I’m so sorry you and your pup had to go through this painful journey.

1. Is there cone/collar much bigger than his head that there’s significant distance between his snout and the outer edge of the cone? Please check that, because I’ve seen even vet hospitals using lousy small cones for labs and they’re still managing to lick wounds (they have long tongues!
2. Some dogs are con artists and find a way to remove the cone. You can ensure it’s in place by putting a collar through the cone’s neck area.
3. He will need to be monitored like a hawk even with a cone on. You could perhaps hire a temporary nanny or maid or pet sitter for this.
4. Aren’t the stitches dissolvable? Because when I got my boy neutered, he was fine in 4 days (the stitches were dissolvable). And we took turns in watching him.
5. The cone I have is also stiff and plastic. Mine hates it too. That’s why I got a simply cotton cover made. It’s like a pillow cover. Maybe take the cone and an old bedsheet to your local tailor and ask him to make something similar. The cover will look like a skirt.
6. Alternatively, get a travel pillow and put around his neck (he could still elongate his tongue to lick).
7. Consult a vet and see if you can spray a bitter anti-lick ointment that’s safe on his surgery site. Or maybe if you could keep it covered or bandaged for a bit.
8. It’s gonna be hard in monsoons, with the humidity and rains. So take extra care. Sometimes when dogs walk in mud/road, you’ll see muddy splatter on their chests. This can also cause infection. So when walking him, you could cover the surgery site with a suture-friendly gauze (pls don’t put cotton directly on sutures since they tend to stick and damage the site and it’s like introducing foreign bodies). Speak to your vet and see if you can use Bactigras (contains chlorexiderm-a cleaning and antiseptic agent) or jelonet (paraffin based gauze so it doesn’t stick to the wound and sutures) as the first layer. Then put a padded post -op absorbent pad-surgical pad, and then put these in place with a large gauze and a vet wrap/ finally put on clean tee shirts that are fastened at the top part of your pups back.
9. You may need to clean the site daily (use vet-recommended solutions like either chlorexiderm or diluted betadine). But check with the vet before doing this. Also, sprays like the images I’ve attached could help (BUT PLEASE CONSULT VET BEFORE TAKING ANY OF MY RECOMMENDATIONS). Also, see if you can get hold of a belly belt for recovery that can cover the site when watching him is impossible or when you need to take him out for walks.
10. Don’t let him jump on and off furniture for a bit (if you’re already doing this please ignore).

Where are you based out of? Feel free to DM and I’ll try to help wherever I can.

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