Veterinarian Benefits
A Word To Veterinarians:
As we all know, even the most obedient of dogs will lick, chew and irritate an injury or surgical site. Often this leads to torn bandages, pulled stitches, open wounds and numerous follow-up visits leaving the dog’s owner frustrated and upset. The current standard of care for these situations is the use of a sleeve that often slips or a plastic “Elizabethan collar”. Any dog owner that has needed to use the large cone-shaped collar knows they are heavy, awkward, can be irritating to the dog’s neck, and can create a household disaster. Many clients will give up on using the bulky collar or the ill-fitting sleeve.
The K9 Top Coat replaces the cone collar and sleeves in the vast majority of cases. The K9 Top Coat fits snuggly from mid-neck to tail, under the belly, down to just above the dew claw on the front leg, and 3/4 of the way down the back leg. Simply bandage the area as usual and place the K9 Top Coat on the animal to keep the bandage in place and wound protected.
The K9 Top Coat is made of lightweight 4-way stretch Lycra. It is durable and machine washable. We have not currently found any problems with extended wear of the K9 Top Coat, but we recommend that you give specific instructions to each dog owner about duration and appropriateness of use. The K9 Top Coat can be sold to your clients (its multi-purpose role will allow other uses for the client), or rented to them as needed, machine washed and reused.
- We now offer a K9 Top Coat with a detachable panel that will cover a spay or neuter surgical incision. If you have any questions or comments about the K9 Top Coat, please do not hesitate to contact us.
DON’T FORGET:
You can also easily modify the K9 Top Coat for special cases, Click here.
Common Questions and Answers:
Which of the garments is best suited for veterinary use?
Does the K9 Top Coat cause overheating?
What are the primary uses of the K9 Top Coat in the
veterinary medicine setting?
Can the K9 Top Coat be modified?
Why can’t you make a garment that only covers a leg?
How do veterinarians/clinics provide the garment to their customers?
Which of the garments is best suited for veterinary use?
The K9 Top Coat Lycra Bodysuit is used most often, with the Basecoat used for thoracic or abdominal wounds.
Does the K9 Top Coat cause overheating?
The answer is no. We are currently working with a large veterinary medical school to study the effects of ambient temperature on the dog’s core temperature and metabolic variables. Although the study is not completed, preliminary data suggest that the garment causes absolutely no increase in core temperature that would not normally occur with an ambient temperature rise (specifically, the dogs core temperature rises 0.8 degrees F going from an ambient temperature of 60 degrees F to 90 degrees F. With the K9 Top Coat there is the exact same 0.8 degrees temperature increase).
What are the primary uses of the K9 Top Coat in the veterinary medicine setting?
The K9 Top Coat is currently being used for a variety of medical conditions.
Primarily, the K9 Top Coat is used for post-surgical/wound care. The garment is ideal for covering lacerations or surgical incisions on almost all of the body. The garment is much more comfortable and effective than the standard E-collar. Just bandage the area in the standard fashion and place the garment on the dog. As in most cases, daily wound inspection is recommended. Currently, a major veterinary medical school is using the K9 Top Coat for post-surgical care and having great success with wound healing/reduced irritation and increased comfort for the dogs. The bodysuit has been used for 2-3 weeks at a time (in the case of the dog pictured, below the bodysuit has been used for almost the entire past year due to multiple hip surgeries).
The K9 Top Coat is also used to cover hot spots due to licking and cover the body for dog with allergies. We have had well over one hundred dogs use the garment for allergy control. There a quite a number of reports that use of numerous medicines (including Cytec, Benadryl, Prednisone, and Cyclosprin) and E-collars have been ineffective, yet the K9 Top Coat worked wonderfully. We are currently studying the effect of the garment on various skin conditions. To date, we do not have a specific objective reason that the garment is effective–only that it often works much to the relief of the patient and their owners. We are very confident in the garment and encourage Vets/owners to try the garment in their most difficult cases.
The K9 Top Coat is also used for skin cancer/solar exposure. Primarily this is in light coated dogs such as Whippets, Greyhounds, Great Danes, etc. The K9 Top Coat’s breathable material is a Lycra blend similar to a swimsuit. All covered areas are protected from sun exposure. The garment (especially with the optional abdominal panel) is effective in covering the vast majority of exposed skin. The garment can be worn for extensive periods. We do recommend that the colors selected be lighter (i.e. the turquoise, silver or red). We are currently performing a heat stress study with a top veterinary medicine school and to date have found no overheating problems with the garment. However, there is a difference between ambient temperature and solar radiant temperature (i.e. the difference between wearing a white shirt versus a black shirt on a hot summer day). Therefore we suggest that lighter colors be used—and that the owners ensure that shade and water are readily available.
Can the K9 Top Coat be modified?
Yes. The material will not run. It is acceptable to cut the sleeves or even remove the back end portion of the garment without causing a decrease in performance or fit. However, the garment is very comfortable, so modification is rarely needed unless desired by the dog owner. In addition, use of the abdominal panel covers the crotch area for spays/neuters.
Why can’t you make a garment that only covers a leg?
Due to a dog’s anatomy, and especially the direction the hair lays, it is difficult to get a garment to perform well without being restrictive. Most sleeves will eventually slide down unless attached by another apparatus. The design of the K9 Top Coat is quite complex and uses front and back anchor points to ensure a great, comfortable fit. Also, the garment has multiple uses, so the owner can then use the garment for shedding control, keeping the dog clean, protection from burrs, etc. This provides them with a more cost effective garment. Most people do not use E-collars for other reasons.
How do veterinarians/clinics provide the garment to their customers?
There are several options. First, you can purchase K9 Top Coats and/or Basecoats at wholesale rates and then rent the garments to customers. The veterinary school using our K9 Top Coats have used, washed and reused the bodysuits multiple times. The garments are extremely well made and durable. So, for a modest fee the garment can be used by a customer and returned, then used again. This would allow your practice to recoup your investment while making the customer and the owner VERY happy. Second, you can purchase (wholesale) a small stock of sizes and colors. The veterinary office can then re-sell to the customer. Third, refer the customer to us and we can ship a garment to them—usually within 24 hours. We can also ship next day for emergency cases.
Finally, we encourage veterinarians and vet techs to contact us about the use of the K9 Top Coat. We are extremely confident in the quality, versatility, and effectiveness of this unique bodysuit. We invite you to use the K9 Top Coat on not only your everyday cases, but your toughest cases as well. As soon as the study results are available, an abstract will be placed on the website for your to review.
