How to Help Your Dog With an Elizabethan Collar

Elizabethan collars --- also known as e-collars --- help restrict an animal's head movement and access to wounds or surgical incisions, since licking or biting could cause infections that hinder the healing process. For your dog, it can be an uncomfortable, annoying, and confusing experience. Observing your dog's desperate obsession with reaching his wound or incision may provoke feelings of pity in you. However, you must put his need to heal before his desire for the freedom he has become accustomed to every day. The best thing you can do for your dog is to make the experience of wearing the Elizabethan collar as comfortable for him as you can until your veterinarian permits its removal.

Things You'll Need

  • your dog's collar
  • e-collar
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Choose a comfortable and minimally obstructive e-collar. A clear one will result in less obstructed vision for your dog during its recovery period. A soft, flexible one made of fabric-covered foam rather than a bulky plastic version will be more comfortable to rest and maneuver in when wandering, eating or drinking. Since the plastic e-collars can easily become stuck in tight spaces while your dog is adjusting, the soft foam e-collars can also prevent further injury during the recovery period. If possible, experiment with different e-collar types and brands by letting your dog briefly try them out.

    • 2

      Make sure your dog's introduction to the collar is calm and relaxed rather than forceful and stressful. Slide your dog's collar through the e-collar tabs before fitting the e-collar on your dog. Speak in a soothing voice while securing the collar around its neck. After it's in place, offer your dog a treat and continue petting and speaking softly.

    • 3

      Make sure the e-collar is snug and secure, yet comfortable and not too tight. Test to ensure that you can slide two of your fingers between the e-collar and your dog's neck.

    • 4

      Make food and water more easily accessible. Use bowls narrow enough to fit inside the e-collar when your dog lowers its head, and keep bowls filled to their brims for easy access since the collars can make it difficult to reach the bottom. Do away with double bowls, and consider raised single bowls if it will help your dog reach its food more easily.

    • 5

      Ask your veterinarian for permission to give your dog a break from the e-collar during eating, drinking and/or walking. Find out if replacing the e-collar with a snug t-shirt, sock or shorts --- depending on the location of the wound or incision --- to fit as a covering over the healing area for brief periods is allowed by your veterinarian as long as you supervise your dog.

    • 6

      Check and adjust the e-collar for comfort and tidiness every day. Adjust as needed to prevent the collar from getting caught in fur and to keep it clean, especially after eating, drinking or playing time. If the outside elements are allowed to contaminate the healing area, or if the soft fabric of foam e-collars becomes damp, the result may be the very irritation and infection that the collar is meant to prevent in the area.