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Does She Really Need An Elizabethan Collar?


WExtremeG
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I didn't even have an idea of what I was going to do when Cleo was spayed. But when I picked her up the nurse told me she had been licking at it so she had one on (and I paid for it, $15).

She hated having it on, but we tried to not have it on and she'd lick at the wound. I wasn't going to risk trouble so left it on at nighttime but took it off during the day when I could supervise. Kept her busy with a roo tail :)

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I think the blow-up ones look like a great idea. I will be picking one up to have around "just in case". Already have an Elizabethan in the cupboard in case my boy needed it after his lumpectomy. A lot of dogs do pick and lick at their stitches and it does cause swelling, irritation and sonetimes infection. Vets arent being greedy suggesting you take one, simply covering their butts in case a client comes back later with an open spey wound claiming that they "werent warned" and refusing to pay for resulting costs. Fair enough in my opinion-you can say no if you choose to. Ten bucks is cheap insurance against complications. I remember one client proudly telling me how he'd chopped up a flowerpot to save his ten dollars. Cost him twenty four for antibiotics to fix the lacerations on his dogs neck and throat afterwards.

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I think the blow-up ones look like a great idea. I will be picking one up to have around "just in case". Already have an Elizabethan in the cupboard in case my boy needed it after his lumpectomy. A lot of dogs do pick and lick at their stitches and it does cause swelling, irritation and sonetimes infection. Vets arent being greedy suggesting you take one, simply covering their butts in case a client comes back later with an open spey wound claiming that they "werent warned" and refusing to pay for resulting costs. Fair enough in my opinion-you can say no if you choose to. Ten bucks is cheap insurance against complications. I remember one client proudly telling me how he'd chopped up a flowerpot to save his ten dollars. Cost him twenty four for antibiotics to fix the lacerations on his dogs neck and throat afterwards.

we recently bought one for after our lab's desexing. Firstly, once the anaesthetic wore off he wanted to lick his stitches and the inflatable collar didn't stop him - he had easy access to the wound. The other issue, was that the vet nurse blew it up too hard and the stitching, of the outer lining, burst in places. We had to buy the plastic elizabethan collar to keep him from getting to his wound. I think the inflatable collar would be great for upper body wounds but in our case it didn't work for the desexing wound.

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You are complaining about a $5 re-usable item?

Mine was speyed recently and yes, she would go chew as soon as I took my eyes off her! She wore her collar full time for a week and it never bothered her. In fact, she seemed to like the challenge of getting around things, in things and through small spaces with it on!

She was over it all, no redness, no swelling, no infection in that week.. Well worth a $5 investment. And I have it for the future in case it is needed.

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My girl didn't need one after de-sexing but when she got her first hotspot- well now I have 3!!!! My foster dog needed one after his surgery but only for the first night.

SuziWong, that is interesting about the cloud collar. I have bought 2 (not sure of sizing) for Cooper when he comes home from his THR. Will be interesting to see how it works on him :)

Good luck with Fennir tomorrow :)

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You are complaining about a $5 re-usable item?

Hah, well reusable is very subjective. James' had to be repeatedly masking taped back together in the first couple of days until it eventually snapped beyond all repair :p

Nonetheless, even as a one-use item, it ought not be completely written off until you've seen your dog's reaction.

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Reggie ripped her stitches out while still at the vet. They kept her over night as a result and she wore an Ecollar for the week after when ever I couldnt watch her. She didn't have to wear it the second week.

The vet didn't charge me any extra for the collar or for the overnight stay. It was all included in the original spay price $375.

I did have to do several duct tape repairs to it over the week :laugh:

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You are complaining about a $5 re-usable item?

Mine was speyed recently and yes, she would go chew as soon as I took my eyes off her! She wore her collar full time for a week and it never bothered her. In fact, she seemed to like the challenge of getting around things, in things and through small spaces with it on!

She was over it all, no redness, no swelling, no infection in that week.. Well worth a $5 investment. And I have it for the future in case it is needed.

You obviously haven't read the whole thread ;), but anyway they want $25. It is their push on it that annoys me as I haven't personally known anyone that has ever needed one, and didn't think they would be offering to send her home with one.

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Yeah, we worry so much about them, don't we :) I'm sure that your girl will be just fine. Just think of how much you can cuddle and spoil her when you get her home later today :) If my dog has to spend a day at the vet's for some reason I go and buy a new toy for him to chew up and something special for his dinner. Planning and shopping for those things helps me feel better.

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I definitely needed something to stop my dog licking her stitches. I thought she was being good and leaving them alone... but she was waiting till my back was turned :o She got an infected wound which needed antibiotics and to have some of the stitches removed/replaced.

Having it as an option is always useful - my vet allowed us to "rent" or pay a deposit which was refunded when it was returned.

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I definitely needed something to stop my dog licking her stitches. I thought she was being good and leaving them alone... but she was waiting till my back was turned :o She got an infected wound which needed antibiotics and to have some of the stitches removed/replaced.

Having it as an option is always useful - my vet allowed us to "rent" or pay a deposit which was refunded when it was returned.

Yeh ours was refunded when we returned it too, however they wouldn't let us leave without it which annoyed me. Every time my pug tipped her head forward, it slipped off (miss chunky has a bigger neck than her head, same reason she can't wear a normal collar) but the vet nurses insisted on shoving it back on and pretending it would stay there. It fell off three times on the 2 metre walk to the door, and she wasn't flexible enough to reach her stitches in the end anyway!

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Thankyou both :) I didn't think she would- there's no reason to suspect she'd try and 'rip them out' seems as though they just want to make some extra $$$

I doubt vets would actually make money over a piece of plastic that they usually giveyou the optin to get later if the dog does start to lick at the stitches. I get sick of reading the paranoia that vets are in it for the money THEN when some need them all is forgotten and they are heroes for saving the animal. Perhaps most vets actually do want the best for the animal they treat - the customer always has the right to go elsewhere if they think their vet isnt treating a pet as they would prefer.

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Thankyou both :) I didn't think she would- there's no reason to suspect she'd try and 'rip them out' seems as though they just want to make some extra $$$

I doubt vets would actually make money over a piece of plastic that they usually giveyou the optin to get later if the dog does start to lick at the stitches. I get sick of reading the paranoia that vets are in it for the money THEN when some need them all is forgotten and they are heroes for saving the animal. Perhaps most vets actually do want the best for the animal they treat - the customer always has the right to go elsewhere if they think their vet isnt treating a pet as they would prefer.

really- you couldn't be that naive could you? That piece of plastic was going to cost $25 I don't think so. :)

(And had you of bothered to read the whole thread you would know that if I needed one I was going to make one for her)

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Update: Fenrir is not bothered in the slightest- and I really don't think she knows anything has ever happened to her- lol she is acting completely normal and hasn't bothered her sutures -the only thing we are trying to limit, is the amount of 'trotting' she does- which is hard for a breed that likes to everywhere they go.

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I have had 4 bitches and a cat speyed in the last 10 years. Only one dog needed a collar as she had ripped her bandage off and had started on the stitches as soon as she woke up from surgery. My other 3 were ok, although my BCx did start to lick hers after around a week. Chloe dachie wouldn't even look at her wound and Rubi, our cocker didn't worry hers either. Both of them complained bitterly for around 3 days following their ops though compared to the BCx who basically, once she got over the anesthetic, was no different to normal. Actually keeping her still was an issue. Our cat did pull one of her stitches out at around day 7, which was a bit of an eek but she didn't touch them again.

Sounds like you have the ideal situation being home. I always try and pick a day that somebody will be home for at least 4-5 days following one of our pets being desexed.

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