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To Cone or Not to Cone: The E-Collar Question

By Somyr McLean Perry

Contributing Editor of VeterinaryPracticeNews.com and Veterinary Practice News

Surgery patients with stitches are one example. Some clinics' policies include mandatory E-collars as part of certain patients' treatment protocols. But I'm not so sure that's always a good idea without first assessing the animal's disposition.

Mardie the cat is 11. She suffers from chronic herpesvirus and recently acquired a corneal ulcer that is taking forever to heal.

Corneal ulcer treatment 101 always includes an E-collar, right? Mardie has never worn an E-collar but for good measure I put one on her after her morning eye meds.

Can you say Tasmanian devil?

Mardie, my itty-bitty 7-pound cat, rocketed into the air in a panic. She flipped, flailed, threw herself into walls and bed headboards. When she landed, she let out a deep guttural yowl and peed on my bed. Her panic-induced rampage through the house continued intermittently despite my best efforts to calm and restrain her. She finally settled on a ledge near her cat beds but only because her front leg was caught between her neck and the E-collar, which by that time was turned inside out. (It's a hard-plastic, rigid E-collar, by the way.)

How likely is it that she injured herself during that episode? And was it really worth the anxiety it caused her? At this point I'm torn.

She rarely rubs her bad eye except just after I administer the antiviral drops and erythromycin ointment ... they're probably very chilly on her eyeball. Granted, I have no idea how much rubbing is going on while I'm away, which could be adding injury to insult.

But I hate to even think about what could happen if I left her alone with the E-collar in place. She could seriously injure herself. And I'm not sure that's worth it.

Veterinarians will probably scoff at my hesitation to re-collar her, saying that the collar is in the best interest of the ulcered eye to heal. I KNOW this, but is there another option for pet owners with legitimate concerns about using an E-collar?

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To Cone or Not to Cone: The E-Collar Question

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I'm also torn between using an E collar or not. My cat just had an abcessed anal gland and they put one of these collars on her. The wound did not require any stitches, but left a small hole. I know it's so she doesn't lick the area, but I feel so bad for her. She will hardly move with the collar on and won't eat or drink unless I take it off. She walks around like she's carrying a heavy weight on her shoulders and when the collar hits something, she freezes. Laura, Wyandotte, MI Posted: 5/1/2009 6:32:42 AM my dog Zoe just recently was prescribed an ecollar by our vet. She thrashed so wildly, it led to a ruptured disk in her neck which paralized her until surgery was performed. I will NEVER put another one on her again. I would rather her lick her wound if that is the only alternative. tara, concord, NC Posted: 4/19/2009 5:46:39 PM Maybe try a soft cone. Comfy Cone is one brand available via internet. Ray, Garfield, NJ Posted: 3/25/2009 9:18:19 AM Cone collars are something I would use only as a last resort.. The animal's reaction is not generally desirable. My preference was to find another less frightening way. It seemed that skill as a veterinarian meant not taking the easy way out. David, Tinicum, PA Posted: 12/30/2008 12:18:03 PM