About three years ago our beloved dog Buck tore his CCL and needed TPLO surgery.  We were sent home with the "cone of shame" from the surgeon's office so that he wouldn't lick the stitches or chew at the incision area. We were also sent home with sedatives and told to crate him for the eight week recovery.

The dog cone became an immediate problem because he kept knocking things over, and his other brothers thought it was some kind of toy and tried to pull the cone off of his neck. The next challenge was giving him medication (which would help calm him down in the crate, which he had never been in, and help with the whole cone thing.) But the trouble was, Buck hates medicine and won't take it. When we put him in the crate and had to leave - upon our return found him outside of the crate - he had broken out - just what a dog with recent TPLO surgery needs!

We tried everything to keep him away from licking the incision on his hind leg - three kinds of cones (including the inflatable cones), socks pulled up with bandages,  but in the end - he got at it and it got infected. That increased his recovery time by two more weeks. The whole recovery process was a nightmare.

One year later, Buck tore his other ACL. I could not imagine going through a second TPLO surgery again!  I decided I would find some way to cover the incision to prevent him from licking and having to wear the "cone of shame". No luck. So, I decided to make something.

And so was born the Buckwheat Recovery Dog Suit With Leg Sleeves for Dogs! Finally a Dog Cone Alternative that worked!After Buck's second TPLO surgery, we brought him home, put a waterproof bandage over the incision, and put on the leg sleeve suit. It was our decision to cover the incision with a waterproof bandage, not our doctor's. The bandage was there so that even if he licked the suit the incision would remain clean and dry. He recovered perfectly. No crate, no "cone of shame", no infection, no sedatives!

Two weeks after he was cleared for all activity his younger brother, Cash, limped into the house. After his TPLO surgery, we put on Buck's leg sleeve recovery suit and he too healed beautifully.

When I visited my vet to have Cash's staples removed she said "You should sell those suits" - and so here we are.

I am sure others are finding themselves in the same boat we were in and I am hoping our little invention will help them the way it helped us; for those with dogs with hind leg or knee injuries, incisions, granulomas, tumors, hot spots, allergies or infections that need to be protected.

We are so happy that we can provide others a dog cone alternative. 

All of our recovery suits with hind leg sleeves for dogs are proudly made in Ohio, from comfortable polyester fabric.  The neck and torso are adjustable  making it easy to make sure that the suit fits properly to keep your dog from getting out of the suit or getting to the trouble spot. The suit can be left on even when going out to potty.  The suit washes up beautifully.

We make them in ten sizes. We include leg sleeves for both hind legs so that the suit can be used in the future - just in case there is a need for the other leg!

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OUR NEXT PROJECT!

We have been asked over and over if we had a solution for paralyzed dogs. As I researched the problem, I realized that aside from the wheelchairs, the only alternative was a Drag Bag which to be honest, broke my heart.  I believe our dogs should be able to live their lives in comfort - not with a cone on their head and not in a bag!  After lots of prototypes, we believe we have finally come up with a solution. Our new drag bag suit is made of the same materials as our hind leg sleeve suit with a few modifications. We have reinforced the back leg sleeves with tough Cordova nylon, which enables legs to glide and protects the  material from rips and tears. In addition, the suit allows for a diaper to be put on top of the suit, which can be easily changed. The suit's bottom is open so that dogs can potty right in the diaper. No cleaning up a drag bag full of poop!

We hope that this new drag bag suit will bring comfort and peace of mind to our friends with paralyzed pups!