Getting collars right
Ruby returned home after going missing for three days – an alltoo-common scenario for some cat owners. But, unfortunately, little Ruby had her front leg stuck through her collar.
Collars are a great way of identifying your dog or cat should they go missing, especially when combined with an ID or registration tag. But we see many collars fitted too loosely, which has the potential for disaster.
Ruby had put her front leg through her collar and as a result the collar had gradually made a deep wound in her armpit, which had become infected.
We admitted Ruby in to the hospital and soon had her sound asleep to shave and clean the area. These wounds take a long time to heal and require daily care and long-term antibiotics, as it is in a warm moist area under the armpit. I have in previous cases had to perform delicate surgical skin manipulations to get similar wounds to heal.
Ruby stayed with us for a week and returned home with strict instructions to stay at home for at least three more weeks and to take her antibiotics twice a day.
Skin edges grow slowly, but once moving, the wound under Ruby’s armpit began to look much better. Now, one month on, there is only a small area left to heal and Ruby is almost ready to start going on short adventures outside.
These wounds don’t always heal so well and sometimes more invasive and not-always-successful skin surgery is required.
Dogs are not exempt from the disastrous potential of loosely fitted collars.
We see a lot of such collars at the hospital, which are an accident waiting to happen. Sadly, this week, one owner described how his dog slipped his collar when out for a walk and was killed by a car.
Another particularly sad case came in this week as a result of the use of a makeshift collar. Sid is a stray dog that had been tied up at some stage with binder twine attached to a rubber band, which had been used as his collar.
I have seen the result of this in a previous case years ago. The rubber band becomes forgotten about and after several weeks gradually cuts into the dog’s neck.
Poor Sid had a deep infected wound around his neck that required a long time to clean under general anaesthetic. But once on medication, including pain relief, these wounds heal amazingly quickly. After 2 days in the hospital he was rehomed to a loving family.
Another problem that we see in the autumn and spring is eczema associated with, in particular, leather dog collars. When wet and warm, the collar seems to start a moist skin infection under the neck.
So, at these times of year, try to remember to take a wet collar off to dry completely in the hot water cupboard overnight before putting it back on.
No funny stories this week, but here are a few tips to make life safer with collars:
When fitting a collar, allow only two fingers to fit under it, which should result in a snug but not too-tight fit
Use a reflective collar if possible New neoprene or soft rubber-lined collars don’t sweat or cause skin
irritation as damp leather tends to do
❚ Remember to add an identification and the registration tag to the collar
❚ Most cat collars are designed to release or snap when under excessive tension
❚ Never tie up a dog by a check chain, as they can pull up tight, or as happened to one patient, the ring dropped down through decking slats, turned and the dog was stuck there all day.
❚ Microchip your cat and your dog. We returned two cats to their owners this week via the microchip number. It’s a one-off cost for life and its not expensive. Why wouldn’t you?