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Head Cones Makes Dogs Miserable
https://www.sydney.edu.au - they also have a lot of interesting articles - do visit
https://www.sydney.edu.au - they also have a lot of interesting articles - do visit
Global survey of pet owners reveals the Elizabeth collar or Cone of Shame impacts negatively on their pets. Researchers recommend vets find alternatives where possible.
Cats also wear the Elizabethan collar. Photo: Dr Anne Fawcett
Dog and cat owners already know their companion animals seem to loathe the ‘cone of shame’ they are required to wear after surgery or when they have a sore or itchy spot. But very little research has been done to assess the cone’s impact on animal welfare.
Now a new study by researchers in the Sydney School of Veterinary Science at the University of Sydney has found the cone, or the ‘Elizabethan collar’ as it’s known in vet circles, does indeed impact on an animal’s quality of life – owners, too.
The study, undertaken by Doctor of Veterinary Medicine student Yustina Shenoda and supervisors in the Sydney School of Veterinary Science, and published in the journal Animals, surveyed owners about the collar’s impact on their pet’s sleep, eating, drinking, exercise, interactions with other animals and overall quality of life.
Owners reported the collar interferes with drinking and playing and can cause injuries or irritation to the animal. It can also cause injuries to their owners and damage to property.
“Elizabethan collars are used to prevent self-trauma, especially after surgery, so they do play an important role,” said study supervisor Dr Anne Fawcett. “But we also learned that some animals suffer from misadventure, injury or irritation due to the collars themselves. Other casualties included furniture, buildings and the legs of owners when Elizabethan-collar wearing owners ran into them.”
Cone of Shame problems
A global online survey, aimed at owners whose pets wore an Elizabethan collar during the past 12 months, was used to investigate the impact that these collars had on their animal’s quality of life. Most of the respondents were from Australia, with others coming from the UK, USA, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland and Sweden.
The majority of the 434 respondents reported a worse quality of life score when their companion animal was wearing the collar, significantly so when the Elizabethan collar irritated their pet or impacted on their ability to drink or play. Many owners were reluctant to keep the collar on due to changes in the animal’s behaviour or mental health.
Problems for cats and dogs wearing the collars include:
Owners have their say“ - My dog is a bulldog and his neck got very wet and inflamed from slobbering constantly with it on. He got very down with it on and seemed depressed. Maybe the shape of it was not good for him,” said one dog owner in the study.
“…in our case it was 22 inches of snow that made it impossible for him to move outside without have the snow fill the collar,” said a dog owner in Europe.
“Made the cat thoroughly miserable but he had licked himself a huge ulcer and the collar was the only way to get it healed. The collar interfered with virtually all aspects of his life, he hated it but fortunately was too stupid to figure-out how to get it off,” reported one cat owner.
“The Elizabethan collar was also aversive to me. My shins were so bruised from him banging into me causing less interactions with us,” a pet owner said.
“I have sustained a lot of damage to doors and plasterwork over the years as a result of the collars,” said the owner of a dog.
Owners should monitor their animals while they are wearing the cone.
Recommendations
The study recommends exploring alternative methods to Elizabethan collars to minimise negative welfare impacts including self-trauma, injury or misadventure, such as:
Cats also wear the Elizabethan collar. Photo: Dr Anne Fawcett
Dog and cat owners already know their companion animals seem to loathe the ‘cone of shame’ they are required to wear after surgery or when they have a sore or itchy spot. But very little research has been done to assess the cone’s impact on animal welfare.
Now a new study by researchers in the Sydney School of Veterinary Science at the University of Sydney has found the cone, or the ‘Elizabethan collar’ as it’s known in vet circles, does indeed impact on an animal’s quality of life – owners, too.
The study, undertaken by Doctor of Veterinary Medicine student Yustina Shenoda and supervisors in the Sydney School of Veterinary Science, and published in the journal Animals, surveyed owners about the collar’s impact on their pet’s sleep, eating, drinking, exercise, interactions with other animals and overall quality of life.
Owners reported the collar interferes with drinking and playing and can cause injuries or irritation to the animal. It can also cause injuries to their owners and damage to property.
“Elizabethan collars are used to prevent self-trauma, especially after surgery, so they do play an important role,” said study supervisor Dr Anne Fawcett. “But we also learned that some animals suffer from misadventure, injury or irritation due to the collars themselves. Other casualties included furniture, buildings and the legs of owners when Elizabethan-collar wearing owners ran into them.”
Cone of Shame problems
A global online survey, aimed at owners whose pets wore an Elizabethan collar during the past 12 months, was used to investigate the impact that these collars had on their animal’s quality of life. Most of the respondents were from Australia, with others coming from the UK, USA, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland and Sweden.
The majority of the 434 respondents reported a worse quality of life score when their companion animal was wearing the collar, significantly so when the Elizabethan collar irritated their pet or impacted on their ability to drink or play. Many owners were reluctant to keep the collar on due to changes in the animal’s behaviour or mental health.
Problems for cats and dogs wearing the collars include:
- Difficulty drinking (60.2 percent)
- Inability to play (67.5 percent)
- Collar-related injuries, including itching/irritation, bumping into walls, falling downstairs and psychological distress (25 percent)
- Other problems, including difficulty toileting, grooming, being fitted for a harness or lead, getting through dog or cat door, sleeping in a crate, navigating indoors “without smashing into doorways, tables or chairs” (10 percent)
Owners have their say“ - My dog is a bulldog and his neck got very wet and inflamed from slobbering constantly with it on. He got very down with it on and seemed depressed. Maybe the shape of it was not good for him,” said one dog owner in the study.
“…in our case it was 22 inches of snow that made it impossible for him to move outside without have the snow fill the collar,” said a dog owner in Europe.
“Made the cat thoroughly miserable but he had licked himself a huge ulcer and the collar was the only way to get it healed. The collar interfered with virtually all aspects of his life, he hated it but fortunately was too stupid to figure-out how to get it off,” reported one cat owner.
“The Elizabethan collar was also aversive to me. My shins were so bruised from him banging into me causing less interactions with us,” a pet owner said.
“I have sustained a lot of damage to doors and plasterwork over the years as a result of the collars,” said the owner of a dog.
Owners should monitor their animals while they are wearing the cone.
Recommendations
The study recommends exploring alternative methods to Elizabethan collars to minimise negative welfare impacts including self-trauma, injury or misadventure, such as:
- Inflatable collars, neck restraints, visors, muzzles, socks or booties, body wraps or clothing.
- Anti-itching medication, pain killers, topical anaesthetics or sedatives.
One of our readers sent us this fantastic idea - cone made out of pool noodled. thank you
Tarryn!
Note from FOTD
You can do some things to help your dog cope more if a cone is a necessity if none of the alternatives are an option for you, here are some ideas:-
You can do some things to help your dog cope more if a cone is a necessity if none of the alternatives are an option for you, here are some ideas:-
- If your dog normally sleeps on the bed, start to retrain him to lie on a flat dog bed close to your own bed. Do this at least a week before the operation. To help your dog see this as a rewarding experience, you can give a nice stuffed Kong for him to get stuck into - only give the cone on this bed. If the dog is sitting on the furniture, do same as above. Not jumping up onto things will go a long way to prevent the cone becoming stuck on things, and the dog hurting himself.
- If you know your dog is going to have to use a cone, get one from the vet a few days before the operation, and get the dog used to wearing in in stages - let the dog smell it and offer treats - place partially around neck - offer treats - gradually fasten at the back -always make this very rewarding for the dog, with high value treats during the process.
- Once the dog is comfortable wearing the cone, take him for short walks in areas where there is open ground and less likelihood of the cone being bumped.
- Try and get your dog on this same walks at least once a day. A dog that has been mentally and physically stimulated, is more likely to lie quietly at home. If your dog is limited in movement, speak to your vet and see if you could drive your dog to a safe area, and just let it sniff and smell around a bit, so very little movement. The difference that having a good sniff can make, really helps emotionally and mentally.
- Speak to your vet as to how you could modify the cone, by way of adding padding or bandaging around both outer and inner brim of the cone.
- Get the softest, most flexible cone available, but ensure the dog cannot bend same to access the part of the body being protected.
- Make your home 'cone safe' in that the dog can walk around without bumping into things.
- Depending on the Cone, your dog may be able to get stuck into a nice chewy toys, such as a stuffed Kong or Busy Buddy. If so, have a couple in the freezer, which will help to reduce boredom and provide mental stimulation.
- As a TTouch practitioner, I simply have to mention how helpful TTouch can be to reduce stress, and also helps to speed up healing. Ideally, have a practitioner come to your home and show you some simple TTouches you can learn to help your dog both with stress and speeding up the healing process. Here is an article that you can read about some of the TTouches, plus just go onto You Tube to see how to do this simple modality. https://www.friendsofthedog.co.za/ttouch-and-stress.html
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