My Dog has a Cone on his Head: (

Max with his Cone - This is my poor little beagle, Max, with a cone on his cute little head.
United States
August 5, 2008 6:33pm CST
I feel so bad for my dog. I had to take him to the vet today because he won't stop biting his back paw and he has a big open sore on it. They gave me something to soak his paw in, and medicine to put on it 3 times a day, And...And...And....a big plastic Cone for him to wear on over his head so he won't be able to lick the medicine off or bite his paw anymore. He will have to wear it for 2-3 weeks!!!! I can't bear to see him looking at me like he wants me to take it off. But they said I should leave it on without taking it off even briefly and he will get used to it. Have you ever had to put a cone on your dog?? If so, how did your dog take it? And how did YOU manage looking at him and feeling sorry for him without taking it off?
2 people like this
19 responses
@debny711 (264)
• United States
6 Aug 08
My dog had to wear a cone a few times. One time for having a cyst removed from the bak of his neck and the other time for biting the skin off of his leg. He probably need one again after today because he has something growing out of the top of his head that won't stop bleeding. Its for their own good though and they get use to it.
@debny711 (264)
• United States
7 Aug 08
They put a cone on him for anything on his head,back or any other places that he can scratch with his paw. He had a cone once before for a cyst he had on his back, also for biting the skin off of his leg. He will be going for surgery on Monday for the thing on his head and also for a tumor that he has in his eye. I feel so bad for him, he is old.
• United States
7 Aug 08
Awww...That's too bad. But if your dog has something bleeding on his head, he probably wouldn't need a cone, would he? Or would it keep his paw from reaching it to scratch it?
@irishidid (8688)
• United States
6 Aug 08
Poor puppy,leave it on. It won't hurt him. It is called a Elizabethian collar. One of my cats had to wear one for a while when she was little.
@irishidid (8688)
• United States
7 Aug 08
I only know because my daughter is a vet tech.
• United States
7 Aug 08
Yes, I'm leaving it on. Thanks for telling me the proper name. I keep calling it a cone! Lol!
@lingli_78 (12822)
• Australia
6 Aug 08
i'm so sorry to hear about what is happening with your dog... well, you do the best that you can to heal your dog... so just ignore his sad look and bear with it... if you take the cone off, it will make him gets worst as he will start to bite his paw again and lick his medicine... i never have to do this to my dog before... hopefully he will get well soon... take care and have a nice day...
• United States
7 Aug 08
Yea, I do try to ignore his sad look. I pet him and hug him and try to pretend that thing is not there.
@tlb0822 (1410)
• United States
6 Aug 08
Sorry that your dog is going through this. Just give extra attention and a few extra treats. My dogs have never needed a cone as of yet. I dread it though because I swear they will get it off one way or another. If they can't get it themself, they will have the other chew it off. lol. Good luck and hopefully he heals up fast.
• United States
7 Aug 08
Yea, I actually have to give him treats when he goes out and pees. It took him forever to pee because he thinks he had to sniff the ground first, and he can't really do it with that thing on his head! He's finally getting the hang of it. So when he does pee, I give him a treat when he comes in.
@gemini_rose (16264)
6 Aug 08
My dog had to have a cone once and she hated it. It did not help because as soon as I saw her I fell about laughing, she was quite sensitive and did not take kindly to me laughing and so at every opportunity she would whip it off. I think cats are even more funny when they have to have cones on their heads and they hate having them on even more!
• United States
7 Aug 08
Really? Your dog could get it off when you laughed at him? That's funny....but not really. Lol.
@thedaddym (1731)
• United States
6 Aug 08
I know you feel badly for him and I would too, however trust me when I say the cone is a good thing. My dog had a similiar sore the vet refused to put a cone on her because she is long and could probably still reach the her back paw. She nearly chewed her own leg off, it just kept getting worse and worse, we would put bandages on it and medicine and she would continue to chew it, it would start to get better, then she would chew on it again. Believe me you want to leave the cone on and let the leg heal, otherwise your dong will continue to chew on it and it will get worse and worse.
• United States
7 Aug 08
Thanks. A friend brought to my attention that my dog probably wouldn't have chewed on his paw if he had a bone or a toy to chew on when he was alone and nervous. I need to make sure he has things like that around here. I kept throwing them away when he would chew them up and I didn't buy any more!
@GardenGerty (157027)
• United States
6 Aug 08
I have had a cone around the neck of my cat when I had her spayed, back in the olden days when it was an open surgery. I did feel miserable, but had to admit that it was efficient at stopping the problem behavior.
• United States
7 Aug 08
Thanks. Oh wow, my cat would go crazy with one on her! I never saw a cat with one.
@snowy22315 (168368)
• United States
6 Aug 08
My husbands dog once had to wear acollar because he was biting and scratching his leg where he had hurt it. I think he was so uncomfortable with it on. I dont know how much good it did for him really. I would hate for my little dog to have something like that because I would want to make him more comfortable all the time. He is really babied alot.
• United States
7 Aug 08
My dog is getting used to having it on now. He can lay down with it. He just keeps running into the furniture! Lol.
@Barbietre (1438)
• United States
6 Aug 08
I feel so sorry for your dog. We have been in that situation also. We did feel bad, but knew the consequences if the collar came off. They are adapative creatures, those loving dogs. Just smoother him with lots of love and after awhle he will get used to it.
• United States
7 Aug 08
Thanks, He tries to snuggle with me and the plastic bends. It's so sad. What really makes me feel bad is when his ear itches and he tries to scratch it!
@ZephyrSun (7381)
• United States
6 Aug 08
I'm sorry to see this about your dog. My dog has never had to wear a cone, I think it would kill him to not get comfortable on his pillows. I hope your dog get's better sooner than that. Maybe you should give him some extra treats since he is probably pretty upset by the whole cone issue. Good luck with him.
• United States
7 Aug 08
I actually lifted my dog up onto the bed last night. He couldn't jump up himself with the cone in the way. He was able to lay on the bed fairly comfortably. He slept there most of the night.
6 Aug 08
Hi momalisa65, Oh! how sweet he looks and those sad eyes I know it not very for the dog but its for his own good, my friend's dog had one after his operation so I know how you feel, it won't be for long don't worry. Tamara
• United States
7 Aug 08
Thanks, I know, he does look so sad. But he's doing ok with it. I hope his paw gets better soon!
@magojordan (3252)
• Philippines
6 Aug 08
That's too bad but it will help him for sure. Our neighbor's dog has his cone for three months now because it won't stop scratching. His owners don't want him to get that nasty wound again so they decided to put the cone on him longer. Well I feel sorry for them but of course it's for their own good.
• United States
7 Aug 08
Wow! 3 months? Poor dog!
• United States
6 Aug 08
I had to put a cone on my dog before. Its for their own good, it may look like shackles or something, but you wouldnt do this to your pet if you didnt care and love him/her in a genuine way. Would you rather have the dog get its wound all infected and nasty because it kept biting its paw or licking the medicine off, or let it recuperate with the cone for a little while? My dog hated it. I know it cried or whimpered, so I gave more treats. It helped some.
• United States
7 Aug 08
I am so glad my dog doesn't cry! I was worried that he would. He just looks at me with sad eyes, which is bad enough!
6 Aug 08
Yes, my dog Nicki had to wear one after being having surgery. She looked so funny, she looked like she was a satalite dish. She was not fond of it, but it prevented her from chewing on her stitches. The vet is doing the right thing for your dog. Try comforting your pet, it will help. Soon you will be able to remove the cone & all will be fine. Good luck.
• United States
7 Aug 08
Thanks! He's getting used to it now.
@checapricorn (16061)
• United States
5 Aug 08
HI momalisa, Ohhh...i can see in his eyes really that he is begging for someone to take it off for him..Anyway, I hope he will get to used since it is also for his benefit! Just try to ignore the cone even if it is very obvious so you will not be sad looking at it! I have not tried this in our dog!
• United States
7 Aug 08
Yep, I've had a people come over to visit. He goes to each one of them as if he thinks SOMEBODY is going to take it off! Lol.
• United States
6 Aug 08
I use to give my dog an ice cream cone, does that count?
• United States
7 Aug 08
Nope. Try again! Lol.
• United States
6 Aug 08
Poor guy! Dogs loathe those, but what can you do when they're making things worse? Just keep telling him that it's his fault, and that might make you feel better. Hopefully his spots look better soon, and you'll be able to set him free!
• United States
7 Aug 08
Actually, I discovered it was MY fault my dog was biting his paw! The vet said he does it because he is bored when I am at work. The thing I should have done was had something here for him to chew on while I was gone! I didn't buy him a bone for a long time! That's what he needs for the nervous habit he has. As soon as his paw is better, I'm going to make sure he has a bone or a toy to chew on at all times!!
• United States
5 Aug 08
hi momalisa..........2-3 weeks is a very long time for your dog. i feel bad for him and you. i don't have a dog, but i've seen the cone on dogs before. they can't understand what's going on. but just keep reminding yourself you love him and care for him and that's why you are doing it for him. it is in the best interest of your dog's health. you have to be strong for your baby. you are a good mama.
• United States
7 Aug 08
Yea, I used to see them on other people's dogs and I felt so bad for them! My guy is getting used to it already though.
• United States
16 Apr 11
I had to put a cone on my dogs head a couple of years ago because he was licking his paws excessively and eating at his feet. He was all stressed out and kept trying to get the cone off, rubbing it against everything and whining constantly. It was a miserable experience for both of us. I did take it off because he was wrecking everything in the house with it, he's a big dog and it was a big cone, a big pain in the neck. I just watched him extra close and kept him from eating at his paws. Haven't had the same problem since but once with a cone was plenty enough. My dog also suffers from chronic ear infections, we now control the dogs ears from flaring up with regular dog ear treatment. It is all natural and we have been having good luck with that. If you have a dog with ear problems you might like to check it out, its called Dr Dogs Ear Oil, find out from http://drdogs247.com