Dog product~ Comfy Cone
The Comfy Cone is an alternative to the Elizabethan collar. For those of you who do not know what an Elizabethan collar is, and I suspect there are very few, it is that big plastic cone shaped collar that a vet will send home with you to keep your dog from chewing a particular stitched or wounded area. Sizes seem to range from petite to Elephant! Most dogs will have their first experience with one at about six months of age when they are spayed or neutered. The Elizabethan collar is one that you and your dog will never forget because as your pup comes out of that anesthetic, drugged induced state from an operation and realizes this huge intrusion around his neck he is going to start freaking out! The dog may look like he’s walking drunk, his navigational skills will go from running like a Gazelle to that of banging into and knocking over furniture, runing into door frames, flinging knick knacks off the table, banging into your shins, (ouch) and virtually anything that is not nailed down is not safe from a dog who’s wearing an Elizabethan collar. It is at this point that you will feel so bad for this pitiful looking animal that you may be tempted to take it off right then and there. But let me assure you, the majority of dogs get used to it by day two, although they may still not be able to navigate perfectly, they are not freaking out as they did on day one, by day two they’re just getting pissed off at having it around their neck and by day three they are beginning to think you are a sadistic owner and wondering why the shelter or breeder did not do a background check on you!
However, if you own an giant breed dog such as my Newfy Chance, who needs to have an Elizabethan collar on for longer than a five day period, you are soon going to have to break out the duct tape because with each bang into a door frame or a piece of furniture, and with the shear muscle strength of each hit, the plastic cone is going to start to crack and crumble and you will eventually have it so packed with duct tape that the clear plastic cone is no longer clear but is certainly much more decorated and flexible. If you never again have to buy an Elizabethan collar through the dog’s life, consider yourself very lucky!
Because of the hot spots that Chance is prone to, some type of collar on hand at all times is a necessity. If a hot spot is continuously licked and chewed there will soon be a full scale bacterial infection which will require a vet visit. So short from having to cut off his tongue to prevent licking, I opted to invest in a different collar. Enter the Comfy Cone; a flexible nylon cone that is already crunchable for those mishaps with door frames, so it yields to the hit against an object, but it bounces back into position once the hit is done. It attaches to the dog’s collar or you can use a separate band (not included) for attachment. Sizes come in small (8-10 neck) to X- large (21-25). Obviously I went for the X- large which was still a bit tight for Chance’s neck, but I managed to make it fit without cutting off his oxygen and turning his tongue blue. There are a few lines of Velcro to adjust the size and the Velcro lines are fairly thick giving it a stronger hold.
Pros: I think this was a good investment for the $30.00 (15.00 for a size small) which is about the same price for two Elizabethan collars, because it will last longer than five days for a giant breed dog. It did the job for the most part which was to make it difficult for Chance to constantly reach his hot spot. It bounced back whenever it took a hit and it seemed to be more comfortable for the dog to lie down in. When eating , I could also flip it over his back so it did not interfere.
Cons: I think the makers of this product could do a better job in the neck sizing for giant breed dogs as well as extend the length a bit. With the flexibility of the cone I did find that because of the strength of Chance’s head on occasion he was able to bend the cone and reach his hot spot, however, it was not a constant occurrence.
If the dog has long hair it really sticks to the thick Velcro strips that are not used which can be uncomfortable for the dog. I did find that I had to cut some of Chance’s hair off to free him of the cone.
For a giant breed dog I would give it one paw up and one down for the reasons stated above. The concept is good, but adjustments could be made.
Next I am going to put it on Casey, my Golden Retriever, for a week and see how it works on your regular large breed dog. Not that Casey has any wounds to warrant the collar, but the general public is more likely to have a regular run of the mill large breed dog so I want to be fair. So Casey, buck up, I’m about to torture you!
The Comfy Cone is an alternative to the Elizabethan collar. For those of you who do not know what an Elizabethan collar is, and I suspect there are very few, it is that big plastic cone shaped collar that a vet will send home with you to keep your dog from chewing a particular stitched or wounded area. Sizes seem to range from petite to Elephant! Most dogs will have their first experience with one at about six months of age when they are spayed or neutered. The Elizabethan collar is one that you and your dog will never forget because as your pup comes out of that anesthetic, drugged induced state from an operation and realizes this huge intrusion around his neck he is going to start freaking out! The dog may look like he’s walking drunk, his navigational skills will go from running like a Gazelle to that of banging into and knocking over furniture, runing into door frames, flinging knick knacks off the table, banging into your shins, (ouch) and virtually anything that is not nailed down is not safe from a dog who’s wearing an Elizabethan collar. It is at this point that you will feel so bad for this pitiful looking animal that you may be tempted to take it off right then and there. But let me assure you, the majority of dogs get used to it by day two, although they may still not be able to navigate perfectly, they are not freaking out as they did on day one, by day two they’re just getting pissed off at having it around their neck and by day three they are beginning to think you are a sadistic owner and wondering why the shelter or breeder did not do a background check on you!
However, if you own an giant breed dog such as my Newfy Chance, who needs to have an Elizabethan collar on for longer than a five day period, you are soon going to have to break out the duct tape because with each bang into a door frame or a piece of furniture, and with the shear muscle strength of each hit, the plastic cone is going to start to crack and crumble and you will eventually have it so packed with duct tape that the clear plastic cone is no longer clear but is certainly much more decorated and flexible. If you never again have to buy an Elizabethan collar through the dog’s life, consider yourself very lucky!
Because of the hot spots that Chance is prone to, some type of collar on hand at all times is a necessity. If a hot spot is continuously licked and chewed there will soon be a full scale bacterial infection which will require a vet visit. So short from having to cut off his tongue to prevent licking, I opted to invest in a different collar. Enter the Comfy Cone; a flexible nylon cone that is already crunchable for those mishaps with door frames, so it yields to the hit against an object, but it bounces back into position once the hit is done. It attaches to the dog’s collar or you can use a separate band (not included) for attachment. Sizes come in small (8-10 neck) to X- large (21-25). Obviously I went for the X- large which was still a bit tight for Chance’s neck, but I managed to make it fit without cutting off his oxygen and turning his tongue blue. There are a few lines of Velcro to adjust the size and the Velcro lines are fairly thick giving it a stronger hold.
Pros: I think this was a good investment for the $30.00 (15.00 for a size small) which is about the same price for two Elizabethan collars, because it will last longer than five days for a giant breed dog. It did the job for the most part which was to make it difficult for Chance to constantly reach his hot spot. It bounced back whenever it took a hit and it seemed to be more comfortable for the dog to lie down in. When eating , I could also flip it over his back so it did not interfere.
Cons: I think the makers of this product could do a better job in the neck sizing for giant breed dogs as well as extend the length a bit. With the flexibility of the cone I did find that because of the strength of Chance’s head on occasion he was able to bend the cone and reach his hot spot, however, it was not a constant occurrence.
If the dog has long hair it really sticks to the thick Velcro strips that are not used which can be uncomfortable for the dog. I did find that I had to cut some of Chance’s hair off to free him of the cone.
For a giant breed dog I would give it one paw up and one down for the reasons stated above. The concept is good, but adjustments could be made.
Next I am going to put it on Casey, my Golden Retriever, for a week and see how it works on your regular large breed dog. Not that Casey has any wounds to warrant the collar, but the general public is more likely to have a regular run of the mill large breed dog so I want to be fair. So Casey, buck up, I’m about to torture you!
i'll give that ine a try. Sick of the plastic
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