My dog won't eat or drink with his e-collar on. What can I do?

No, it's not common to see any appetite changes with a corneal ulcer. If Mylie is on any oral medications for her eye problem, it's possible that they may be upsetting her stomach. If not, I would be concerned that she may have a separate problem causing her to not eat or drink. Either way, I would recommend calling your veterinarian or taking her back in for a recheck. She may need lab work or other testing to help determine why she isn't eating or drinking, so she can get started on appropriate treatment.

It may be a combination of factors. Certainly as you mentioned the e collar may be bothering her, and she may just be recovering. I’m not that concerned about pain as it’s been several days since the surgery and she should no longer be in acute pain. I would take off the e collar when you are watching her, then play with her, brush her or interact with her with playing with toys etc. If she becomes more active she’ll get hungrier and will start back eating. As long as she’s drinking and eating treats you’re fine to give her another day or so to see if she returns to normal. If she still isn’t eating and is lethargic then please take her back for a recheck. She may have an infection from the surgery but that is unlikely. Be patient and I expect her to be better in a day or so. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Dewey.

Because Lily is eating wet food, she is getting moisture into her system through that. If she won't drink water, I would offer her more wet food to increase her hydration. She likely is having trouble drinking water with the cone on. Put the water in a similar bowl to the one she is eating out of, as she can clearly eat with the cone on from that bowl. Be sure to keep the cone on her because she will rip out her drains if she has access to them. To keep it on her, you can use a cat collar strung through the loops of Ecollar to prevent her from taking it off.

The cone should stay on unless Jazmin has trouble eating or drinking. If this happens, it can be removed for mealtimes but should be replaced immediately afterwards. If you see her having trouble on the stairs, carry her up or gently raise her head to clear the steps. She will acclimate to the collar in a day or two.

Hopefully he will do better tonight as he gets used to the cone. You could try a different type of e-collar - some dogs will do better with a clear plastic or an inflatable version. I’ve had some patients that have needed a sedative to keep the collar on as well. Since he’s a little dog a post surgery bodysuit might be an option. I’d recommend seeing if your vet carries any other types of e collars to try first.

Hello. I would definitely take the collar off for a bit & see if he relaxes without it. You can always put the collar back on if he will not leave the biopsy site alone. If he truly needs a collar, check with your local Petco or other pet supply to purchase one of the soft, cloth-like collars. They are much more comfortable & Whisker's may do better with one of these. But if he leaves the site alone, he may not need to wear anything at all. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Depending on how severe the ulcer is, the sutures will need to stay in place for at least 2 weeks, and sometimes more. I am glad you got the cone for him to prevent him from rubbing the eye and tearing the sutures out accidentally. After the first few days of surgery you can try removing the cone, while he is under your supervision, to give him a break from it. You can also remove the cone when he is eating to make it easier for him. Good luck during his recovery, I hope he does great!