Stitches

How to keep my dog from licking her stitches!?

I've already tried the cone (don't know the real name for it), she hates it, and ends up tearing it off herself in 2 seconds, I don't blame her the thing looks totally uncomfortable! Are there any other ways I can keep her from licking her stitches, she just got spayed Tuesday. I am using a t-shirt on her now, and she manages to get that off too! I never thought of using an Ace bandage! I will have to give that a try!

Public Comments

1. ok
2. underwear or a t-shirt, seriously with an ace bandage wrapped around the top so she cannot pull them off. I had to do this with both of my dogs, thye would pull off the e-collar also. EDIT: I used the underwear for my male dog and the t-shirt with my female you don't even need to use the shirt if you do not want to wrap it around the area tight but not too tight..
3. create a bucket head for her..... like so: http://flickr.com/photos/mcoughlin/2273090503/
4. It's called an e-collar, or Elizabethan collar. And what's worse - having her tolerate it for a few days, or licking open her stitches and having to go back to the vet? Put the collar back on - she'll get used to it soon enough! And if she is tearing it off, then it's not on properly.
5. They do make soft e-collars [elizabethan collar] that is so much easier on your dog and difficult to get off and the dog can still eat and lie down without a problem. In the meantime I'd wrap her up with bandages so she cannot get at the stiches, I think a t-shirt would just ride up. If you order from Drs. Foster & Smith maybe they can expedite shipping, I've never seen the collar any place else. good luck
6. It doesn't hurt her to lick her stitches. She will be ok.
7. Boxer shorts! Find a size that will fit around her narrow waist (you may have to pin them) and put them on her backwards. Then her tail will poke up throught the fly opening. You'll just have to take them off when she needs to go out and do her business.
8. u can wipe the stiches down with rubbing achol to help them heal faster and take some of the itch out.make sure they aren't oozing,red or swollen. do this a couple of times a day and appy some antibiotic cream like polysporin to help it stay clean and heal. they are itchy so she wants to dig at them. a benadryal might help the itch so u can give her 1 pill if she is over 20 lbs in the am and pm, if she is small cut the pill in half.when u see her digging use the achol and give her a raw hide or treat to get her mind off of it.an ace bandage might help but the air is the best to heal it up and dry it along with the achol.good luck
9. Petsmart (and possibly Petco) sell inflatable e-type collars that look like they are much more comfortable that the plastic ones. When my dog got neutered we were told to keep the collar on and keep him in his crate for the entire week because he was being too active. Hello?!? If he's bored in his crate what will he do- try to lick his stitches even more. Then, when he does get out he's even more wild and active. It didn't help that they gave him a collar that was too small so not only could he still reach his stitches, but the collar scratched the stitches as well. Just keep a close eye on him when ever possible and if you see him licking or scratching tell him no...he'll eventually understand that he's not supposed to lick. Was also told the occasional licking wouldn't do anything, that it was excessive licking that would cause the stitches to open up.