Do not leave your dog in your SUV. It might seem that the temp is 'fine', but it is likely not:

" In a study published in the journal Pediatrics, a Stanford University professor found that the temperature inside a parked car increases 19 degrees within 10 minutes and 40 degrees within a daytime hour, regardless of outside temperature. The sharp increase is due to the greenhouse effect -- the sun's rays pass through the windows, but the interior heat cannot escape."

Now honestly, if it is, say, 40 degrees outside, I can't imagine that the car would get to 80, but why take the chance? If it were my dog, I would board him at the vet for the day. Shouldn't be too expensive, and you will have total peace of mind.

Msventoux, I agree that your car would probably get too stuffy, except maybe if you parked in a garage and leave the windows cracked. But more importantly, I know my dog Bear would be confused about why he were kept in the car all day, and he'd rather be home even if he were uncomfortable.

I had no success with the E-collar when Bear had hot spots. I put it on him right before I went to class, and when I came home he was standing in exactly the same spot hanging his head--I'm pretty sure he stood there for 3 hours! That night I made him a ring-shaped pillow that fits on over his head & keeps him off his hot spots. He can eat, drink, sleep, and play while wearing it. In the picture below he's in the middle of a big wrestling match, but it interferes with his front feet when he jumps off the couch, so I had to call off that match. When he lays down it naturally slides below his chin, making him look like John the Baptist (standing up he looks more like a lion's head mounted on the wall). Most useful craft I ever made...maybe someone else will be able to make one too.

So what happened with your dog on Monday? And what did the vet say today? Hope he is doing well.

Melissa

Here is a link that might be useful: ring pillow instead of E-collar

Msventoux, how is your dog's eye?

Melva, right now I don't have a need for an E-collar, but with 4 dogs, I'm sure I will. Mine are smaller, but can you give some general advice on the ring shaped pillow? That was a great idea. By the way, what breed(s) is Elmer?

Melissa, what adorable furbabies! I especially liked the ear shaking pic. I really like the idea of that pillow (my legs are so bruised from him running into me with the E-collar), but I think something like that might not keep him from scratching at his eye. It would definitely be much preferable if he had hot spots in a different location though.

I took my dog to work with me. I can see the parking lot from my window and it's been quite cool here, so with the windows cracked for a little fresh air he was fine; I wouldn't leave him out there if the weather was warm. I was able to go out every hour or so to check on him and put medicine in his eye when needed.

The vet was very happy with how his eye is healing. It's greatly improved and should heal with no lasting damage if all goes well. My dog's off the pain meds, but I have to keep putting ointment in his eye frequently and take him in again this weekend for another evaluation. He'll have to keep wearing the E-collar whenever he's unsupervised so he doesn't irritate his eye.

So he gets to go to work with me all week so I can keep on schedule with his ointment. He seems to like going. He has food, water, his blanky, chew toys, etc. He likes to people watch and loves the attention he gets from people in the parking lot when I let him out for potty breaks.

Sorry, this is a new forum for me and I forgot to check back!

I made the pillow from foam that I bought at a craft store, but I think it would be cheaper to make it from an eggcrate pad from the bedding section at Target. You could use a double layer. Mine is so big it had to be cut in four quarters to fit on the square of foam, so I glued strips of cardboard at the 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270° marks to hold it together. Then I hand-sewed two pieces of fabric into a donut pillow shape. It turned out the inside was sewn too tightly/too small so I just ripped the seam a little and it's held up ok. I put in a zipper to take it on and off, but that was totally unnecessary since it fits easily over his head (and Bear has a pretty big head, so I think this would be true for any dog). The zipper would be good for cleaning but it hasn't gotten dirty despite being used for up to a week about 4 or 5 times so far. I take it off when he goes outside and when he eats.

I sized the pillow by curling his head near his tail and figuring out the minimum that would block him...I thought it would be a close call, but it works great since it moves with his head. That radius made the pillow still a good distance from the ground when his head is straight. The inner radius is a little bigger than his collar.

I don't think Bear can scratch his head with this thing on, but like many dogs he is only dimly aware that he has control of his hind legs (that's why they have dogs walk over a laid-down ladder for agility training). A more dextrous dog might be able to get to his eyes and ears.

The best thing about this pillow is that he doesn't seem to think of it as an imposition at all. He is more resistant to putting his harness on than to putting this pillow on. He seems to like having a pillow under his chin wherever he goes. One night he did stand next to the bed and cry until I took it off, then went right back to sleep, so maybe it gets old.

After I made this I found a web site that sells something kind of similar, but smaller and stiffer, more like a life preserver. The dog on the site is catching something high in the air so I think it preserves mobility better. If you google elizabethan collar alternatives there are a few things like this.

Msventoux, I'm glad your dog healed well!

Elmer is a wirehaired pointing griffon. He has his own web site at elmerdog.com. He got his name because he sticks like glue. Wirehaired pointing griffons are hunting dogs but they act like clowns. He's like a ninja when he's wrestling with Bear. I really adore him, and I miss him now because Bear and I have moved out of Jeff and Elmer's house to an apartment closer to where I work. We see them every other day or so but Bear has to go to day care now. He likes it there though, much better than being home alone.

Melissa