So what exactly is an e-collar? The name ‘e-collar’ is short for Elizabethan collar. Though named in reference to fashion trend during England’s golden age, this veterinary tool has only been around since the mid 1960’s. The traditional, and most effective, style is made from plastic, extends past the muzzle, and fits snuggly around the neck.

Often, clients opt to replace the e-collar with a seemingly more comfortable alternative. However, soft cones (or donut cones) are not effective! They will not prevent your pet from licking their wounds.

Just as the name suggests, soft cones are soft, flexible, and malleable. Your pet will find a way to contort the cone and reach their wound. This is why the best deterrent needs to be ridged and extend past the muzzle.

We know it looks uncomfortable, but we truly have your pet’s best interest at heart when we stress this point.

Next, we’re going to try the ol’ fear-based cigarette packaging tactic by showing some of the horrific lick wounds we’ve seen over the years when clients don’t use the e-collar properly. 

As a trained animal behaviorist, this SVS team member can tell you that animals are hardwired to lick their wounds. In nature - where animals do not have access to veterinary care - licking wounds is a great strategy to fight infections, and thus, animals have evolved to do so. However, since SVS gives each of our patients a long-acting antibiotic, wound licking is no longer necessary.

If your pet is allowed to lick their wound it will:

1. Lengthen the healing time

2. Lengthen the time your pet will spend in the cone

3. For orthopedic implant surgeries, increase the risk of a bone plate infection, which could later require a limb amputation.

The best advice we can give is to keep the e-collar on for the first 2 weeks and let the wound heal in the way Dr. Simon intended.

So what are the e-collar best practices? Our guidelines are simple:   

1. Use the e-collar provided by SVS or an e-collar of similar style that is hard-sided and appropriately worn and fitted.

2. Keep the e-collar on your pet for the first 2 weeks after their surgery (unless otherwise instructed by the SVS team).

That’s it. Easy peasy. 

We’d like to wrap up by explaining why we’ve decided to stand on this e-collar soap box…

Since surgery is our jam, nearly all of our patients have some sort of incision site and are sent home with an e-collar, letting the incision heal on its own. So after 10+ years of doing surgeries, Dr. Simon and her team have seen it all.  

Setting aside the frustration on our end, we always put the welfare of our patients first - that includes making sure they are provided the best care both at our hospital and at home during recovery.

We understand that e-collars seem like a ridged and outdated tool, but trust us when we say that they work. If you can bear with us through the 2-week e-collar period, you will be your setting your pet up for a healthy, speedy recovery.  

And speaking of ‘bearing with us’, thanks for following along on our e-collar rant.