haha actually i missed that

https://amosdudley.com/weblog/Designing-PPE-for-Hilde has a story of designing a 3d print for foxtails.

It's awesome, lots of kudos to the creator for doing so! Personally I'm more likely to buy things where the authors makes the schematic/3D object/whatever available for free for the DIY people out there, and those who couldn't otherwise get the thing to them for one or another reason.

> I know there are other dogs and owners out there facing similar struggles. That’s why I’m sharing this design for free. While it’s not adjustable by design, it should fit medium-to-large dogs as is. If needed, measurements can be adjusted using the scaling feature in your slicer software, but some slots, like those for the straps, might deform in the process.

Only missing for it to be a parametric design people could easily adjust based on their own measurements, but trivial to change yourself too, so again, lots of thanks to the author for improving the whole world, not just a tiny piece of it.

The shop customizes measurements. Is it easy to modify the STL with custom measurements?

I have a tiny long-haired dog (the first dog I've ever had) and I'm glad our first trainer/behaviourist mentioned the dangers of foxtails to us. We casually asked the vet if it was a problem and she said they see around 2-3 animals a week with issues caused by foxtails during the late summer/early autumn months. This is in the Southern UK. It's been getting drier and drier every year. And subsequently more and more foxtails seem to be appearing.

The main issue we've found is she gets them stuck under her "armpits" and under the tail. Places that make them very difficult to find. Even more insidious is when they embed themselves in the harness, only to make an appearance weeks or months later when the outdoor foxtails have mostly been cut down.

The problem is that they can work their way under the skin with a barbed spike that is one-way only. So if they get deep enough the only remedy is to cut the skin with a scalpel - by the vet of course.

I got this for my dog. It annoys her a bit but I'm hoping she'll get used to it. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BF5C9VTY

You can do that with a standard muzzle

Thanks!

13/10 rating

Thanks! She is quite amazing actually!

Hi there, Great question! In short - yes, it does provide a pretty universal fit.

I originally measured only Billie because she's my dog and had a problem. But after helping about 50 other dogs, I discovered that the measurements work for most dogs with this condition. So far, I've only needed 2 sizes to cover all cases.

Of course, no two noses are exactly the same, and there will always be minor adjustments that could make an even more perfect fit - just like with any human clothing item. But the core design works well across different dogs.

I'd love to eventually offer truly custom fits for every dog, but for now, this approach has been effective for everyone I've worked with.

I feel like tailored treatments are a desired path anyway. Instead of having a one-size-fits-all I'd rather have a process made to fit everyone. While the "nose" would not fit other dogs; "make nose that fits other dog" seems like a valid process, no?

Serious question: should the whole internet have content warnings for anything that might be found objectionable by someone? This seems super mild. Maybe embed it in site metadata, and then you specify your preferred experience in your browser of choice?

If you have specific problems with the grammar, wording, or writing style used in the article, share those. Otherwise, who cares who/what wrote it?

Comments like yours do not add value to these discussions.

Your comment was written by AI, you should mention that somewhere

Do you have proof? A hunch? Quality issues that detracted from the article?

I despise AI slop, but this is a great article and a worthy cause. If AI was used, and helped make this article a reality, then the author did a great job of guiding the AI, and doing quality checks.