Elizabethan Collars - very worried!

[purity]

Alfie and Max were neutered and had hernias fixed at the same time so both had large incisions down their bellies. I was given collars, but only put one on Max at night when I wasn't there to keep an eye on him (he was washing it too much at first). I only used the collar two or three times, and the vet told me I should remove it for feeding times anyway.

The vet also suggested putting Savlon on the wound, they don't like the taste to tend to stay away from it (not sure I'd like to put bitter apple on them though!).

If it's just a neuter then I wouldn't have put collars on at all unless they were worrying the wound

 

[missymotus]

I had 5 little coneheads running around, they didn't even notice the collars at all.
I removed them for eating and after-eating grooming then put the collars back on.

 

[goldenkitty45]

The vet may say it now, but I'm willing to bet when you pick them up they probably won't need it. You can ask your vet if its really necessary for them to wear it.

I've never had a cat wear one (spayed or neurtered). I've had one or two females that had a body sock to keep from licking, but never the males. I just kept an eye on them to be sure they were not bothering the stitches and I checked once a day to be sure it was not getting redder or "hot" to the touch.

 

[yangdemei]

I was told to give Mitts one for 10 days. We lasted 3. He was so upset and it so wasn't necessary. I felt soooooo bad, too.

 

[mugsy]

Hi everyone – I just wanted to let you know whatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s going on with Shorty and Little Pete. They were neutered on Monday morning and were brought back home on Monday night. The vet said NOT to put anything on the area (no Neosporin, bitter apple spray, etc.). She recommended we keep the Elizabethan collars on for TEN days, not only to stop them from licking the area, but also to impede their movement so they wonâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t jump around like they usually do... they are VERY frisky and playful normally.

The past 48 hours have been horrible! The first day with them on they walked around backwards trying to ‘back outâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji] of the collars. It was so painful to watch

. They have since figured out how to eat and drink with the collars and I try and give them some collar-free time for bathing themselves whenever I can. The biggest problem is that Shorty has soft stool (the vet said they may have upset stomachs for a bit due to the medication). When Shorty goes to the bathroom he finds it hard to ‘clean upâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji] after himself and ends up getting his poo on his feet and collar. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve been home with them these past 48 hours and so whenever they look as if they are headed to the litter box I promptly remove the collars. My BIG DILEMA is tomorrow. I cannot stay home from work another day, nor can my boyfriend. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m worried that if I leave the collars on the boys wonâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t be able to manage without anyoneâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s help and Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll come home to very depressed

(and dirty) kittens. I canâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t have anyone come over to stay with them because they are pretty shy and having a stranger will just add to their stress. I am VERY tempted to remove the collars tomorrow. They seem to be healing well.. itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s a bit hard to tell, but I do not see any inflammation or infection, nor are the boys trying to get at the area. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m afraid to go against the vetâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s wishes, but so many people here have said they never used the collars at all. Any opinions would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks!

 

[yosemite]

I'm not one to tell someone to disobey their vet's advice, but I personally would take the collars off tonight and watch them to see how much they lick their incisions. If they don't lick more than they would normally before the operation, I would leave the collars off.

As I said earlier, I have never used collars on any cats, male or female, that we've had neutered and they healed perfectly with no infections or problems.

Again, I personally would be very uncomfortable going to work and leaving the cats alone with the collars on.

 

[laureen227]

Originally Posted by Yosemite

I'm not one to tell someone to disobey their vet's advice, but I personally would take the collars off tonight and watch them to see how much they lick their incisions. If they don't lick more than they would normally before the operation, I would leave the collars off.

As I said earlier, I have never used collars on any cats, male or female, that we've had neutered and they healed perfectly with no infections or problems.

Again, I personally would be very uncomfortable going to work and leaving the cats alone with the collars on.

i mean, they can get in trouble with regular collars! watch them carefully, & if they're not over-grooming the area, i wouldn't worry about putting the collars on. check the areas when you get home for damage, just to be sure.

 

[mugsy]

Took the collars off and my boys are doing great. They are healing nicely and are not licking more than usual. They were SO happy to be able to wrestle again. Thanks to everyone for all the advice... it really helped me out as a first time cat owner

 

[yosemite]

Glad to hear your babies are doing well. Sometimes I think the vets may overdo a bit just to err on the side of caution so that someone can't come back and sue them or some silly thing like that.

 

[cwmsladym]

When i had Ash neutered, he didn't have to wear a collar and after about 3 days was back to his old lovable self!