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How to keep a dog happy in a cone for two weeks?

My dog swallowed a ball and had emergency surgery. She's just 2 years old so I think she's going to be a very busy girl once all the meds are flushed out of her system.

I've looked at alternative cone styles - anyone tried the softer ones?

I'm feeding half of each meal in a kong which is adorable and sad to watch with the cone.

All suggestions welcome!

5 Answers

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Dogs are very adaptable, so don't worry about her being unhappy. She will more than likely hit walls, furniture and human legs many times while wearing the cone. You may consider using the inflatable neck ring if she is having problems with the plastic cone. The best thing you can do is keep her focus on you with high value treats like chicken or cheese. Make sure she Sits or Downs before getting the treats.

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Soft inflatable ones (usually sold flat so you may have to ask your pet store for help finding) are the best investment by far! Easily one of the best dog purchases ever made. If your dog is like mine, this allows him or her to walk without clumsily bonking the cone on the ground as he/she looked down and walked. The soft one allows my dog to walk, sleep, and eat (although I sometimes remove for meal time which goes quickly) normally. They nicely wipe clean, look stylish and comfortable, and are a conversation item. Just get someone full of air to help you inflate it. We bought one five years ago to prevent post surgery licking and have used it many times since to prevent licking of bandaged areas for more minor things.

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The inflatable cones are nice, however they do not work in every case. I had a bulldog, and the inflatable cones simply did not work for her. Probably because her neck was almost as big as her head. My preference is for the inflatable cones, but it never hurts to have a plan B.

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My dog had to wear a cone for a month. At first I thought we were going to have problems because she fought it. However, what made a total difference for her was for me to remove the gauze that was in the loops & replace it with her collar. The collar was the perfect width to go through the loops. From that time on she didn't seem to mind wearing it.

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You can make him happy by giving her as much affection as possible.

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If it's a small dog, you could buy one of those "onesies" that they put babies in. The fabric usually covers where the stitches are, so you might be able to prevent the dog from chewing the stitches and also make him/her more comfortable.