Spayed cat's incision open and bleeding. Can it heal without stitches?

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.

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!

Thank you for the picture, it's very helpful. The bleeding may be due to you cleaning the area, as it should not be washed while healing as that disturbs the scab and the healing process. Also stitches should not get wet. In the picture, the skin around the area does not look red or swollen. Please feel the area, and make sure it does not feel warm to the touch; if it does, that means it is infected and Charlie has to go back to the vet now. When the vet said keep the area clean, it means keep the area dry and away from dirt and debris, not to wash it. Please do not wash it again, pat the area dry, and since there was only a bit of bleeding, just monitor it for now. If you see redness, swelling, pus, the skin is warm to the touch, she becomes lethargic, and/or she has a loss of appetite, she needs to see a vet immediately. I hope this helps!

Hi there. Often, losing a single suture a few days after surgery isn't a huge deal, especially if the incision still appears to be closed and there is no bleeding or drainage. But it's hard to say if this is a problem or not without being able to see it. If you want to, you can post a photo of the incision for us to look at - we may be able to give you a better idea of whether it needs any treatment.

Without seeing a picture of Dory's incision, I cannot tell you for sure if it needs to be stitched again or not. I strongly advise you do not try to stitch it yourself! This will be very painful to her, stitching the incision requires sedatives that can only be administer by a vet. If she had the stitches on the 15th of this month, then the incision likely isn't healed as it takes at least 10-14 days for it to heal fully. I would take her back into her vet to have the incision examined and stitched closed again. Best of luck.

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.

Poor Lilly! If she was missing all day, she could have done something to cause the wound to open up more. When a cat has a wound and is on medication, it's best to keep her confined to allow her to heal correctly. I see she has stitches, and cats with stitches need to be kept quiet so the area can heal properly. I would keep her indoors while this wound is healing to prevent her from opening it up more, as well as disappearing and potentially missing times when she needs to take her medications. Set up a litter box inside for her along with food and water. Once the wound is fully healed and her stitches are removed, she can start going back outside. I hope this helps!