Cone Alternative for (small) Just Fixed Pet

I'm sharing this here because it's something I didn't know about and I think it might be helpful for someone with a small pet needing fixed!

​We recently got a new puppy, Homer. He is a year old, but was not fixed when we adopted him from the Cedar Bend Humane Society. Part of the deal before he "officially" became ours is that he needed to be neutered.

​We took him in just a few days ago, and let me tell you, it was an emotional day for me. I have a tendency to jump to the worst conclusion and was so afraid something bad might happen to him during surgery. I've become quite attached to Homer in a short time and just couldn't imaging our life without him if something happened.

​Good news though...he lived! No issues, went perfectly fine (as I should have known it would).

​The humane society didn't have a cone for us to use, so we had to pick something up from the pet store. We opted for the inflatable "doughnut" type contraption vs. the traditional cone. Long story short, it didn't work.

​Overnight, he found his way around the doughnut and was licking his incision site, which was a BIG problem.

​At 6 a.m., Joel and I were up brainstorming ideas about what to do since neither of us could stay home from work to monitor his activity. No pet stores opened before 9 a.m., so we had to get creative while very not awake. Eventually, we ended up deciding that a baby onesie and safety pins was the answer.

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Joel made a quick run to WalMart (the only place open at the time) and purchased baby onsies, safety pins, and male puppy diapers.

We put a diaper on him first (since we were leaving him free, out of his crate for the first time, and didn't want him to potty in the onesie). Then the onesie, with the shoulders and bottom snaps secured with safety pins.

This method has worked GREAT. We put everything on him before work and bed, letting him run  around "naked" when we're able to monitor him. It offers full protection and appears to be more comfortable for him than a cone.

​I highly recommend this DIY method for small pets (cats and dogs) that have just been fixed over use of a "doughnut" or cone - both for the comfort of the pet and because the cuteness factor is off the charts!