Do shirts really help protect stitches after surgery?

I hope this is the right place to ask…

We just adopted a lab-pointer mix, and she was spayed yesterday morning. We picked her up in the evening, and the nurse didn’t put a cone on her since she was being pretty calm about it, but we thought it’d be safer to use one overnight and when we can’t watch her.

But she really hates the cone and doesn’t even want to go to her crate with it on. I’ve read online that some people use a shirt instead of a cone. Does that actually work, or should we just keep her in the cone and hope she gets used to it? Or maybe there’s some balance between using the cone and a shirt? Any advice would help, thanks.

Definitely use the cone if no one is around to supervise. When my youngest was spayed, I didn’t put the cone on her right away since she was still drowsy from the sedation and slept on my bed. But after that, she had the cone on any time I wasn’t right next to her watching. It’s just not worth the risk of her opening her stitches too early.

At our house, we usually make a little recovery pen with an ex-pen in the living room so they can be near us but still have a confined space. It also gives them more room to move around with the cone on, which makes it less awkward for them. My oldest needed cataract surgery, and she stayed in the pen most of the time except for walks and couch cuddles.

For smaller dogs, a onesie can work well to cover stitches. I had a small terrier with stitches on her side once, and the onesie kept her from bothering them when we were nearby. Still used the cone at night and when we were out, though.

Yes, a shirt can work as a substitute. I used to work in a vet clinic, and if someone didn’t want to use a cone, we’d recommend a shirt. But it can be tricky for spay stitches, especially on larger dogs. Since she’s a big girl, a onesie probably won’t fit her like it does for small dogs. You might be able to put the shirt on her backwards, with the neck hole around her tail, arms through her legs, and the bottom tied or secured around her waist. Just make sure the stitches aren’t exposed or easy to reach.

If you go this route, watch to make sure she can’t wiggle her way through the shirt or scratch the stitches.

I’d put the cone on my dog at night and when I was out, but during the day, I’d switch to a shirt while I was around to keep an eye on him. He didn’t mess with his stitches too much, but he did try to lick the area a bit.

Our one-year-old golden has had several surgeries now… spay, intestinal adhesions, and recently stitches on her foot with a compression bandage.

The cone became our go-to in most cases, especially when we weren’t watching her. But when she had belly stitches, we did use a shirt because she’d scratch her belly with her back legs. We tied the shirt at her waist to keep it in place.

If your dog can’t reach the stitches with her back legs, maybe the shirt would be fine? But otherwise, the cone might still be the safer choice.

@Giovanni
She can’t really scratch her stitches with her back legs, so I was thinking a shirt might work better since she’s not happy with the cone. Do you think a shirt would be enough to stop her from licking the stitches?

We used a backward t-shirt, and it worked well. I’ve heard of people using baby clothes too, though we didn’t try that.

BookwormBard said:
We used a backward t-shirt, and it worked well. I’ve heard of people using baby clothes too, though we didn’t try that.

Did the shirt stay on okay when she wasn’t being supervised?

@Gideon
As long as it’s a bit loose and not too tight around the buttons, it should be fine. Just keep an eye out to make sure it doesn’t rub against the stitches.

I’ve used shirts for my dog when she had a wound on her side, and it worked well enough. But for spay stitches, a shirt might not cover the area well, depending on her size and the cut. Plus, it really depends on her determination… if she’s not likely to leave it alone, a cone’s safer when you’re not around. It may look a little sad, but it’s worth it to avoid another trip to the vet. You can always take it off when you’re with her or on a walk.