A random review of social media platforms will reveal hundreds, if not thousands, of supposedly funny videos shared by owners of a humiliated pet using the clunky Elizabethan collar, also known as the Elizabethan cone, E-collar, or Cone of Shame. Pets can be seen in these videos knocking into furniture, struggling to eat, running in circles, or just looking forlorn.
This humiliation could soon be a thing of the past, however. KeraVet Bio, maker of KeraVet Gel, an emerging surgical incision and wound therapy, promises that the “breakthrough product” will retire the Elizabethan cone, so far the go-to protocol to prevent pets from licking their wounds, as licking can prolong healing time and cause infections. Earlier this month, epiq Animal Health, a master distributor, and KeraVet Bio, announced a strategic partnership allowing the product to be brought to market.
In a press release, the company said KeraVet Gel contains the protein keratin, which helps to form hair, nails, and the epidermis, or the outer layer of skin. It also helps to heal wounds, according to Cleveland Clinic. The water-based gelatinous (hydrogel) wound dressing, a reformulation of the human wound care product KeraStat Gel, which has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, is currently available in the USA on prescription from a veterinary practitioner. It is used after a surgical incision or a wound created by an injury. The easy-to-apply hydrogel acts as a protective covering over the wound and is easily dispensed from a small tube, the company said.
KeraVet Gel provides the benefits of multiple products in one, according to KeraVet Bio. It improves healing time and reduces licking. Studies show that wounds treated with KeraVet Gel have significantly less swelling than wounds treated with triple antibiotic ointment in dogs and cats, it said. Clinical studies have shown that dogs treated with KeraVet Gel, which has been developed with the addition of a bitterant, licked the area 85% less and cats licked 87% less versus a regular well-known wound management product, the company said.
The Cone of Shame is an uncomfortable and inconvenient experience for the pet and its human companions, causing frustration all around. Dr Cherice Roth, author known in the veterinary industry as a strategic leader and telemedicine innovator, said research shows pets wearing a cone are distressed and depressed. So are their owners. As a result, compliance often fades and wounds linger.
“This product will put the pet and the pet parent out of their misery,” said Dr Roth, who is an adviser to KeraVet Bio. “By minimizing the use of the cone, we will change the wound healing standard of care for veterinarians and pet owners.”
Referring to the social media videos, Dr Roth said, “These videos are not funny. While seeing pets navigate their environment with a cone around their neck can seem humorous, watching these distressed pets is really disturbing.”
KeraVet Bio, based in Winston Salem, North Carolina, is a wound care speciality manufacturer headed by Chief Executive Officer Luke Burnett. The KeraVet Gel product is a one-step wound care solution that is easy to apply, requiring no additional products or applicator. It has a safe toxicity profile, decreasing the concern of keeping a pet away from other pets or people.
The company said the product is intended to provide a moist wound environment, absorb excess exudate, and deter animal licking behaviour. It said the gel is indicated for management of a number of partial thickness skin wounds such as first and second degree burns, superficial injuries, cuts, abrasions, and incisions/surgical wounds. Under the direction of a veterinary practitioner, KeraVet Gel also may be used in the management of dry, light, and moderately exuding partial thickness wounds including pressure (stage I and II) ulcers, venous stasis ulcers, ulcers caused by mixed vascular etiologies, diabetic ulcers, donor sites, and grafts. The gel is not indicated for full thickness (third degree) burns.
Source: PR Newswire
Caution: Information in news reports, press releases, or articles on TheSnout.in is not intended to serve as a medical opinion or advice. Do not attempt to treat yourself or your pets without consulting the appropriate medical professional.
Sandy Pawpaw
Sandy Pawpaw is a fierce advocate of unleashing the animal in, and with, you.
