How Big Does A Bucket Need To Be?

[ari.g]

Poor Nelsson had his eye removed today as he had glaucoma. I am working half a day tomorrow and am going to leave him inside. He had a bucket on him when I picked him up and it will have to go back on tomorrow.

The problem is he can't drink with it on He isn't the brightest spark the poor lad but was seriously fretting with it on not being able to drink and had a lot of trouble walking up and down the back 4 stairs.

So how long would the bucket need to be to protect his eye do you think? I was thinking I may be able to trim a bit off it so he can drink. It was a 25cm bucket.

[persephone]

Poor nelson...

Does he have an actual bucket, or an elizabethan collar?

It is your job now to find bowls etc OVER which the 'bucket' will fit ..and tall enough so he can reach the water .

You may also want to have a look HERE

Any way you can stop his access to stairs when you're not around?Just in case

[ari.g]

Thanks Perse. Sorry it is an actual elizabethan collar. I filled a normal round bucket right up to the top see if he could drink out of that and he couldn't. Will have a search around to see what else I can find. I am leaving him inside tomorrow while I am at work and he won't have access to any stairs then . Only access to stairs when I am around.

[vetrg]

The e collar needs to reach to the end of his muzzle. There are 2 options with water bowls: a large shallow dish into which the whole contraption may be put (eg roasting pan) or a small heavy based dish over which the collar will fit. Most dogs do not rub at enucleation sites as the sore eye has gone- ask your vet if you can leave it off. Many dogs appear to be rubbing as they come round from anaesthesia when they are half awake and the face is damp from cleaning etc but then won't rub after that. The reflex at the vet clinic is- he's rubbing, give him a collar.

[~Anne~]

Is he actually scratching at the eye or the stitches?

To be honest, with all of the dogs I have had in for surgeries, including surgery to the face and eyes, I have never needed to use an elizabethan collar.

[ari.g]

Thank you all. No, he wasn't actually rubbing the site, I was just worried about leaving him alone and him rubbing it while I wasn't home. I trimmed about 5cm off the elizabethan collar and put out 3 different water bowls. He managed to eat a little bit, not sure how much he drank though. Apparently he howled for the first half an hour after I left though .