I tried 4 cones on Charlie in advance of surgery. A standard vet issue plastic cone An inflatable buster cone A kong cloud A soft cone - the brand name was "comfy cone" I went through the same procedure with them all. He got to sniff them, investigate them, then had them fitted with loads of treats, and got treats for being calm while wearing them. The standard issue vet cone was, well, just awful. It seemed uncomfortable, seemed to dig into his neck if he bashed it (which he did all the time), and was just jarring – on him, and my nerves. The fact he could see through it, seemed a disadvantage – in that it seems confusing for him. The buster collar was an inflatable ring, inside a canvas cover. I couldn’t inflate it. I checked, and although a footpump was available (gosh, it’s no bigger than 2 party ballons, why would you need a pump!) I couldn’t figure out why. In the end, after much examination, I broke a thin flim of plastic inside the valve with a knife. Then I could get it inflated. It was pretty rubbish though. I bought the large size, but Charlie could still eat a sea biscuit placed on his tummy. No way this was stopping him chewing a wound on his leg. The canvas was hard and scratchy and I didn’t like it much. I should have bought the extra large - at least. The Kong cloud was in response to the inflatable buster collar failure – maybe if I bought a more expensive version of the same thing? But no, sizing problems defeated us. To be fair, it was easy to inflate, and softer and more comfortable. It might just be because the sizing was difficult to judge, and I bought a size too small (so it wouldn’t stop Charlie getting to his leg, although it fitted round his neck ok). Since I could only buy it online though, I couldn’t check to try it in advance. The soft cone was a success. The online reviews warned me to buy a larger size (I bought large) and it was a good fit for Charlie. His standard collar (nylon, plastic clip) attached with sturdy elastic loops, which took a few minutes to adjust. He did bash things with it, but in a “soft” way, not a jarring way. The key thing was to measure the distance from his collar to his snout, and make sure the cone was longer – the online diagrams to allow me to do this were great and very helpful, allowing me to get the right size. He wears another collar behind the collar with the soft cone on, and this stops him pushing the soft cone collar backwards to get his snout passed the edge of the cone - it might fail without this though. It’s a big success. He tolerates it well, and it has successfully stopped him getting to his leg. He seems to sleep in it just fine, and treats it like a pillow. The one disadvantage was that there are a number of velcro strips that allow adjustment and two are left spare on the right size for Charlie. But there is only one "guard" strip, to allow the unused velcro to be covered up. Which means vetbed sticks to the exposed velcro. A trip to John Lewis haberdashery solved that though, with a strip of opposing velcro obtained.
Re: The cone of shame... Very useful Julie. If I can work out how, I will make it into a 'sticky', so others can find it easily.
Re: The cone of shame... That IS really helpful Julie. Your research and write-ups are always thorough and informative.
Re: The cone of shame... [quote author=UncleBob link=topic=4722.msg58359#msg58359 date=1393853162] Ah the cone of shame ... I did like the film Up ;D [/quote] "Squirrel!!!"
Re: The cone of shame... [quote author=UncleBob link=topic=4722.msg58359#msg58359 date=1393853162] Ah the cone of shame ... I did like the film Up ;D [/quote] I watched it again recently - do you think the dog's a Toller? [quote author=bbrown link=topic=4722.msg58361#msg58361 date=1393853346] "Squirrel!!!" [/quote] Every lab owner recognises that moment I think.
Re: The cone of shame... [quote author=Merla link=topic=4722.msg58423#msg58423 date=1393870061] [quote author=UncleBob link=topic=4722.msg58359#msg58359 date=1393853162] Ah the cone of shame ... I did like the film Up ;D [/quote] I watched it again recently - do you think the dog's a Toller? [/quote] You mean Doug? I'd assumed that he was a Golden Retriever but you could be right.
Re: The cone of shame... The power of the internet: One vote for Golden Retriever: http://pixar.wikia.com/Dug One vote for Labrador: http://www.glam.com/the_making_of_dug_the_dog_in_disney_pixars_iupi/ What say you fellow Up watchers? What breed is Dug?
Re: The cone of shame... Have you not seen it Julie? You really must. Don't forget some tissues though.
Re: The cone of shame... No, sounds like a real treat. Weekend after next, I'll have some time. I'll order it on DVD. Hope I can.
Re: The cone of shame... Oh yes, do watch it but tissues definitely required The dogs are fabulously observed though!
Re: The cone of shame... [quote author=bbrown link=topic=4722.msg58361#msg58361 date=1393853346] [quote author=UncleBob link=topic=4722.msg58359#msg58359 date=1393853162] Ah the cone of shame ... I did like the film Up ;D [/quote] "Squirrel!!!" [/quote] Inspiration for a signature line! ;D
Re: The cone of shame... I say Golden Retriever too! Julie, you are in for a treat!! But be warned, the first time I saw it my daughter had been telling me for ages that it was SO FUNNY, so I sat down expecting to be laughing my head off. After the first half hour I was an absolute mess, sobbing into my Kleenex, wondering if my girl was insane....but honestly, after that beginning bit it is truly one of the funniest movies I've seen....the dogs are absolutely priceless. The first time the Doberman spoke I just about peed my pants.... But don't skip the first bit. It is SO good too, heartwarming and touching and lovely.....just NOT FUNNY!
Re: The cone of shame... [quote author=JulieT link=topic=4722.msg58484#msg58484 date=1393880184] Gotta get this flim! [/quote] Me too.... ;D Barabara,you can quote from any film mentioned on this Forum...how do you do that!!i can't remember a film I watched last week! Julie,I really thought I'd researched and prepared for the Cone of Shame!how not so compared to you! I totally agree with the jarring on the plastic vet cone as they crash into things it made me feel sick ??? I was guiding Dexters head round with one hand and his backend round with the other...what a procession we made!it was the one we had to go with in the end though as it was the best of the choice we had..... Dexter learnt with the soft one that Charlie is wearing that if he pushed past something hard enough,the couch,kitchen stool,dining table etc he could flip it back the other way so he looked like a Labrador Chorister ;D he did this not because he wanted to lick or bother his wound particularly,he seemed to do it just for fun!! My solution in the end was the vet plastic one 31 cms attached to a leather flat collar and then we put the inflatable one on as well to stop the plastic digging in his neck....this also acted as a pillow for him to support his neck when he was lying down. They are great inventions for doing the job these cones but it's grim making the dogs wear them You've written great advice for anyone having to consider which one to use x
