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Veterinary Medicine vocabulary · Surgery and Anaesthesia

Elizabethan collar

Meaning in veterinary medicine, with examples

/ɪˌlɪzəˈbiːθən ˈkɒlə/nounCore term

In veterinary medicine, Elizabethan collar means: A cone-shaped plastic or fabric collar fitted around an animal's neck to stop it licking, biting or scratching a wound, its stitches or its eyes.

In Turkish: Elizabeth yaka, huni tasma, koruyucu yaka

How it is used

Shortened to E-collar; owners call it the cone, and in the UK it is also called a buster collar. Pets often go home in one after surgery. Inflatable and soft collars are alternatives.

Example sentences

  1. He managed to lick his wound open, so he'll have to wear an Elizabethan collar this time.

  2. Most dogs get used to the Elizabethan collar within a day or two.

Common collocations

  • wear an Elizabethan collar
  • E-collar
  • soft collar
  • inflatable collar
  • sutureA stitch or line of stitches used to close a wound or surgical incision, or the thread used to make it. As a verb, it means to close with stitches.
  • woundAn injury in which the skin or other tissue is cut, torn, pierced or burned, such as a bite, a laceration or a surgical incision.
  • spayTo remove a female animal's ovaries, and usually her uterus too, by surgery so that she cannot become pregnant or come into heat.
  • neuterTo remove an animal's reproductive organs by surgery so that it cannot breed: the testicles in males and usually the ovaries and uterus in females.

More terms: Surgery and Anaesthesia

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.