Surgery is never fun, although necessary. The repercussions of not having it can bring in more hassle than expected, however, post-surgery recovery is a process on its own. Sometimes it involves months of healing, other times it’s a week in a plastic cone. But no matter how long or difficult the recovery, it’s always essential to have a friend with you.
Solidarity can be shown in a number of ways - just being there for our loved ones in their time of need is significant enough. Though this man’s relationship with the family dog oversteps all of it when he decides to join the pup in wearing a self-made e-collar to cheer the dog up after his surgery. Let’s get into the story, shall we!
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The goodest boy Ollie has truly become a TikTok superstar, however, the gentle-natured pup had to go through surgery recently
Image credits: good.boy.ollie
Ollie is the goodest good boy of the TikTok world, amassing an impressive 2.8M followers in one year alone.
The dark brown Labrador has stolen the hearts of many who’ve watched him either balancing random things on his booty, earning him the coveted title of ‘Booty Balance King’, or picking activities from a jar, baking, playing with his owners, and otherwise living his best puppy life.
The ‘Booty Balance King’ seemed to have a little bump in his eye that his owner, Alex, thought best to be removed
Image credits: good.boy.ollie
Post operation, Ollie was turned into a lampshade whilst the stitches healed up, but he wasn't too 'lit up' about it
Image credits: good.boy.ollie
The gentle-natured pup suddenly appeared wearing an e-collar, or the cone of shame, which got his fans concerned. What was the matter with the internet's goodest good boy?
Well, according to Alex, Ollie’s owner, the pup had to have a small surgery to remove a lump on his eyelid. She explained that “dogs grow little lumps and bumps, but we just wanted to be on the safe side and test it.” The results from his tests came back clean and healthy, so the family could breathe a sigh of relief, but unfortunately for the pup, it wasn’t the end of the ordeal.
Ollie would become an affectionately named ‘lampshade boy’ with the help of the collar for 10 days after the surgery to aid the recovery. However, the dog did not seem too fond of the idea.
Alex told The Dodo that “Ollie was just really sad with the cone on. He just moped around and was feeling really sorry for himself.” The puppy that brought so much happiness to everyone around him was down in the dumps.
One day, Alex came down to the living room to find her dad and pup snuggled together on the sofa, both wearing cones
Image credits: good.boy.ollie
The owner’s dad came up with a plan. He found another cone the family had in storage and put it on himself in order to make the dog feel less lonely in his experience. As said by Spider Robinson, “shared joy is increased, shared pain is lessened.”
When Alex went to Ollie and her dad, she saw the humorous scene of them both relaxing on the sofa, her dad with a mug of tea in his hands, the pup resting his head on the dad’s lap, and both wearing cones, one white and the other pink.
Alex could only laugh and invite her mom to witness the scene. Thankfully, she filmed it and shared it to their millions of followers, captioning the video with "Is it just my dad?" and writing: “Not my dad wearing a cone to make my dog feel less lonely after his surgery.” She then shared the video on Instagram, stating: "I swear it's always the dads who didn't want a dog that end up loving them the most.”
The small act brightened the days of many, but especially Ollie's, who was no longer lonely in his lamp phase
Image credits: good.boy.ollie
It not only lifted their fans’ spirits, but also Ollie’s, as Alex thought he seemed a bit happier. Ollie has since had his stitches removed. Alex told The Dodo that the pup healed up nicely and that they both, the pup and her dad, were happy to be cone-free; “Ollie only had to wear it for a week. My dad only lasted a few hours!"
The video has since gone viral, getting 3M views and 474.8K likes on TikTok, people loving the close relationship of the dad and the pup.
Alex also tried her best to bring some joy back to her puppy, getting creative with the e collar itself
Image credits: good.boy.ollie
Alex did her best to try and cheer up her dog, turning the boring cone into beautiful and colorful decorations, into the shapes of flowers, an order of fries, a martini glass and others. But of course, the cone couldn’t stay that way and the décor had to be taken off. Thankfully, the pup didn't need it for too much longer. However, it begs the question, why is the cone necessary in the first place?
Image credits: good.boy.ollie
Image credits: good.boy.ollie
The puppy has healed up nicely, the results from the operation coming back clean and healthy, so Ollie can go back to monching on berries
Image credits: good.boy.ollie
The 'cone of shame' has aided many pets in their recoveries, but it seems it may be on its way out, replaced by alternatives that cause less distress
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The Elizabethan collar, or more commonly known as the ‘e-collar’, the ‘cone of shame’, the ‘pet lamp-shade’, ‘pet radar dish’, and ‘dog-saver’ is a device used on pets of various sizes to aid in the recovery after surgery.
Our beloved pets don’t really have the understanding to not scratch or excessively lick and bite at itchy or hurting areas, thus the cone prevents them from doing more harm. Or does it?
A study conducted by Yustina Shenoda, Dr. Anne Fawcett and others revealed that companion animals tend to loathe the cone, causing damage and distress to both animals and their humans. Dr. Fawcett said: “Some animals found ingenious ways to remove the collars themselves, for example running under furniture at speed, but damaged or poorly fitted Elizabethan collars could increase the risk of injury to animals.”
The study recommends exploring alternative methods, such as inflatable collars, neck restraints, visors, muzzles, socks or booties, body wraps or anti-itching medication to minimize negative impacts. “We also recommend that members of veterinary teams advise pet owners about the potential negative effects of the collar, including the potential for discomfort or injury,” said Yustina.
Ollie has a bright future ahead of him and we wish him and his owners all the best
Image credits: good.boy.ollie
Maybe in the future, a complimentary e-collar will be given to the owner as a means of comforting their pet, but in the meantime we are happy to know that Ollie is doing well and is on his way to creating more content for all of us to enjoy.
Ollie has been the goodest boy throughout this bumpy period and Alex is very grateful to all their fans and the vets who’ve taken amazing care of the pup.
Let us know what you thought of the story, would you become a lamp in order to bring joy to your pet? Thanks for reading, leave me a strawberry to monch on in the comments and I wish you the best day!
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