Patent ID: 7458339

Claim:
An animal restraint, comprising: (a) a form made from a rigid material and shaped to conform to a portion of a body of an animal; (b) said form having a substantially tubularly shaped neck encircling section having a front opening including a perimeter portion for engaging an upper neck portion of the animal depending on the head position of the animal and a rear opening including a perimeter portion disposed at a spaced distance from said front opening perimeter portion back along a longitudinal axis of said form and, a body section confluent with a portion of said neck encircling section not including said rear opening perimeter portion, said body section being substantially hemispherically shaped and extending a respective spaced distance from said neck encircling section back along said longitudinal axis to a substantially hemispherically shaped rear opening having a perimeter portion; (c) said body section having a solid top section and solid left and right sides contoured so as to cover a back area and left and right sides of the animal; (d) said body section further including a contour perimeter portion shaped to expose the lower torso of the animal including the left and right shoulders, front legs, and a chest area of the animal; and (e) said body section having means for securing said form to the animal between the front and rear legs the perimeter portion of said hemispherically shaped rear opening positioned on the torso of the animal between the front and rear legs when said form is in place on the animal, the rigidity of the material of said form sufficient, based at least on the type of material and thickness, such that said form is resistant to flexure along said longitudinal axis from said front opening perimeter portion to said rear opening perimeter portion and along said body section to at least a portion of said contour perimeter portion and said hemispherically shaped rear opening perimeter portion, so that when said form is secured to the animal, said neck encircling section cooperates with said body section to restrain the animal in the movement of its head beyond a certain distance in any direction due to the engagement of the upper neck portion of the animal with a respective portion of said perimeter portion of said front opening and the engagement of one or more of said rear opening perimeter portion, said contour perimeter portion or said hemispherically shaped rear opening perimeter portion with a respective body portion of the animal, whereby the force of resistance exerted at the points of contact of the form with respective portions of the animal's body is sufficient to restrain the animal in biting and licking parts of the animal of concern, while permitting otherwise normal motion of the animal.