A few weeks before our pup’s spay surgery we went out a bought a dreaded cone of shame. We even tried it out and attempted to get her used to it so when the big day arrived it wouldn’t be as stressful. There are surprisingly a number of new (and supposedly more humane) alternatives to the original e-collar (aka Elizabethan collar).
One we tried was an inflatable version that looks suspiciously like a life preserver (as you can see in the photo).
I suppose if you have a dog with a short nose then this might do the trick. It also has the advantage of not restricting your pet’s vision and elimiates the “bulldozer” effect. Unfortunately for our gal, it did little (except make us laugh).
Another option is the soft e-collar. One of the more popular ones is the Comfy Cone. Rather than the usual hard plastic, it’s constructed of foam and nylon to make a less uncomfortable but still protective barrier.
We didn’t try this option but this may be a great alternative for some pet owners. Some online reviews did complain their dogs did figure out how to fold the foam (allowing them to lick their wounds). Personally, I would probably give it a try next time (BEFORE it was actually needed and buy it from a store that allows returns…just in case).
We had a lot of trouble finding one that would fit our dog. The one from the vet was white (unlike the too short clear one we originally tried..and she didn’t mind). She did not approve of this at ALL, fortunately after a bit of effort we found a clear one that fit properly.
Regardless of the cone you choose, it’s important to make sure that the cone extends past the animal’s nose.
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Great advice! We had to make a trip back to the vet since Riley’s cone was too short.. the curse of a small head and long nose :p
LOL yup that was our problem too!