The cone should stay on until the site is fully healed, and/or the sutures are removed. Most sutures and staples are left in for 10-14 days. Other lesions may take less or more time than that to heal completely.
#3: Your dog may become depressed
A dog with a cone on is a funny look. They look like a doggo satellite dish or an upside-down lamp.
But wait, something seems wrong. Why does your dog look sad?
If you leave your dog alone with a cone on for too long, they may become depressed.
This is because you’re not with them. And with the cone, they can’t do the things they normally did before.
For instance, your pooch may get lonely because they can’t play with other dogs.
Their e-collar must be getting in the way of their play. They can’t move properly because they’re not used to wearing it yet.
Because of the cone, they can’t drink or eat properly.
And they may also be lacking sleep because it’s uncomfortable. Which further adds to their stress and anxiety.
In a survey conducted, 77.4% of the 434 participants said their fur babies have poorer quality of life when they wear dog cones.
And it’s not just the dogs.
Some fur parents also felt the same stress that affects them. Both in physical and psychological aspects.
This is because the cones interfered with their everyday life at home.
Their dogs often knock on their furniture. They bark and whine excessively because they’re uncomfortable with their cones.
And they get scratches when the cones graze their legs. As well as the walls.
#4: They may injure themselves
Another risk of leaving your dog alone with a cone on is they may injure themselves.
If you’re not there to monitor them, they’d be free to do all sorts of things. Just to get their cones off their head.
Let me share a quick story again about my friend’s doggo.
She had a dog who got an infection by his left ear. So to avoid him from scratching it, the veterinarian advises her to make the pooch wear a cone.
But her pup was stubborn. He wanted to take off his e-collar by all means possible.
When she got home from work, she noticed that her dog’s bleeding. Because he tried to pull the cone off his head. And this made his wound bigger.
It required emergency stitches to the poor pooch. And antibiotics to make his wound and infection heal faster.
Can a dog be in a crate with a cone?
A dog can be in a crate with a cone. But if you can avoid crating your dog during this time, then try to refrain from doing it.
This is because most crates are pretty small.
And some of them just have enough space for dogs to lay down.
If your dog is wearing a big cone on their head, they may have a hard time. Because their crate may not have enough space.
It’ll be hard for them to move around it.
Crating isn’t really a very nice experience for your pooch. Most dogs whine and cry inside it. Especially when they’re left alone inside it for too long.
It’s cramped up. And they’re all alone. Add dog cones in the picture and you’ll surely have a stressed pooch.
FAQ
Can a dog wear a cone unsupervised?
How long can you leave a cone on a dog?
