My puppy is biting hernia stitches. How long until they're removed?

Hi there! I would recommend asking the vet who did his surgery how long you should leave the cone on. For my neuter patients, if absorbable sutures have been used for skin closure, I normally tell clients they can remove the cone after 10-14 days since the incision should be healed by then. The sutures themselves won't dissolve for a few more weeks, but it doesn't matter if the dog licks or chew them out before that, since the incision has already healed over. https://www.petcoach.co/article/surgery-on-your-pet-what-to-expect-before-and-after-the-pro/

Sometimes suture can take several months to dissolve, and it can sometimes cause an inflammatory reaction as this happens. If it appears to be infected the suture may need to be removed. I would recommend rechecking with your veterinarian. They might be able to remove some of the suture and might recommend antibiotics, or it's possible that Copper will need to be sedated to remove the remaining suture.

Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I do see one little scabby area at the lower part of the incision, but otherwise it appears closed and healing well. Just to be on the safe side I would recommend waiting a full another 4-5 days before bathing to allow the scab to fall off. Continue to monitor this area for any discharge or separation of the skin. Also that swelling on the left side should be evaluated by your vet if it doesn’t resolve, just to make sure it isn’t another hernia. Mild suture reactions just below the skin can also cause swelling, which is usually firm and doesn’t depress when pushing down on it. I hope this helps and best wishes with your pet Aspen. Take care.

I would wait until the stitches are removed from Newt's surgical incision before taking him out for a walk. Those are typically removed 10-14 after surgery. If he has dissolvable sutures, I'd still wait for at least 10-14 days before taking him for a walk to make sure the incision is fully healed. When you do first take him out, do not take for a long walk, ease him back into it. I hope this helps!

He should have been healed after about 2 weeks. If he never had an e-collar (cone) on, he was likely licking the area when you weren't around or during the night. This could have caused the delay in healing. Ideally, he should be seen by a veterinarian as soon as you can. An e-collar should be obtained and placed as soon as possible to prevent further licking. A small tee shirt or onesie may prevent licking until you get a proper e-collar. Antibiotics may be indicated to treat infection. A veterinarian can dispense them, if indicated, after an exam.

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 the picture. The incision looks like it has healed really well. Yes it is normal to see some scabbing and from the picture, I don't see any obvious signs of infection (redness, swelling, pus). It takes 10-14 days to fully heal an incision so to be safe, I would keep it on for 14 days, then you can remove it. Frequently, vets who do the surgery like a recheck to be safe, so I'd give his vet a call just to check if you need to bring him in or not. I hope this helps!