My cat's surgery incision is swollen after a week. Should I see a vet?

From what I can tell it seems to be healing well. If she is showing any signs of sickness or the incisions don't continue to improve, get her in to see your vet for a recheck. Put the cone back on if she starts paying too much attention to her incisions and overgrooming. It is likely to still be itchy for some time as it heals.

Mabel is such a cute kitty!! A small amount of bruising around the incision can be normal, but swelling can indicate a possible breakdown in the stitches holding the muscle together and should be checked out sooner rather than later, especially if Mabel seems painful. If the sutures Di breakdown it is possible for intestines to then become trapped beneath the skin and this can be very serious. I would recommend placing an ecollar on Mabel and confining her to a kennel or large box until you are able to have her seen. Excessive activity following surgery is not recommended and can exacerbate any complications that may develop. I hope Mabel feels better soon!

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.

Then incision is more red than I would expect it to at this time. It could be just because he has been too active, or it could be early signs of an infection. If it is more red tomorrow then it is probably an infection. I would confine him to a small bathroom where he can’t jump around and keep his mouth away from the incision. Either a onsie or the e-collar needs to be on at all times to protect him from opening the incision. I would encourage you to have a follow up appointment with your veterinarian tomorrow to examine the incision and see if he needs antibiotics. I don’t see any need for an emergency clinic appointment today. Best of luck and I hope he heals soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

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

The incision looks like it’s opened up a little, perhaps from her licking it. I would get a cone on her so she can’t lick and the incision should heal fine in a week or so. The incision on a female has layers and goes into the abdomen so often there is more swelling and puckering than a male who just has a skin incision into the scrotum. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Remi.

If Tinkerbell is not on antibiotics I would recommend calling your vet to see if they can prescribe some. If the incision is closed (it looks closed based on the pictures) then it may just take time for the swelling and inflammation to go down. Continue cleaning it twice daily and don’t allow Tinkerbell to lick at the incision. If the incision appears open then you will most likely have to take Tinkerbell back to the vet for a surgical repair. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.