A bodystocking can take place of an E-collar and also comfort your pet
If you have a pet, you are familiar with the Elizabethan collar or "Cone of Shame". It's needed sometimes to keep the little patient from pulling out stitches, taking off bandages, biting through IV lines (I'm looking at you, Twitch), et cetera.
The problem is that E-collars make it hard for the animal to eat, tend to get caught on the walls and furniture, and are just uncomfortable.
An Elizabethan collar is a useful device, but if you merely want to protect a wound on the torso of a small pet, a bodystocking might be a superior alternative.
A bodystocking is easy to make, practically free, and has the added advantage of wrapping the animal flexibly but snugly. Gentle compression is said to have a calming effect on cats. If you don't want to make your own bodystocking, you can buy a Thundershirt or The Original Anxiety Wrap. They are marketed as being calming and cover much of the torso..
How to make a bodystocking for a small pet
1. Measure along your pet's torso from his front legs to his back legs
2. Cut the leg and foot off of a pair of pantyhose
3. Cut three inch-long slits for your pet's four limbs. Space them using the measurement you made.
Helpful hints
- Be gentle and gradual when putting the bodystocking on your pet.
- You might want to first place the stocking around the animal's neck and let him wear it as a collar for a few minutes or hours before venturing forth and try to put his front limbs through the holes. Then let him wear it like that for a while and get used to it before you finish putting the garment on.
- If your animal seriously objects to the bodystocking, just give up.
Comments