The quality and quantity of medical services available for our pets becomes more advanced every day. We have services for pets now that people did not have just a few decades ago.
To go along with those amazing services, we have medical devices and support products to match.
Gone are the days when the only post-operative option was a big plastic funnel cone. The options now include soft cones that allow a pet to rest comfortably, inflatable collars that prevent turning the head to lick, and garments designed to securely cover a wound while allowing it to breath and heal. This last option can be a game changer in instances where you have multiple pets in the household, and a cone won’t stop other pets from irritating the wound site.

These garments can look like simple hospital gowns for body wounds, to elaborate wraps with support pieces for limb coverage, to prevent them moving, slipping, or being taken off by the pet. The cone is still the first option offered in most cases, but if it does not work, you and your pet have options.
There are also many holistic and homeopathic wound aids, both edible and topical, that can help speed healing – not limited to, but including items like manuka honey or herbs like calendula, horsetail, or green tea in topical form, to tinctures containing arnica or aconite, which are designed to assist the body in recovering faster.
For pets with mobility issues, the devices available are pretty amazing. Simple harnesses that go on both front and rear legs, or that just go on the rear, to allow you to easily assist lifting the whole dog, or just the back end, depending on the pets’ issues. By assisting your pets in getting in and out of the car, up and down stairs, or out to go potty, can give pets back their independence.
If the pet has paralysis of the back end, there are wheelchairs available that can give them mobility that is pretty incredible. I don’t know how many videos I’ve seen online of a pack of dogs in wheelchairs ripping around on a beach, living their best lives. There are also harnesses with small-wheeled platforms, like a mechanics dolly, which allows pets to roam about the house. These can also double as an incontinence device in case of a bathroom accident.
For pets with specific joint issues, or back issues, there are a myriad of joint/back support braces. These can be simple, universal-fit ones, or 3D-printed custom braces to fit a specific pet. These are expensive options, and might not suit every injury or issue, but for many pets, they can provide physical support that leads to renewed mobility and a fuller life.
Some vet clinics will have these products available, but many are unable to stock the items you might need. But just because your vet doesn’t have it, doesn’t mean you can’t find it. Local specialty pet shops can also help, and if they can’t, you are sure to find something online.
It is pretty amazing to see how much more we can and will do for our pets today. They truly are part of the family, and we take care of them like they are.