Elizabethan collars a/k/a E-collars
What is an E-Collar? Otherwise known as an Elizabethan collar, not an electric collar which has the same abbreviation, E-collars prevent a dog from digging, scratching biting or pawing and damaging any part of their body that is injured or has had surgery. To dogs it’s most likely considered some sort of Medieval torture. It’s basically a lampshade on your dog’s head!
Elizabethan collars come in different color plastic, some are see through, some are not, some are soft fabric (for less serious conditions). The kind your dog gets from the vet will depend on what type of injury or surgery they have and how important it is to keep them from scratching, biting or pawing at it, and of course, the kind the vet keeps in stock.
Help Your Dog Adjust to the E-Collar Living with the E-collar is an experience that will obviously require some lifestyle rearranging. It could be no big deal or it can be difficult. Don’t panic, and remember that you are not alone. You have your vet to help you and others that have gone through this with their dogs. Don’t hesitate to join our forum and ask members for advice. One of our members has prepared a brochure to help you adjust your dog to the E-collar. We hope that you find this invaluable, and please share this with your vet for his or her input.
CLICK HERE to print our brochure
Things to keep in mind about E-collars Most likely your dog will be wearing this E-collar for a long time, usually weeks, so there are some things you need to keep in mind:
First and foremost, you must follow the vet’s instructions without any deviation. If the vet wants the E-collar worn 24/7 and even when your dog eats, do not under any circumstances do anything different. The outcome of your dog’s medical procedures and health depend on you following the vet’s instructions exactly.
Never hesitate to call your vet if you have a question, feel stressed, or need ideas on how to deal with this. Wearing an E-collar is frustrating and draining for the owner as well as the dog.
Line up family and friends to help you for the duration your dog wears the E-collar and/or needs medications.
Your vet might only carry one style of E-collar in his hospital; therefore, if you know in advance what type of surgery your dog is having, you could ask your vet to order a specific style of E-collar that you prefer (or, if you’ve been through this before you’ll know what your dog will or will not tolerate).
You should ask your vet for an E-collar that has a soft rubber edge at the end of the cone – it will save the back of your legs from lots of scars that you’ll get from being rammed with the cone!
If your dog has never had surgery before or been injured, you should assume the worst, that they’ll hate the collar and work hard at trying to get to their injury, so get the safest E-collar you can.
The E-collar fits close to the ears, as you can see in the pictures here, and extends past the mouth and nose, so your dog’s breathing will build up moisture inside the collar. This moisture could cause ear infections because of the constant heat in the ears, or skin problems. Talk to your vet about this and any specific ear or skin issues your dog has so you can use the appropriate ear cleaners or medications for the ears and skin to prevent a problem.
How will your dog be able to eat with an E-collar on? They can with some planning by you. If the vet does not want their E-collar removed you will have to do some modifying at eating time. You may have to feed them a little bit by hand at meals, or you may want to purchase a raised feeder that the cone would go over as you can see in the picture at the side. Never take any chances removing the E-collar without your vet’s explicit instructions.
Your dog will probably be disoriented with the E-collar on, so think of how your home is set up and move furniture and valuables out of the E-collar’s reach; you might even want to confine your dog to one are of the house such as the kitchen when you’re not around so that they are safe.
If you have to leave your dog alone all day to go to work or for some of the day. This will require networking on your part, because any dog in an E-collar is a dog requiring medications and supervision, and if you can not do that, you will need to make arrangements for someone to administer them.
You will have to consider where you will let your dog stay in the house while you are not home and provide either gates for a safe room, such as the kitchen, or obtain a large crate (let the vet determine the size you’ll need). Discuss all of your options with your vet, and let the vet help you decide how to care for your dog if you can not because the outcome of any vet procedure will depend on good, safe aftercare by you or another caretaker.
Your dog may be very fearful of the E-collar and freeze in place while wearing it, or they might not take to it at all and try and take it off. Or you have other dogs or animals that the E-collar is frightening. What do you do? (PRINT OUR HELPFUL BROCHURE TO HELP YOUR DOG ADJUST)