Issues with the protective collar

He doesn't usually cry at all, but he started whining—not on the first day, but by the fourth.

He’d been scratching at his neck ever since he’s had it on, but this morning (day 5), he was really going at it. For a whole hour, he was scratching and scratching and scratching so insistently; I think he just couldn’t stand the feel of the plastic anymore.

He’s built up so much frustration and stress that if there’s a sudden noise, he jumps and his eyes go wide as he looks all over the place, which he doesn’t usually do either. And the more days go by, the more noticeable it becomes.

He’s much less responsive to commands with the cone on. I’ve noticed it from the start—I even thought to myself, "this thing is making him go a bit thick."

Common sense says we should just assume he’s coping fine? That there's no need to try and make him more comfortable because it's only for 12 days?

I took it off him today and asked him to give paw; he did it immediately and very gently, just like before.

As for the scratching, that’s stopped—he’s not going at it like a madman anymore.

He is clearly much calmer, especially after an hour’s walk this afternoon. But even at midday, about half an hour after I took it off, you could tell he was clearly, clearly much more chilled out—in his posture, his expression, everything...

I couldn’t find any pool noodles, so after doing some digging yesterday, I had the idea of using a human neck brace—just a basic one you can pick up at the chemist. I bodged it together as best I could and added some towels inside to pad it out, and it just about fastens.

I wondered if he’d try to scratch his neck, but not at all.

He tried to get it off at first, but since then, nothing.

That said, I don’t think it’s secure enough; he might manage to get it off during the night, so I’ll put the cone back on for bedtime.

I was looking for something else when I stumbled across those rigid collars. They’re an alternative to the inflatable moon collars, but more like a neck brace for dogs.

They looked a bit less restrictive than other options. You do need to plan ahead before the op, though – by the time you've ordered it and it arrives, it's probably not worth it if they’ve only got a couple of days left to wear it.

Mind you, we shouldn't make too much of a drama out of it. It’s only for 12 or 15 days while the wound heals.

As humans, we can put up with a cast, crutches or whatever for a few weeks. It’s a nuisance but it’s hardly torture. The dog will cope for a few days.

I think it bothers the owner far more than the dog! They just get on with it.

As for recovery suits, stay away from the pet shops! An old t-shirt with holes cut out or a baby grow (depending on the size) will be much cheaper and do the exact same job ;)

My dog's breeder managed to find one that fit a female Dogue de Bordeaux, so I'm sure it's possible for any other breed...

👌Hiya!

Yes, if it works and it’s more comfortable than that awful cone! Is it any quieter at night? My first dog, a Yugoslavian Shepherd, used to bang into the walls, poor thing...

I was lucky with Volka, my first Lab, as she was so obedient; a simple knotted T-shirt was enough... along with a firm "no, leave it!".

But with Oxane, my second Lab, in two months' time... I can sense a real struggle on the horizon...

She’s a proper little tank, an ex-raptor!! Plus she’s as stubborn as a mule...

See you later for an update.

Give your pup some belly rubs from me!

I’ll try the pool shop first thing tomorrow! Thanks so much for the idea Doudou

I’ll let you know how I get on ;)

That’s also true Jazz, it’s definitely better safe than sorry in these cases, despite how uncomfortable it is :/

https://www.pinterest.fr/pin/AWoo34HpNEAfhAG7eB8JAeyHkW-yLwu9IYiCrhy52mnIb7oHA7rekds/ Haven't tried this yet, but I’m planning to give it a go for when my girl gets spayed. A pool noodle cut into pieces...

https://i.pinimg.com/750x/28/15/0b/28150b3649e84a149b4a5a7af371af60.jpg

As for the recovery suits, they must make them for larger dogs because we went with that option for our previous dog, a Belgian Tervueren. However, our vet was the one who provided it, so I’m not sure what’s available in the shops...

Regarding the healing time, my vet insisted on not having the stitches removed before 10 days ("better two days too many than two days too few," he told us 👍).

If it had healed in 5 days, I’m hoping it’ll be the same after 12 :)

I’ve read that some vets leave the "wound" uncovered (as long as the dog is wearing a cone) so it heals better, but mine put a dressing on it too. It’s got me wondering now.

Anyway, a shop assistant I spoke to this afternoon said she used to work at a dog rescue; she dealt with neutered dogs a lot and used to take their stitches out herself, usually after 10 days, sometimes less. She thought 12 days seemed like a long time.

As for the recovery suit, I think my dog is too big for them.

I tried to see what they had in stock (I went to two different shops) but they only had outfits for small dogs.

They didn’t have any inflatable collars either :/

I’ve looked into muzzles in the meantime and, as the shop assistant also told me, it won’t stop him rubbing his dressing/wound with it, or even licking it depending on the model. Besides, they aren't meant to be worn 24/7 anyway; they can’t breathe properly in them (they breathe better with their mouths wide open to pant).

I took him to the local playing field and he immediately started running around like a mad thing ^^

I kept throwing a toy for him to fetch so he could tear about and burn off some energy :)

However, after 25 minutes, he started biting the long lead... really relentlessly :/

This evening, I put it back on him for a walk on a path he knows well and bam, there he goes again, attacking the lead like a nutter the second I put it on. He was grabbing it at every point, in the middle and everywhere else; if he hadn’t been attached to it, I’d have just had to pick it up and put it away. If he’d bolted with it, I wouldn't have had an inch of lead to grab him by...

If he keeps doing this tomorrow and over the next few days, it’s going to be a nightmare.

On top of that, I have to watch his weight, so using treats to get him to let go... it worked this afternoon but he just started again straight after. I can’t be giving him treats every single minute.

I ended up finishing both walks on a short lead, so we're back to square one 😔

The thing is, he pulls a lot on the short lead. Not all the time (he can be calm for 15 minutes) but sometimes he pulls relentlessly. I can’t see myself doing two hours like that, but maybe it’s a good idea? I stop after about half an hour (sometimes a bit more), then take him out at least twice more for half an hour each time, plus short trips out for toilet breaks.

Did yours not pull?

Mine needs to jump and run to burn off steam, which is really hard to do on a short lead :/