My cat licked her spay incision and prescribed wound powder. Is it safe?

The incision looks healing normally even though there is a slight muscle reaction to the stitches (normal as well). Licking is not good as could lead to infections and delay in the healing process. Buster collar is useful to avoid any licking. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There could be an infection developing or even inflammation that will make healing more difficult. I recommend having them evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment which will likely include the use of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications. Good luck and have a good day!

As long as the incision isn't actively bleeding and isn't infected (red, swollen, warm to the touch, pus), then Bella should be ok. Keep an Ecollar on her at all times to keep her from licking her incision. Best of luck.

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, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. If Maisy is licking at her incision then she needs to wear an E-collar (cone) to keep her away from the incision. She should be in a safe enclosed space to minimize jumping and excessive activity until her incision heals.

Hi there. You can sure use the Fucidin cream. Just use a thin layer and apply it twice daily. Try to distract her after applying it so if she does lick it it will have at least been on there for a bit to have some contact time to work! If she licks it she will be fine :) Good question! Best wishes! Dr. Amber

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!