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  • Clinical Techniques
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Restraint collars. Part I: Elizabethan collars and other types of restraint collars

Abstract

Restraint collars can provide an investigator with a noninvasive means to prevent certain undesirable behaviors and provide a clinician with a nonpharmaceutical method to prevent an animal from inflicting self-injury; without proper use and monitoring, however, these collars can do more harm than good. This first part of our look at restraint collars introduces collar types and proper use. Next month's installment will review specific issues associated with the use of different types of collars for different species.

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Figure 1: Low-density polyethylene Elizabethan collars.
Figure 2: A custom-fit plastic collar.
Figure 3: A pillow or foam pipe collar made from washable canvas.
Figure 4: Cervical collars keep the animal's neck in extension, thus preventing access to its neck, thorax, and abdomen.
Figure 5: An avian spherical collar made of medical grade polycarbonate plastic (also known as Lexan).

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Brown, C. Restraint collars. Part I: Elizabethan collars and other types of restraint collars. Lab Anim 35, 23–25 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/laban0206-23

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