The rigid plastic cone that comes home from the vet is the reason a lot of dogs cannot settle after surgery. They clatter it into doorframes, cannot reach the water bowl properly, and get themselves wedged in a corner at two in the morning. A soft mesh version does the same job with a good deal less of the misery, which usually means everyone in the house gets some sleep.

It works by shape rather than by stiffness. The collar stands out far enough around the head to keep a nose off a wound, but the mesh gives when your pet bumps into furniture instead of jarring against it. Mesh also breathes, which counts for a lot across the days and nights of a recovery when the alternative is solid plastic trapping heat around the neck. It adjusts, and it washes.

• Soft mesh alternative to a rigid plastic E-collar
• Stops licking and biting at stitches, wounds and hot spots
• Breathable enough for day and night wear
• Adjustable fit, four sizes from S to XL
• Washable and reusable rather than single-use
• Suits both dogs and cats

Soft cones do not suit every animal. A determined dog can flatten a flexible collar against a shoulder and still reach a wound on a flank or a paw. For those dogs, and for stitches low on the body, the hard cone your vet supplied is genuinely the safer option. Check the wound over the first day rather than assuming, and follow whatever your vet has told you to do.

What the options mean. Sizes run from S to XL — £11.99 for the smallest, £13.99 for the largest.

Who it's for: Pets recovering from spay, neuter or minor surgery who cannot rest while wearing a rigid cone.