My Dog is a Cone-head!

My dog is a cone-head – literally!  He has to wear an Elizabethan collar (so named after the style of dress of Queen Elizabeth) nicknamed the E-collar, until the staples come out of his face where he had his tumor removed.  The collar prevents him from scratching at the incision with his back leg and ripping the sutures out, which he would do in less than a minute.  But not only does he look ridiculous, it is, I’m sure uncomfortable and frustrating.

There are other names for the device – at the shelter we call it a party hat referring to the lampshade that you might end up wearing if you indulge too much at a party.  I’ve also heard it called the cone of shame, but I think that’s just how the dog feels when they have to wear one!  It does resemble a satellite dish so people joke about what stations the animal is picking up.

Imagine the worst itch you’ve ever had and no way to get at it!  Yes, he was on pain meds for the first three days and he’s still on antibiotics, but neither of those directly helps with an itch.  I upped his dose of antihistamine to give him some relief, but from the sound of him scratching on the plastic I can tell it’s not completely effective.  I’ve always thought it was cruel of people to just put a cone on their dog when they are having a flea reaction if they don’t also do something to actually treat the problem or give relief to the animal from the itchiness.  This is not not quite the same thing, but I know incisions itch so I’m suffering the mom-guilt of not being able to make it go away.

The cone is awkward in other ways – he is constantly bumping into my legs, into the doorjambs, banging into tables and chairs and just generally being super clumsy.  You can also tell it’s difficult for him to get into a comfortable position to sleep with this thing on his head.  Fortunately there are some new styles out that try to get away from the big, hard plastic cone that make it so difficult for dogs to eat, drink and rest comfortably.

One new style is the same shape, but it’s made out of a very stiff fabric so it doesn’t hurt as much, or do damage when they bump into you and the walls. There’s another one on the market that looks like a big buoy ring that goes around the neck.  It allows the dog to eat and drink a bit easier, but it can be harder to keep on.  The bite-not collar, which looks like a neck brace – is a very wide, stiff collar that prevents the head from turning to chew on the back end.  That, and the concept of putting on a t-shirt or Onsie-type body suit on your dog works great if the material actually covers the itchy spot or incision.  Neither of those would work, though, to prevent a hind leg from scratching at a wound on the cheek.

Sorry to bore you all with more about my dog but he’s the main focus right now – especially with that big cone on his head!  It certainly garners a lot of sympathy from everyone at work so in that way he is rather enjoying all the attention.  Hope that makes up for some of the misery!