The rigid plastic cone that comes home from the vet is effective and miserable. It bangs into doorframes, blocks peripheral vision and turns eating and drinking into a chore, and a good many pets simply stop doing both properly while they are wearing one. An inflatable ring does the same job from a different angle, sitting round the neck like a travel pillow and stopping the head turning far enough to reach a wound.

Because the height comes from the ring rather than a rigid funnel, your pet keeps their full field of view and can get their face into a bowl normally. It inflates through a valve so you can set the firmness, then fastens with an adjustable snap closure, and it deflates flat for storage between operations. Sizes run from medium to double extra large across four colourways, and each collar weighs between 90g and 140g depending on size.

• Inflatable padded ring, an alternative to a rigid cone
• Adjustable snap closure
• Lets pets eat, drink and sleep more comfortably
• Sizes from M to XXL
• Four colourways: pink, pink and grey, grey, and beige and green
• Weight between 90g and 140g depending on size
• Deflates flat for storage

On whether this is the right collar for your pet. An inflatable ring works well for wounds on the body and back end. It does not work for paws, lower legs or the tail, because a determined animal can still reach those, and a very flexible pet can occasionally reach a stitch line a cone would have blocked. Ask your vet which they want before replacing the cone, and check the site daily either way.

Who it's for: Owners whose pet is recovering from surgery and has stopped eating or settling in a hard cone, with a vet's agreement that a soft collar covers the wound.