr. Monster (my son) joining us in the bed too for some morning cuddles. So far the only thing that REALLY sucks about having Fletcher neutered is keeping him out of the pool. My vet said at least a week maybe 10 days!!
 
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