Is it safe to bathe my puppy with a healing hernia incision?

Although not fully healed, the deeper layers look to be sealed and the skin should join over the next week or so. Monitor very closely for excessive licking, discharge or smell which would require a physical recheck with your vet to assess for infection

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Theo. From your picture, it appears to be healing normally. That being said, pictures can be deceiving. I recommend taking him to your veterinarian for a quick peek. They will gently clean the incision site to ensure that it is healing normally and the tissue is healthy underneath the scab. In the meantime, do not allow him to lick the area. I hope this information helps!

The stitches are usually removed 10-14 days after surgery. The vet that did the surgery should remove the sutures at no cost. I suggest you have them check the incision and remove the sutures if needed. The incision looks fine on the photo you provided but you need to stop him from chewing at it until you get them removed. You can purchase a cone collar at any local petstore to stop him from chewing. ( https://www.amazon.com/Total-Pet-Health-Elizabethan-Collars/dp/B00FXKSV3K )

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Generally, you would want to wait until after 10-14 days after surgery to allow the incision to heal well before bathing him. There are other anti-microbial options that could be considered in the meantime. If this very severe and cannot wait, you can check in with your veterinarian for alternatives. Otherwise, I would wait a bit longer. Good luck!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It still looks mostly healed so I think it would be fine to monitor for now. If another scab forms then I would make sure to not her scratch it off. You can try to keep her from it by using dog "shorts" you may find online to try to cover that area. Hopefully, this continues to heal without problems. If it becomes a recurrent issue or it develops a discharge with a foul odor concerning for an infection, have her evaluated by a veterinarian then. Good luck!

Hello and thank you for your question. I completely understand and respect your hesitancy to place the animal under anesthesia if there is a possibility that it is not needed. Without having any pictures to look at, I can give you a few options as to what this is. Two of the things this “bubble” could be or a post operative hematoma or an abscess forming. Because Max is not showing any clinical symptoms of pain or discomfort, I recommend applying a warm compress to the area three times daily for five minutes each time. I would do this for approximately three days and see if the wound decreases in size. Unfortunately, I do not know of any exercises that you can do to help with these types of lesions. If it does not, please contact your veterinarian as soon as possible because they may want to start oral or topical medications to get it under control. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Although a picture would help to give you more specific advices, generally speaking I would recommend to wait until the lesion is completely resolved before having him groomed and bathed. 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.