The Modern Dog Library

I type this sitting by one very medicated and very snoozy collie. Neutering finally came for Reggie today.

This, unfortunately, is not Reggie’s first rodeo with sedation and recovery. We’ve been down this road before several times in his short life due to his allergy struggles. It’s been a learning process to perfect ways to keep Mr. Busy Body from tearing/infecting/generally messing with sensitive areas that need healing. Without further ado, here’s how we keep his long snoot safely away from problem areas.

What Worked

The cone, Elizabethan collar, e-collar…whatever you call it, we found it unavoidable. Those recovery jammies, while adorable, proved little protection from Reggie’s determined and very long nose.

I like to order a few cheap clear cones from Amazon to keep on hand. This way I can use a clean one every few days and discard the older one. I try to get at least a foot of depth for a smooth collie sized nose.

For long-snooted dogs like rough and smooth collies, their necks are always too small for the length of cone needed. A vet tech taught me the secret to fixing this – duct tape!

After using duct taping to secure the cone, I put one (or two) inflatable donuts being the cone to make sure it stays pushed forward. (For the inflatable donuts, I’ve found the off-brand ones on Amazon work just as well as the fancy Kong branded type.)

What Didn’t Work

Our efforts to detain Reggie’s nose have not been without failure.

Recovery Jammies: I could see these working well in several scenarios that haven’t come up yet. My favorite brand is Suitical (available on Amazon).

NovaGuard Recovery Collar: I was extremely excited to find this specialized cone from NovaGuard. It is designed to be skinner/closer to the face than a traditional cone – purportedly for ease of movement and less stress. The dog wears it secured to his head, as opposed to around the neck like a traditional cone.

Unfortunately my excitement was only matched by Reggie’s hatred. He had it off in 2 seconds flat.

Any Non-Clear Cone: We tried the comfy cone and a variety of soft and hard e-collars. Reggie was significantly more upset by a solid cone than a clear one. Can’t say I blame him!

Non-Traditional Cone-Replacements: Like this satellite dish one. Or this donut-cone hybrid. Completely ineffective against the power of the snoot.

Pool-Noodle Hack: I have seen folks put a cut pool noodle around a collar to keep the e-cone in place (very similar to how we use the inflatable donut). We found the inflatable donut to be easier and it seemed more comfortable.

Happy Recovery! We’ll be snoozing over here until further notice.