Why is my cat's spay incision site hard and inflamed 5 days later?

From the pictures, Chicles' incision looks great! Occasionally, a scab will linger over the incision until it falls off or is licked off, and this is quite normal. Since she is 13 days post-surgery, you can gradually allow her to increase her exercise level by being out of the single room for a few hours for a few days, before allowing her to return to her normal lifestyle. I hope this helps and that all continues to go well! :-)

The incisions do not appear to be infected in the images supplied. Confirm all three cats have e-collars (cones) in place to prevent licking. The cones should stay on for at least 10-14 days post op. Monitor for lethargy, loss of appetite, odor, excessive bruising, active bleeding or discharge.

Hello there! There are a couple of things that come to mind with a hardened area at the spay site. The first and most common issue I can think of may be inflammation from a localized suture reaction at the incision site. When Soy was spayed, the vet most likely used a layer of absorbable stitches in her abdominal muscles below the skin. These stitches are meant to absorb over time (anywhere from 90-220 days, depending on the type of suture) and don't usually cause any problem, but sometimes the body's immune system reacts against this foreign material and causes swelling. This is not usually a medical concern unless the swelling is hot, red, or appears to be bothering Soy. If you see any of these symptoms, you should bring her to the vet as this may indicate an infection. It may take many weeks to go away - if you are at all concerned about Soy's well-being, feel free to give the vet that spayed her a call. If Soy will let you, placing a warm compress against the area for 10 minutes a day can also help reduce the swelling. There is also the possibility that this lump is a cyst or tumor, but this is much less likely considering Soy's young age. Good luck, and I hope Soy's lump goes away soon!

Some mild swelling is quite common but any pain, discomfort or discharge requires veterinary assessment. Monitor closely, it should reduce in size over 3-5days if fluid build up but may require surgical repair if not resolving

Hello. This incision looks normal for a week after surgery. Some swelling like you are seeing is normal especially if they are active and playing. It is normally just some inflammation of the muscle wall and subcutaneous tissue. It can take a few weeks for this to resolve and flatten out, but it will.

A hernia is essentially a loop of intestine (variable in size) which protrudes through a defect in the abdominal wall. A spay is done by opening the abdomen (aka, belly) by cutting between muscle layers beneath the skin. If the layers do not meet when the incision is closed, intestine can protrude. Depending on the size of the hernia and if the tissue can be pushed back into the abdomen, surgery may or may not be required to correct the defect. I recommend keeping a close eye on Kurisu to make sure she does not lose her appetite, develop diarrhea or begin vomiting; as these may be a sign of intestinal constriction. I recommend keeping her diet constant, and avoiding giving any human food which may upset her stomach. I hope this helps and that all is well!

Hi and thanks for your request. From the picture it does not look like it is extremely inflamed but the leakage is concerning, especially if particularly persistent. It is unlikely that the wound is open and if she is fine in herself there is room to wait and monitor her. I would recommend to have her checked if the leakage persist in the next 24 hours.