On a normal Tuesday night we had been to agility training and Rebel had really shone, she had really listened, and watched my body language and me, and the trainer, Anna, laughed as Reb was telling me off for getting it wrong. I was loving life with my crazy Rebel, and the rest of my gang.
Then on Wednesday morning, a freak accident occurred and Rebel was bitten on the front leg, she was very quiet after the attack and the leg was just hanging.
Sometimes you just know it’s bad, I rang the emergency vets and rushed Rebel in. She was examined and immediately taken for sedation, painkillers, and then x-rayed.
They confirmed 2 breaks in the leg, and she was to be operated on later that day. I was in shock and in pieces. But I knew she was in the right place, getting the best treatment available.
She had 2 metal plates fitted in her leg, and an overnight stay, but she was fixed and could come home with an Elizabethan cone on, and on serious crate rest! She needed very minimal use of her leg for 6 weeks! So how difficult is a cone of shame for a dog?
The struggles we faced
Complete crate rest other than toilet breaks for a very active dog….
Hmmm ok I can do this, or could I? I did doubt myself but started to research what I could do to make her life easier.
There was not a lot of information available, mental stimulation and games was the only things I could find, but nothing about crate advice.
The first two days she was very quiet and sleepy but I soon realised she needed to stand to eat, and play snuffle games with the Elizabethan cone on, not ideal.
And she hated the cone! How difficult is a cone of shame for a dog? For Rebel it was awful, she hated it, even though the cage door was a lot wider than the cone, she purposely bashed the cone on the way in and out. The first one broke on the second day. We tried a soft cone, yep she just bent it out of her way, a blow-up collar, hmm didn’t stop her at all from reaching her front leg! We were on cone of shame, number 4 when I found the dog cone alternative.
Then the boredom set in
Very quickly Rebel got bored, she is a clever, very active dog, and crate confinement was a shock to her.
She was getting her meals spread out and on lickimats (although the amount overall was a lot less, no exercise equals a lot less calories being burnt or needed)
As you know I’m the self-appointed queen of natural dog chews and treats but she couldn’t hold a chew with the cone on! I never realised this until I experienced my own dog in an Elizabethan cone.
Luckily an online friend and positive dog trainer, Niki French of Puptalk messaged me offering her sympathies and offered a call to come up with some game ideas.
I took Niki up on this offer, as I needed some inspiration to help Rebel through this, and luckily for you guys we recorded the chat and Niki published it as a podcast, listen here for some great tips and ideas.
How is the dog cone alternative different?
Think of the dog cone alternative as a sleeve, so it covers the leg, so restricts access to them nibbling at it, but without the stress that the cone of shame can bring. But unlike using a sock it fastens around the back of the neck so much harder for them to pull off or roll down!
The front leg cover allows your dog to sleep more comfortability, eat easier, and give them the ability to use their paws to hold chews and toys to chew, which I definitely think they need to release tension and stress. And they don’t have the stress of some weird plastic cone extending from their neck!
What happened next
I found the dog cone alternative, and Rebel was a happier, calmer dog straight away. Gone was the anxious behaviour, that I think the Elizabethan cone created.
When I took Reb for her 5-week checkup the good news was that her wound was healing well, she was starting to use her leg, and she could go out for short calm, on lead walks.
The bad news was she had put on 4kg, eek!
So how difficult is a cone of shame for a dog? Sometimes really hard!
And this is where we are right now, as I am writing! She is booked in for physio next week, so check back in for an update soon.
We were so glad to have found a dog cone alternative, that we have them in the shop for you, we hope your dog never needs them, but if for any reason your dog needs not to scratch, bite, or itch a wound. Injury, skin conditions, hot spots, and more, then please check them out or send me a message.
I would love to hear your experience, stories, and tails, good or bad, positive or negative, please do share with me, drop me a comment below.
Or you can email me at [email protected] or tx/WhatsApp me on 07825513611
