HOW TO FABRICATE AND INSTALL A SUGAR GLIDER E-COLLAR

Transcription

1 HOW TO FABRICATE AND INSTALL A SUGAR GLIDER E-COLLAR The following are step-by-step instructions detailing the correct fabrication and installation of an e-collar. This design has proven to be very effective, and nearly 100% successful when installed correctly. If you do not have all the supplies listed below in your clinic, they can easily be obtained at any WalMart, Target, or even many large grocery stores. When attempting this for the first time, it can often take a couple of tries to get it right. Therefore, it is strongly suggested to get a doublesupply of everything you need. All totaled, it should only cost about $5-9 for everything. 1) SUPPLIES NEEDED: - Moleskin adhesive cloth (found in foot section of stores. Pictured are 3 pads that are 4 5/8 x 3 3/8 ) - Flexible clear plastic (pictured is a lid from a cookie package, but any flexible clear plastic, like a radiograph film, will work) - Scissors - 2 Duct Tape (or Elasticon) - Black sharpie marker (not pictured) - Pen - Ruler (not pictured)

2 2) Trace this template onto the clear plastic using a dark permanent marker. NOTE: This template is designed for an adult animal. If you are dealing with a baby, you will still use this template, but you may have to reduce the extent of the padding in step 5 around the inside of the collar so it will close more tightly. Outer edge Inner edge It should look something like this.

3 3) Cut 2 strips from the moleskin pad. They should be ¼ wide, cut along the long edge of the pad (4 5/8 ). 4) Remove one adhesive backing and apply that strip directly on top of the other. Leave the other adhesive strip in place. Make sure to press together tightly. 5) Cut ¾ off the mole skin strips, remove remaining backing, and adhere to the clear plastic as shown. Be sure to start exactly at the edge of the plastic.

4 6) Cut a 1 3/8 strip of moleskin along the long edge of the pad (4 5/8 ). 1 3/8 7) Cut slits in this strip that are ½ deep and spaced at ½ intervals along the long side of the strip. 8) Flip collar over so the moleside is down. Remove adhesive backing from notched strip. Affix about ¼ to inside edge of collar as shown.

5 9) Wrap the notched strip back around the collar, maintaining contours. Adhere notched side starting in the middle and working your way to the edges. Trim off any excess. Make sure to press down tightly as the notched strip covers the 1 st ¼ strip so that it follows the contours as shown. CONTOUR 10) Cut a ½ strip of the moleskin, and attach it over the notches as shown. Make sure to position strip directly along the contour, starting on the right edge. 11) Cut a ¾ x 1 ½ piece of moleskin. Position it in the contour along the right edge, and wrap it around as shown.

6 12) Apply a small amount of duct tape as shown. Fold over a small amount along the end to make a tab for easy removal. 13) When folded in place, one edge should fit nicely inside the notch. When duct tape is applied, it should create a somewhat even inner edge as shown.

7 INSTALLING THE E COLLAR ON A SUGAR GLIDER WHICH IS NOT Sedated In most cases, it is advisable to install the E collar while the animal is sedated. This will make it very simple to install and adjust the collar so it is tight and cannot be removed. Practitioners can then also safely trim the outer edge of the collar to the precise depth needed without risk of injury to the patient. In the event that sedation is not possible, the following is the best way to install the collar on an alert animal. The Taco Wrap 1) Place the glider feet down onto the corner of a towel. This allows the patient s nails to naturally grip the towel and immobilizes it as they are being rolled up. Make sure the edge of the towel is almost covering the animal s face so they can t work their arms up and out of the cloth. 2) Roll the patient very tightly into the cloth so it cannot move. Once it is tightly secured, roll the edge back so the neck is exposed.

8 3) Insert E collar fully under chin. Wrap snuggly around base of neck, making sure it is very tight ON TOP of the shoulders. Monitor breathing and color of the patient s nose for the first 5-10 minutes after installation. If nose begins to turn blue or purple, loosen slightly. 4) Once installed, trim back the outer edge so that the patient can still feed itself. In many cases, clients will still need to hand-feed the patient in order ensure adequate nutritional intake. Due to the overall design and resilience of the duct tape, this collar can also be temporarily removed for supervised feeding sessions, but continual installation/removal of the collar can be stressful on the patient.

9 5) Clients should be advised that the patient will not like the E collar in the beginning. However, over time they will adjust to it. Clients should be strongly encouraged to give it plenty of attention and affection while recovering to avoid depression and minimize stress.