Consult your veterinarian if you need help with cone fitting or for other suggestions. After surgery, it is important to pay attention to your pets incision site, since there is the potential for infection. Moreso, it helps your pup from developing unwanted behavior and health issues, such as breast cancer and urinary tract infections. In this article, we will review pictures of healthy incisions and pictures of incisions that have become infected. The most commonly performed surgical procedures in small animal practices in the United States are for reproductive sterilization (spay/neuter). It is not unusual for the incision to become slightly redder during the first few days, as healing begins to take place. Care of Surgical Incisions in Dogs | VCA Animal Hospitals Here's how to inspect your dog's spay incision, and the signs of an infection after spaying a dog. I googled lump after cat spay and this is exactly what I needed. A dog spay incision should appear as a closed, straight line with pinkish skin surrounding the incision edges. Always consult with your vet for health decisions. Your dogs energy level should increase gradually, and any sign of tiredness should have gone within a couple of weeks. A seroma may lead to mild or moderate swelling and while not typically painful, could put your pet at risk for infection. If after hours or on the weekend, it is usually best to follow up with the local emergency clinic for veterinary care. . I rescued a 3 month old kitty last week and your pics and insight have been really helpful , Youre welcome, TJ! To help you provide the best recovery care for your cat, this article covers: So, youve made a vet appointment and sent your cat for her spay. By using this form you agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website. I obviously emailed my vet at 1030pm when I noticed and most likely will get a call from them tomorrow to confirm if I need to take my little girl in, but this article made me have less anxiety for sure! To achieve full fluff, it takes around 6 weeks. At first, the spay incision wound of your dog will look bright red, but it should gradually go down to a lighter pink, and then the reddish hue should disappear. Redness and swelling should be completely gone. Make sure to follow the veterinarians instructions carefully until the incision is healed. You may also observe drainage from the area, including blood or purulent discharge. In comparison, the discharge of an infection will look either dark red, yellow, or green. Here are some of the signs that your dogs wound is healing correctly. It has been closed with staples that are becoming embedded due to the swelling of the skin: This dogs incision is very clearly infected. This made me feel so much better. A little swelling is normal and can be expected in especially active cats. The brown on the skin is iodine: The picture below shows a healing incision. Moreover, your dogs loss of appetite and energy should only last for a short period. Touching may also irritate the skin around the wound, which could lead to redness and increased soreness. Unless your vet says otherwise, don't bathe your dog until the incision is completely healed. A Complete Guide To Owning A Dog For Beginners. To learn more, you can check out my article on How Long to Keep Cone on Cat After Spay? One complication we always educate owners on is recognizing incisional infections. Keep in mind that spay surgery is an effective procedure for your dog. 6 steps you can take at home to help avoid incision infections, What do veterinarians do when an incision is infected, Why Do Dogs Lick Their Toys? This should disappear in the first few days. What are the visual characteristics of incision infections? Erythema (reddened skin). Make sure that the incision edges are still closed and that the external sutures are intact. Glad my article helped you, Becky! Her pupils may also be in a slightly dilated state. Spaying is a safe procedure for most dogs. What is the Best Dog Dental Insurance Available? This is due to the nature of how the injury happened (contaminated vs not) and if surgical implants are needed. What Are Your Options? Now, after the surgery, your vet calls and its time to pick up your cat! The incision site will be slightly red for the first 24 hours and may have a small amount of dried blood. Supplemental estrogen and herbal supplements are commonly used to help your dog's urinary health. For example, all 3 cats of mine only pooped 3 days after their surgery. Once bacteria enter the wound, your pet becomes at risk of developing serious medical complications without prompt treatment. It can be difficult to tell if your dogs spaying incision wound is healing, but there are some things that will help you determine how well the surgery went and whether or not your dog needs any additional care. Generally, oozing puss indicates an abscess. So, prepare a quiet isolation room or fenced-off area for your spayed cat to recover from her surgery. You can also use it whenever your cat gets a scratch. It is very inflamed and has discharge: Below is a photo of a severely infected neuter site. The thing Be amazed at Norways national dog, the Norwegian Elkhound! Other types like sand litter may stick to (and contaminate) the incision site, affecting the healing process. You can buy it here on Chewy. All rights reserved. Once bacteria are grown, susceptibility testing should be performed to determine what antibiotic the bacteria can be treated with. The incision edges should be touching and all sutures should be intact. If there is an unpleasant smell, this could indicate unusual drainage that may signal infection. When introduced to an incision by licking, the bacteria can colonize and cause an infection. In either case, the color surrounding your cats incision should return to normal toward the end of the recovery period. If your dog is suffering from post-spay incontinence, talk to your veterinarian. Your email address will not be published. Im glad the photos helped you. Spay incision healing properly? One week post-op. | Dog Forum Tip #4: Check Your Dog's Incision 2x per Day. If you need to schedule this procedure for your cat, look for a veterinary clinic that is trustworthy, reliable, and informative. Although spaying is an abdominal procedure and is considered more complicated than neutering, the recovery period for both procedures is the same.