jaybeece Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 Poor el mutto has a cone head right now, he had a lump cut out and tried to slurp at it. Lucky I borrowed one from the vet knowing he'd do it. He's absolutely lost with it on though, bumping into things, trying to get it off and can't even get in and out of his crate wearing it. I was intending to leave it on him when I go to work tomorrow, but now I'm not so sure! If I don't leave it on he'll be right at the stitches though so I don't feel like it's much of an option. Will he get used to wearing it if he has it on tonight? I can leave him outside or inside tomorrow, I'd like to leave him crated so he doesn't pull at his stitches, but he can barely move in there with the collar on so it seems a little mean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 I wouldn't leave him unsupervised with a protective collar on:( There are way too many mistakes he can make which may scare him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybeece Posted October 28, 2008 Author Share Posted October 28, 2008 Yeah that's what I'm worried about, but how can I stop him damaging the stitches without it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 Can you either leave him with someone, take him to work, or have someone stay at your place? (or leave him at the vets) I tend to use a soft basket muzzle instead of those darn collars these days- but NO WAY could you leave a dog alone with a muzzle on!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybeece Posted October 28, 2008 Author Share Posted October 28, 2008 Oh god no, I wouldn't leave him with a muzzle on. Although he'd probably cope better with one to be honest, at least he's more used to wearing one. I really can't do any of what you suggested unfortunately. Mum or my housemate are the only 2 people who could look after him, but they're both working. Don't see the vets saying yes to having him there and I won't even ask if he can come to work because I know exactly what the answer will be. About all I could do is take a day off (not a really good idea 3 months into a job), but he'll have stitches for another 10 days or so and I can't take all of those days off as well. *sigh* I might see if I can leave his jacket on him or something, at least he won't be able to get at his side at all with it on. He might just get a bit warm in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 I might see if I can leave his jacket on him or something, which perhaps is not ideal- rubbing on the fresh wound/stitches could irritate it , or introduce dirt bugga! Where is the wound? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laffi Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 My friend has a dog with terrible skin allergies and she is forced to have him wear Elizabeth Collar 24/24. She hasn't had any troubles with it. If you do worry just put the collar on and leave him in the crate. I do understand it's not ideal as he won't be able to move much but it should be OK as a temporary solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
:ange: Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 can you get a new tightly fitting shirt and put that on him so that he won't be able to get to the area? Would be pointless if he's going to rip it off though.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 If the crate is a tight fit- I would NOT leave the dog in it for hours on end he wouldn't be at all happy or comfortable- and the E collar would rub and vibrate on the crate walls...making noises from which the dog couldn't escape.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laffi Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 If the crate is a tight fit- I would NOT leave the dog in it for hours on end he wouldn't be at all happy or comfortable- and the E collar would rub and vibrate on the crate walls...making noises from which the dog couldn't escape.... E-collar? Sorry totally missed that part. I would definitely not recommend having an e-collar on while having the elizabeth collar. With the crate, well it all depends how big is the crate. I did have my dog sleep in a crate with an elizabeth collar on without any problems. She was able to turn in the crate with the collar on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss B Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 My dogs have all, at some point or another, been left at home alone in an e-collar. I have never had any dramas whatsoever - they soon learn how to navigate doorways, stairs etc with the 'bucket' on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybeece Posted October 28, 2008 Author Share Posted October 28, 2008 which perhaps is not ideal- rubbing on the fresh wound/stitches could irritate it , or introduce dirt bugga! Where is the wound? Nah, it's not that tight and if I were to leave his jacket on then I'd keep him inside so no issues with dirt. My only concern is that he'd get too hot in it, he only wears it on really cold days in Winter so it's pretty toasty. Might be my only option at this point in time. At least if he's inside he wouldn't be running around. It's on his side, just behind his ribs. The crate isn't a tight fit normally, but with the collar + his awkwardness with it he's struggling to move around and I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving him alone like that. can you get a new tightly fitting shirt and put that on him so that he won't be able to get to the area? Would be pointless if he's going to rip it off though.. He probably wouldn't try to rip it off, but I've never been able to find anything like that to fit him and probably don't have much chance at this time of night I'll take a look through old clothes tomorrow to see if there's anything I can modify that'll do the trick though. Provided it covers the spot ok and doesn't ride up then I think he'll leave it alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybeece Posted October 28, 2008 Author Share Posted October 28, 2008 E-collar? Sorry totally missed that part. I would definitely not recommend having an e-collar on while having the elizabeth collar. He's not wearing an electronic collar, just the elizabethan one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PandaGirl Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 I left my girl home alone with her bucket on after her desexing. I was gone for 4 hours and in that time her and our other dog managed to chew it off and kill it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laffi Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 E-collar? Sorry totally missed that part. I would definitely not recommend having an e-collar on while having the elizabeth collar. He's not wearing an electronic collar, just the elizabethan one. when I read about vibrations I assumed she meant an e-collar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 is your vet friendly... they may be your best bet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Rules Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 Quite some time ago, someone here suggested their own version of a collar (I think it may have been CavNrott) - a wide strip of sturdy cardboard, wrapped in a handtowel or similar, placed around the neck and joined with duct tape or something similar - stops the dog from getting it's head to the problem spot. The width and length of the strip would depend on the dog of course. I thought this was a great idea and far less obtrusive yet just as effective as an Elizabethan collar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tilly Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 When our boy had his bucket head on ... he loved it. We would take it off for him to eat but as soon as he eat his breakfast he would be trying to stick his head back into the collar. Rather then the crate - is there a room you can safely leave him in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybeece Posted October 28, 2008 Author Share Posted October 28, 2008 I do have a spare room Tilly and he'd happily nap on the spare bed all day in there so definitely an option. Lucky your dog likes them Mine hates anything on or around his head and neck. As it turns out the problem's solved anyway. His wound started to bleed a fair bit so I took him down to the emergency vet. Stitches are all fine, he's been still all evening, but it was bleeding too much. They strapped him up in a pressure bandage that wraps around his body, I don't see him getting into it in a hurry. He's also doped to the eyeballs as they gave him more painkillers. Poor bugger looks very out of it. Cleaning blood off the carpet, curtain and his crate is going to be fun tomorrow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dog geek Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 I gave up on Elizabethan Collars - once my vet mentioned bitter drops to me, that is. The drops are FAN-bloody-TASTIC! They are also CHEAP. The bottle says they are Dimethyl Ph(label got wet here and I can no longer read these letters)e and they stop the dogs Immediately from having a go at the stitches. Highly recommended for anything you want the dogs to avoid! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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