Creative Alternatives to Elizabethan Collars

by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger

05 Apr 2007 03:28 PM

About six months ago, my brother's pit bull/lab mix Kuma had to have a cyst removed from her shoulder. It was large enough that she needed five stitches and was sentenced to Conehead City for ten days. Let me tell you -- Conehead City is not a fun place to live if you're a dog or a cat.

Part of Kuma's problem was navigating stairs with her cone on. When she couldn't see her feet, she couldn't climb down the stairs to go into the yard to piddle! But as soon as the cone was off, she would start messing with her stitches -- licking or scratching at them. After a few days of misery all around, I suggested we put a tee-shirt on Kuma. It would protect the stitches and keep her from accessing them with foot or tongue, and let her move around with ease. One of my father's old tee-shirts was plenty big enough to fit Kuma -- all we had to do was knot it at her waist so she wouldn't trip on the hem.

Thanks to other health issues, Kuma has developed another cyst -- this one on her ear. The veterinarian has decided the cyst must come off, and the family has been brainstorming ideas to keep her coneless again. The problem with ear wounds is that it is very easy for them to start bleeding -- a quick shake of her head can open her ear up.

I've half-jokingly suggested we take a bikini top or old bra and put one cup over each ear, then tie the band underneath her chin. Not only will it eliminate the need for a cone, it will keep the ear close to her head so a vigorous shake might not do as much damage. Maybe even a regular bandana will do the trick.

The location of the injury or stitches may force some extreme creativity. Consider, for example, my adventures in cat diapering with Zoe the kitten who'd recently been spayed and was Houdini-ing herself out of her cone. My parents' dog Becca has a sore on her foreleg that my parents have been covering with a toeless sock.

Some things to consider:

1. What will you use to protect the stitches or injury?
2. How will you keep it in place?
3. How will it adjust to movement? (For example, once Zoe stretched out to her full length, the diaper slid right off!)
4. Watch the tightness of your improvised bandage -- you should be able to fit two fingers between the bandage and the skin easily. Otherwise, circulation could be cut off.
5. Some wounds should not be kept tightly covered. Ask your veterinarian if your makeshift bandage is an appropriate alternative.

Learn more about Aimee Amodio

Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover...

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