Why is my dog's c-section incision red and swollen from nursing?

Poor girl. It looks like she has a severe allergic skin reaction and secondary bacterial infection of her skin. I wouldn't suspect her c-section and incision site are the cause of this. However, to get rid of this infection and help control her allergic reaction, she will need to see your vet for prescription medications. Until you can get her seen, it is best to clean these areas with Betadine diluted 50:50 with warm water or better yet Chlorhexidine solution 2 or 3% diluted until a really light blue mixture and then rinsed with sterlie saline. Allow either the Betadine or Chlorhex solution to stay on the skin for 3-5 mins before rinsing with the saline. Once at the vet you can then get her on much needed antibiotics to fully resolve this infection. I do hope that Lola's skin infection and allergies resolve soon! Best of luck moving forward and take care.

Thank you for contacting Pet Coach with your question about IIsie. The top half of the incision looks like it's healing beautifully. You can see some redness and if the staples are tighter at the bottom of the incision, it could account for the swelling. I agree there are no signs of infection from the picture, so continue to monitor the incision for now. If the area gets redder, more swollen, and/or you see other signs of infection, then I would be concerned and have her seen by a vet. I hope this helps!

It's hard to tell from the photo, but some redness and swelling can occur as the body brings cells to repair the wound and surrounding tissue. You can use a clean warm washcloth compress a few times a day to help keep the area free of debris and reduce swelling of the area. An Elizabethan (cone) collar is also a good idea to keep it from being licked or chewed on. If it does begin to weep, the swelling or redness spreads, the incision opens up, or it is painful or bothersome to Delilah, then a checkup with your vet ASAP is best to rule out more serious issues.

You need to take her to your vet to get it checked, it is indeed opened but it is just the skin layer so there is no life threatening condition here but because the puppies are in this area all the time i would recommend having it closed with a few staples by your vet, this can be done without anesthesia.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Panda's spay incision does appear to be red and a little swollen. Swelling at a spay site can be due to a variety of reasons, including infection, inflammation from a reaction to the suture material, or over-activity after her procedure, among others. I would recommend Panda be seen by her regular veterinarian to have the swelling evaluated, and start any medications (antibiotic, anti-inflammatory) that she may need. In the meantime, I would recommend icing the area as well. Good luck!

Hello. I am so sorry for your worries with Eris's surgery incision. While it does look a little red, I think it is just irritated by the stitches. Follow your veterinarians recommendations & most likely, once the stitches come out, the skin will heal very nicely. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

The area certainly looks less inflamed. As long as there is not discharge, heat, worsening of swelling, or pain I would not be overly concerned. I would keep her cone on until the inflammation is resolved. You do not need to clean the area overly as this can cause more irritation to the skin. The incision itself looks healed but has areas of irritation. This should resolve, if not I would be worried about a suture reaction or incisional infection and then she should certainly see a veterinarian.