The Elizabethan Collar
General Information
Preventing self-injury is an important part of home care for sick pets. Animal patients may harm themselves by rubbing, scratching or chewing their wounds or surgery sites.
The Elizabethan collar is a type of collar often used to prevent self-injury of various body parts until healing is complete.
Pets can eat, drink and sleep with the collar on and most pets adapt to it very well, though they may object to it at first. You can keep the collar clean by wiping it while it remains on your pet, or it can be removed if necessary.
An Elizabethan collar can be made from a cardboard box as shown below. After a circular section is cut out as shown, overlap the 2 ends and punch holes for a shoe string tie. After the collar is applied to your pet's neck, lace it as you would a shoe.
The doctor can supply you with a commercial plastic collar
if you wish, or if your pet tends to destroy cardboard collars.