My cat's spay incision is leaking yellow fluid. Is it infected?

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!

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.

I see a little redness and maybe some yellow discharge? Always watch incisions for any redness, swelling or discharge. If anything like this is seen, Robin needs to be examined by the veterinarian. That's great news that all that infection is out of her body but she's not completely out of the woods until the incision is fully healed. That's why it's best to play it safe. She also needs restricted activity - no running or jumping. She also needs to wear an elizabethan collar at all times. I hope this helps.

Hello, & thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. While the antibiotics should prevent a real nasty infection from progressing, I would also recommend gently cleaning the area with dilute betadine and warm water. Add a couple of tablespoons of the betadine into 1/2 cup of warm water, & clean off any serum that has accumulated around the incision. Do not scrub the incision. Dry the area, & you can wrap her abdomen using an absorbant pad & either vetwrap or coban. Most general pharmacies will have all this. You can also place an infant t-shirt on her, tying up the bottom to cinch her just in front of the hindlegs. Keep the cone on, & clean the wound several times a day. If it is not healing or the discharge increases or changes in any way, see your vet immediately. Good luck with her, she should be fine in 7-10 days.

Unfortunately it is hard to tell from the picture what is going on. If her spay incision is leaking fluid I recommend taking her back to the veterinarian. Incisions can get infected and need antibiotics and I would make sure this is not going on with her.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is probably ok for now though it does indicate that there was some discharge and potentially an infection. I would recommend that you keep a very close eye on the incision site. If you notice any active discharge (moist instead of dry), bleeding or pain, have her evaluated as soon as possible to make sure it is not an active infection. Keep the area clean for now. If no more discharge is noted, it is possible that it will heal completely on its own. Good luck and have a nice day!

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 !