My dog is clingy after neuter. Is his incision normal 5 days later?

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. From your photo I can tell you that this looks seriously infected and does not look very good post-neuter. I would get him in as soon as you can for treatment before this affects healthy surrounding tissue. He will likely need to be sedated and have the dead tissue removed for treatment and placed on a course of oral antibiotics and pain medications to reduce inflammation. If he has been chewing at the area, he must wear a plastic cone at all times to prevent him from getting to the incision. I hope this helps! Please feel free to contact me with any further questions or concerns you may have. I am also available via consultation if needed.

Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The incision appears to be closed, although it isn't a pretty incision, it is functional. : )There is one area that has a pustule (infected pocket) there, but it should heal with the antibiotics that he is on. This is a common thing that occurs in pets that have a mild reaction to the sutures or staples placed, nothing serious to be concerned about at this time. So far, this looks to be healing appropriately. : ) Keep an eye on the pustule there, it may rupture, and if it does just wipe it with a clean dry towel and make sure the incision does not get wet in any way. Also ensure that Waffles keeps his e-collar on at all times to avoid him getting to the incision and potentially taking out staples, which could cause this to open up. With the antibiotics on board, the incision and pustule should heal completely by day 10. Keep an eye out also for any profuse drainage, separation of the incision line, or increased redness, and get this rechecked by your vet sooner if seen. For now, things look quite stable. : ) I hope that Waffles continue to heal well post neuter. Best of luck and take care.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Thor. Thank you for providing a picture, it's really helpful! That looks like there is pus and the incision is open. It does look infected. I'd take him into a vet immediately to get this treated. Best of luck.

Hello. I have never heard of leaving a dog neuter incision open like this. We do it in cats & horses, but not dogs. If this is your veterinarians practice, then he should have sent home a Elizabethan cone to prevent Cutty from getting to & licking the incision. Personally, I do not like the way it looks & really think it needs to be cleaned up & sutured closed. Until you can see your vet, please purchase a protective collar to keep him from licking & clean the area 2-3 times daily with a povidone-iodine or chlorhexidine skin cleanser. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! At least based on these pictures, this looks almost healed. It just has a small area that appears to be close to healing but not quite. While neosporin is ok, I think the main thing to make it completely heal is making sure that he is unable to get to it and chew or lick at it. Please make sure to use an e-collar to try to prevent this. If you are able to keep him from getting to his incision, I think you should be able to get it to heal. You can continue to use the neosporin as that may speed up the healing process. However, make sure to not pick at any scabs as that will usually delay healing. Good luck and have a good night!

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The photo looks like there is a little crusted discharge around the incision, which is OK. As long as the swelling continues to stay down, and you don't see yellow, thick, purulent liquid coming from the incision site, he will likely be OK. Winston should absolutely be wearing an Elizabethan collar (cone collar) AT ALL TIMES until his sutures are removed. It is best to restrict his activity too so that he is not stretching or pulling at his stitches. I hope this is helpful!

The incision looks a little "puffier" than I'd like. If there hasn't been any drainage from the incision, you can just put an E-collar on him (if he's not already wearing one ) and clean it 1-2 times a day with a plain saline wound wash (available at most pharmacies, usually in a pressurized can to spray). Do not use peroxide or alcohol. If there is any drainage from the incision, please take him to your vet. The area with the tattoo is quite inflamed; again, make sure he's not licking at it. You can apply something like this to the area to help reduce the inflammation: https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/zymox-hydrocortison-cream If it is painful to him when you touch it, please take him in for a recheck. Thank you for asking PetCoach!