pitbullmamaliz wrote: I'd be more comfortable leaving the inflatable on all the time.
The "fail spot" on the inflatable is at the ends where the velcro attaches. Indy managed to get his head wedged in between the straps while he was wearing it and was able to get to his wound with no problem.
In this oh-so-attractive photo of him, you can see the "fail spot" right under his chin. No matter how tight we made the velcro and had the ends of the inflatable touch, he was able to wedge his big skull right in there. And, no matter what I tried to keep the inflatable from spinning around, the "fail spot" always ended up right under his chin.
pitbullmamaliz wrote: Maybe Petsmart will have some of the floppy lampshades...wonder if those would work?
Don't even bother with those. Indy's not the sharpest crayon in the box and he got around a floppy e-collar in about 2 seconds.
We left the inflatable/bucket combination on his head while he was in his crate all the time. It really didn't seem to bother him after the first day or so -- he got used to crashing into things.
Maybe what you can do is use the combination of the inflatable and the bucket, tied together and tied to her collar (tighten it up a bit), but just trim the bucket back so it's around her ear or eye level and not extending waaaaaay past her nose. The inflatable will make a pillow for her to be comfortable (and stop her from bending around to her belly) and the stiffness of the bucket will stop her from being able to reach the stitches.
Or, if you don't want to get an inflatable, maybe try folding a big beach towel the long way and wrap it around her neck (firmly but not too tight) like a human c-collar/neck brace, then pin it with safety pins. Then, tie the bucket to her regular flat collar (make sure to tighten the collar a bit so it won't slip over her head) and have her wear it just below her ears and right above the folded towel.
Since Indy was in a bucket for
months after his cancer surgery, I got pretty creative, LOL.
Never make someone a priority in your life when that someone treats you like an option.