I’m So Grateful for Your Products

Beth HughesRowley – MA

My dog, Iggy, developed a condition which can be a vet and pet owners worst nightmare, after having a tumor removed from his hind leg. The condition is known as a “Lick Granuloma”. This essentially means that my dog became so obsessed with the area where the original tumor existed that he would continuously lick it until it became so irritated that he would develop open areas and new tumors as a result of the licking. He had had an open wound on his leg nearly continuously for almost two years before I discovered your Lycra bodysuit.

Iggy is an American “field” style Labrador Retriever, so he has very long legs. During this time, Iggy had 3 surgeries to remove tumor tissue and close the wound. In addition, we tried EVERYTHING imaginable to keep him from licking the area. We used every version of e-collar available, including the traditional lampshade type in the largest size available, the Pro-collar(inflatable), and the Bite-Not collar (similar to a neck brace), but because he legs are so long and the area was on his knee he was able to just bring he knee to his mouth without moving his head. I designed and made several types of pants for Iggy with various ways of securing them, but he eventually learned how to remove them all, or just move them enough out of the way to get to the wound. We tried bitter sprays (in the only version I could find safe to put on an open wound). We put bulky dressings on his leg. We put dressings on his foreleg to distract him. We used things in combination to make it more challenging. We even put an E-collar backwards around his waist like a skirt. He found that if he tried to use the dog door with this on, the “skirt” would get stuck and he could slip right out of it! Nothing was successful except for the briefest amount of time. We feared he would eventually develop an infection and lose his leg.

I’m happy to report that Iggy’s wound has now been healed for 1 month since he has been wearing his Lycra suit. I had to make some slight modifications to the suit including sewing the area around the knee to prevent him from exposing the wound. At the suggestion of one of your staff I also used some waterproofing spray on that area of the suit. He looks adorable in it and doesn’t seem to notice the suit is there once it is on. After all the frustration we have been though with Iggy, who is otherwise a wonderful, lovable, intelligent dog, you can’t imagine my relief to have this wound healed!!!

Thank you and all of you staff for the wonderful products and support. I have given a copy of your catalog to my vet in case they ever run across a dog with a situation like Iggy’s again.

Sincerely,
Beth HughesRowley, MA