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What To Do About Mr Bucket Head?


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Meet Mr Bucket Head. He is a Grumpy 14-year-old wheaten terrier who tore off his leg bandage and a couple of stitches out. He is now in an elizabethan collar. The vet said I could take out the stitches Wednesday but given the bucket is keeping the back leg dry and in one piece I am considering leaving it on for at least another day. However, I have to go to work tomorrow and I'd prefer not to leave Mr Bucket Head unsupervised with the bucket on. I could crate him with it on, though he'd find it difficult to have a drink in the crate wearing the bucket. I could also rebandage the leg but given how it's finally healing and drying out nicely, I'm hesitant to do that. Besides, he's a crafty old man and would rip the bandage off in an instance.

What have people done in these sorts of circumstances?

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As much as I hated it, I also had to go to work leaving a buckethead at home.... I left him outside (where he usually is when I'm at work) and came home at lunch to check on him the first few days. I found that outside was safer for him because there was more room and less things to run into (like doorways) or get caught on.

I guess it depends how Grumpy handles the bucket, Satchmo really didn't care it was there after a few days. Every time I came home to check on him he was fast asleep in his kennel.

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I had to leave Sonny with his bucket head a few times and he was fine, I did have to leave the door wide open though because he couldn't fit through the dog door! :) It's a worry though luckily I was able to dash home at lunchtime a couple of times to check on him. Leave him in an area where you can limit the potential for getting stuck or jammed in/on/under things if you can, that's about all you can really do.

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I had one of mine with an elizabethan collar a number of times. But she was very good with it and just went about her business as if it was part of her. She could drink OK and didn't get stuck on anything. The other one doesn't like it, and I wouldn't trust him. Does he/she tolerate it well? Maybe give it a try for an hour or so first see.

Edited by chuckie500
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He's been very good. I had it on him yesterday and we all slept in the lounge because I didn't want to crate him with the bucket and he'd try to get on the bed otherwise. I just had him outside and he kept getting stuck on things and just stood there as if he couldn't work out how to move backwards to fix it. The garden is full of trees and is kind of like the secret garden - little paths going off everywhere and loads of opportunity to get stuck. Poor man. I'll see how he goes for the rest of the day. The wound is finally scabbing, though, and I so don't want him to rip at it when it gets itchy.

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Not for you as it seems you're just about through the need for this, but whilst I was just now browsing for something else, THIS link came up showing "The Strock" which is basically a sock you can put on to stop chewing/bandage removal, without the need for a bucket.

Haven't looked into it and I don't know how good/bad it would be, but thought I might as well snap the site and link it here, seeing as you are on the subject :(.

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That's a good idea (though Grump would have it off in a second). My last wheaten I got kids socks and taped them to his leg. He was fussy; didn't like plain socks and would rip them off. The prettier, the better, and the longer they stayed on. My tartan ones were his particular favourite.

Edited by Sheridan
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Would it work if you make him a long cardboard collar so he couldn't turn and chew. Let me know if you don't understand I should be able to find a pic.

In the US they are called the bite-not collar - I just make them from cardboard.

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Whenever Jack has been a buckethead, we've left him at home in the yard as usual. But we don't have a lot of things for him to snag himself on, and he tended to do a bit of a dogdem cars move of bouncing off the hallway walls or door jambs when indoors so we figured he'd do the same outside.

He was perfectly fine. We asked the neighbours to check on him every so often during the day, which they happily did. They said he would just snooze on his trampoline bed in the shade.

Being an older gentleman, I suspect your chap would do the same?

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Mine were inside with the Elizabethan collar. Just confined to the one big room. She learnt to just push harder to get out of a snaggy situation. She was so used to it she went about her life with it as normal, even running up stairs, sleeping, drinking etc. Just check she can drink OK with it on.

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Grumpy has no peripheral vision with the elizabethan collar on and he had a full blown grumpy meltdown. I think he thought my computer chair was going to get him. 'Darling,' I said soothingly. 'Grrrrrrrrr ...' he responded. 'Oh, don't be silly,' I said. 'Grrrrrrrr ...' he said. 'I'm going to get a cup of tea,' I said. 'Grrrrrrr ...' he said. 'We're sleeping in here tonight, dopey man,' I said. 'You're not sleeping on the couch.' I came back with my tea and guess who managed to get on the couch with elizabethan collar on. 'Clever man,' I said. 'Grrrrrrrr ...' he said.

:D

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Mr Bucket Head is in the lounge by himself today. Very unhappy man. He was in a right state when I left him. :thumbsup: I heard the bucket hit the door after I left.

Nawww poor Bucket head!!! :cry: How was he when you got home? I hate when you hear them touch/nose the door when you leave.. especially in a bucket

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