My cat licked spay stitches open. Should I be worried about infection?

If this is how her incision looked when you took her back in for the recheck, then your vet probably thinks that it will heal on its own - we call this second intention healing. This is a reasonable way to heal a wound that only affects the skin. If the vet thought that the wound extended deeper than just the skin, then Bonnie would need to have the sutures replaced. The down side of healing by second intention is that it takes much longer for the wound to heal - it could be several weeks of having her wear the e-collar. Because of this, often my clients will prefer that we go ahead and sedate and clean up the wound to place new sutures. Healing would then be expected in around 10 days.

Hello. It does look like the incision is opening a bit, but just the skin. The underlying muscle looks intact. You may have to put an E-collar ( cone of shame ) on her to prevent her from licking the incision open more. Most of the big pet retailers have them & one of the soft ones made for kitties should not be too stressful for her. I would also pick up some betadine at any pharmacy & gently clean the skin twice daily. No need to scrub. It is not necessary, but it would not hurt to put a dab on Neosporin on the incision, but only if she is wearing the collar. You do not want her to try cleaning the incision with her rough tongue. If the incision reddens much more, or begins to discharge at all, you will need to have her seen over the weekend. She will not fall apart on you, but keep a good eye on things & if it really worries you, have her seen quickly. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I'm glad to hear that Bree is feeling well after her spay surgery. However, the single most important thing you can do during her recovery is preventing her from licking at the incision for at least 10-14 days after surgery. The best way to achieve this is by putting an e-collar (cone) on her. These are typically available through veterinarians or most pet stores. The blood and yellow discharge could indicate a sign of incisional infection from her licking, or could be irritation caused from her jumping and activity. Since you are seeing blood and yellow discharge, I do recommend taking Bree back to her vet for an exam to determine if an infection is present. If her incision has become infected, topical antibiotic sprays are not typically very effective and oral antibiotics are often needed. I hope this helps and that all goes well!

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. You should clean the wound with cotton buds and warm, boiled water 2-3 times a day until you see your vet. Putting a cone back on is an excellent idea too. Your vet will likely prescribe Apollyon an antibiotic cream and maybe will put a stitch or two to close the small opening in the wound.

I agree with your vet that the area will heal with time. However, Gypsy has the potential to get the area infected or open it up more if she continues to lick at it, so you need to use an e-collar or such to prevent her from licking. If the area continues to ooze, becomes red or swollen or the incision opens up more, then I would certainly contact your veterinarian again. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and that Gypsy heals quickly. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello. Cats don’t like to follow the rules sometimes. This incision looks great. The flakiness is just some residue of the skin glue, the green is tattoo ink . There does not appear to be any problems with this incision at all right now. Continue to monitor it and watch specifically for redness, discharge or significant swelling. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach !

Hi. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. From the pictures the incision looks ok; though be sure you are monitoring at home make sure there is no discharge, opening of the incision, swelling, heat or redness at the incision line. Make sure that Yuki isn't licking or chewing at the incision. Do not clean or wipe the incision line as this can irritate it and cause Yuki to try to lick. Do no apply any medications. If you notice any swelling or discharge, please take her back to the veterinarian. Also monitor that she is eating, drinking and urinating/defecating normally. The incision line will take 10-14 days to heal.