Suitical Recovery Suit For Dogs: The Alternative To Dog Cones

I have always only used the famous “cone of shame” for any of my dog’s post surgery care. It wasn’t until this year that I discovered an awesome alternative to dog cones. My mom is in this Facebook group for Labrador dog lovers and the group has many members from the UK. They kept talking about this company called Suitical and their Recovery Suit For Dogs. I immediately looked it up and knew I needed to try it since Annie was about to have her spay surgery. 

In this blog post, I’m sharing everything you need to know about the Suitical Recovery Suit including how it’s used, what it can be used for, what it’s made out of and why it is my new go-to recovery item for caring for a dog after their spay or neuter surgery,

P.S. Make sure to check out my Puppy 101 section and Life With Diesel section for more fun helpful dog tips and product reviews!

1. What Is The Recovery Suit Used For?

My main purpose for wanting the Suitical Recovery Suit was for Annie’s post spay surgery recovery. However, this suit was designed to help with more than that! Below are all of the ways the Recovery Suit can be used:

• Alternative to the collar
• After a medical procedure
• Protects when in heat
• Minimizes shedding
• When hotspots or skin conditions are present
• In case of overgrooming
• Giving nursing dogs a break

The suit is designed to cover any area that your dog may try to lick at or bite at, allowing for areas to heal vs. being irritated further. When a dog is spayed, one of the reasons why a cone is used is to prevent the dog from licking or messing with the stitches and area where the surgery occurred until it’s fully healed.

2. How Do You Use The Recovery Suit?

Unlike a head cone that goes around a dogs neck, the Recovery Suit is a shirt that easily slips on and off and snaps around the tail. When I first put it on Annie, I couldn’t help but smile because the way it fits at the top makes her look like she’s wearing a turtleneck with a little bit of floof sticking out! 

Before putting the Recovery Suit on your dog, make sure they are fully awake after their surgery. When a dog comes out of surgery, they are a little confused and not quite there since it takes some time to fully come out of the anesthesia. They also usually have to go to the bathroom immediately after waking up from their surgery, so waiting to put on the suit for that reason is also a good idea. 

The suit can be worn all day and night, including during walks and potty breaks! All you have to do is unsnap the back buttons and pull the suit up over their belly and attach one of the snaps to a fastener that is located on the upper abdominal area. Suitical has a super helpful video of how to do this that you can view here. 

I highly recommend doing this step before bringing your dog out for their potty break. I learned the hard way one day when Annie was in a hurry to go so I just rolled it up super quick without fastening it and it fell back down as she was going and I had to wash it because the whole back half was covered in pee. I was like oh crap ha! 

3. Can My Dog Move In It?

My favorite part about this suit is that it allows for free movement. It has soft stretch bands around the arm holes making every step comfortable. Even though your dog can’t run around and play too hard while they are recovering from their spay or neuter surgery, they can still walk around normal without worrying about running into things while wearing the cone of shame. 

Now, I know I’m not the only one who has ever laughed so hard while watching their dog run into furniture or other items around the house while wearing the cone of shame. If you haven’t you’re lying! Ha! How can you not laugh when your dog looks like they’re wearing a giant martini glass and is constantly bopping into things! Ha!

Annie always slept comfortably at night while wearing the suit. The first few nights I was that typical worried dog mom checking on her throughout the night to make sure she was good and she was always stretched out, just loving her life! I think she thought she was wearing cool pajamas like mom!

4. What Is It Made Out Of?

The Recovery Suit is made out of a breathable Lycra material and comes in 10 sizes and 3 prints: pink camo, blue camo and black. Their size chart on the suit’s product page is super accurate so I recommend using that to pick the size that’s best for your dog. All you need is some soft measuring tape that you would use to check your own body measurements! Annie is wearing a Medium + but could also have fit in a large because of her thicker coat. If you do have a dog with a fluffier coat, I recommend going up just one size (If you’re thinking medium, do a medium +) just to account for that fur. 

It is also so lightweight that you don’t have to worry about your dogs getting too hot in it. Annie has always gotten hot faster because of her thicker coat, so I was very happy that while wearing the Recovery Suit she never once got overheated. We were also trying this suit out during summertime in Florida so I hope that also shows how breathable it is!

The Recovery Suit is machine washable and I recommend hanging it up to dry since the hot air from the dryer can ruin the stretch of the material. Make sure to fasten all clips and turn it inside out before washing! Suitical also recommends using a laundry bag.

Thank you so much for reading today’s post about the Suitical Recovery Suit! If you’re interested in learning more about Suitical, I highly recommend viewing their other products available, including their Recovery Sleeve for Dogs, Recovery Suit for cats and their Dry Cooling Vest (See my full review of Suitical’s Dry Cooling Vest here). You can find Suitical’s products online at Chewy and Amazon! 

Photography: Kate Kelley Collection

**Thank you Suitical for sponsoring this post.**

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