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Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2005 8:32 am Post subject: Cone head? How many needed a cone

Bosco goes in to get neutered tomorrow. I have heard of many people that didn't put the cone on their dog's head. Just wondering what the % would be of pro's and con's to this. I want him to be as comfortable as possible.

Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2005 8:37 am Post subject:

I have very limited experience with this, but here are my experiences so far. My first dog didn't have the cone. Her stitches got infected, but I honestly don't think it was the lack of a cone that contributed to that.

My new puppy was given a cone, but the vet told me that I could take it off as long as I could supervise her. I left it on for about two days, but when I saw that she really didn't have any interest in the sutures, I took the cone off and left it off. The cone seemed to be bothering her more than the sutures. Her stitches didn't get infected, but again, I'm not sure the cone had anything to do with that since I left it on for such a short period of time (instead of the full 2 weeks that the vet recommended).

Good luck to Bosco!!

Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2005 8:39 am Post subject:

For Brandy I rented the cone. She only used it for the first day after the surgery. Amber didn't need it. She never bothered her incision.

Brandy was so confused by it but she kept going to lick her incision so I had to use it.

Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2005 8:41 am Post subject:

So far with three dogs (2 male 1 female) and seven cats (4 female and 3 male) I have never needed a collar. But when my one cat had stitches on her tail I had to get a collar because she was viciously attacking her own tail. I think it all depends on the animal; I would wait to get a collar to see what he does first. Good luck

Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2005 9:22 am Post subject:

Callie didn't need a cone - she would try to lick but stop after I said no, and after the first day, she left them alone.
The only time I have experienced the cone is when I was young, my parents had a Dobe and got the ears done, and the Dobe wore a cone for while after that. Looked pretty silly! Laughing

But he left his ears alone.

Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2005 11:27 am Post subject:

none of mine (2 dogs 2 cats, 1 of each sex) have ever needed a cone. My Shibas never would have stood for the cone anyway, a friend of mine who's Shiba would just shut down and freeze with the cone on used a pair of boxer shorts to cover the incision

Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2005 11:37 am Post subject:

I don't know if Sarah had a cone when she was spayed because they did it when she was just a pup at the H.S. I'm assuming no since we adopted her only a few days later. However, she did get a suture infection, and she did have to wear a cone for a whole week because she was a licker. Several months after that, she tore one of her toenails off all the way down to the bone on her foot (it was showing through), and she had to wear a cone for 10 days to keep her from pulling off the bandange (we went through several bandages and various size cones with the vet.

It really depends on the animal. Smile

~Kelly Deneen

Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2005 1:01 pm Post subject:

None of my animals have ever needed a cone for anything. We have had really good luck with all of them. This includes all of my pets and all the rescues and fosters I have had. I have only had 2 experience of animals needed a cone, both while I was working at the vet. One was a Westie, she literally ripped open her spay sutures and was chewing on her intestines. This happened the day after her spay, we had kept her for boarding (Thank God!), she lived, after another major surgery and an E-collar (cone). The other experience was a lab that was literally eating her own leg, it would heal, we would take the e-collar off and she would eat it again. They ended up having to amputate the leg (after 4+ months of fighting with this leg and infection). I believe that most animals are fine and dont need an e-collar, but there are the occasional ones. I wouldnt use it right at first, but if you see there is going to be a problem, then dont hesitate

Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2005 2:50 pm Post subject:

It depends, Miagi needed one(my cat), Rocky and Buster(my dogs) needed one.

Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2005 5:27 pm Post subject:

My former girl, Puppy, didn't need a cone after she got spayed. No infections, no problems.

Chaucer had to have a cone for over a month after his ear surgery. He had a hematoma lanced and the ear 'quilted'. He would have torn it all back up again if he hadn't had the cone. Well, actually we went through three cones. He originally had the white one from the vet. Then we borrowed a clear one which he liked better cause he could see and not get startled by us coming up behing him. He's a bull and clumsy so he destroyed that one after about two weeks, so we had to buy another one for the last two weeks.

Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2005 8:26 pm Post subject:

Eli and Barkley both needed them after neutering...all my other dogs didnt need one.

I knew Eli would need one but the vet insisted that I wait because they stress the dog out Rolling Eyes

next day Eli ripped all of his stiches out and had to go back under to be stiched and THEN the vet put the cone on..

barkley ripped his stiches out before i even got to take him home so the vet had already re-stiched him and put a cone on him..

they both also had to have that area wrapped because they made it bleed Confused

Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2005 8:32 pm Post subject:

Thanta needed it after neuter - they had to open him up because one testicle hadn't fully descended, and Grizzley had to wear it again and again after getting FHO, one after another.

Georgia and Brooklyn were already spayed when I got them.

Brandy, I just put it on because the vet recommended it for about 3 days, but then took it off because the edge of the cone was scraping against the incision line.

Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2005 12:36 am Post subject:

Both shelters I went to get my dogs at didn't spay or neutered until the dog was adopted. All the dogs needed cones. I would watch them during the day but at night I couldn't sleep for fear of what I would find when I woke up if they didn't have a cone. What I did was kept them on leash on my bed with the cone on and that way they couldn't get up and get out the cone. My cairn terrier was a master of escape from that thing. I am too much of a worry wart to not use a cone. I have never had an infection on any of them so that is good. Even the last two dogs I had before this group never got an infection. Those dogs were way back before they had the stitches that get absorbed.

Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2005 1:15 am Post subject:

Our dog didnt get a cone.
She never even licked her stitches.
But our cat...
Good grief, I didnt think we would ever be able to take it off.
She would do nothing but lick, even after it was healed she licked.

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