Soft All Four Paws Comfy Cone Beats Plastic for a Leg Wound

So happy we decided to purchase this product instead of continuing to use the standard (cheap plastic) e-collar we started with. The edge of the plastic collar was digging into his back leg wound, and this soft one doesn't do that. We also love that it's so much easier to put on and take off, thanks to the hook-and-loop material, and doesn't have to be super snug on his neck since a collar attaches to the cone. (We used a second collar so that his main collar (with ID) was still present when the cone wasn't on.) The reflective piping on the outer edge is also nice at night, making it really easy to see where he is in the yard and adds safety if you are ever around vehicles at night. It was also much easier for our dog to get through doorways, etc, since the material was soft and could conform a little, unlike the plastic cone. I have a few negatives (and one suggestion for improvement), but not enough to reduce a full star. 1. The soft material makes this cone warmer than a plastic cone, so his ears got pretty red inside. 2. The material is less "slick" than plastic, so it caused quick matting/dreading of his ear hair, requiring us to brush (and sometimes cut) his ear hair every day. 3. The hook-and-loop material that was exposed (where it didn't overlap fully bc of his neck size) got really dirty with hair, etc, and can't really be cleaned up, so it ended up looking kind of gross, and could also get stuck on things. It's also a little rough, so we tried to keep the hood turned so that this part was facing away from the wound so he wouldn't scrape it on the injury if he tried to get at the wound. I think they could devise some type of cover material that you cut to size and lay on the exposed outer/hook part to keep it soft and clean. This would also have the added benefit of making it really easy to put it back on in the exact same place/size every time, since it would serve as a marker of where it was the time(s) before. Sizing note: I was using this on a 40lb Aussie, and the L was def the right size. We ordered a M and L bc we needed to make sure we had one that worked asap. The measurements I took indicated L for snout length, and at the top of M and bottom of L for neck. We tried the L first, and only had the neck half tight, so it fit just fine. We never opened the M, and returned it. I'd say the snout length is the most important since it determines if they can get past the cone to get at the wound, and their sizing there seems very accurate.