My dog has new dark bruising near his groin after surgery. What to do?

Hello. That is a lot of bruising, but it just indicates that there was some subsurface capillary bleeding. This can occur in any surgery, but most often is the result of too much activity too soon after surgery. Try to confine Barklie a little more, by keeping him indoors & leash walking only for another week. If he is licking a lot, you may have to put an Elizabethan collar on him for a week or so so everything can heal. You can pick up the collars at most pet stores or even Tractor Supply if one is near you. If you are truly concerned, it is always best to have the veterinarian who did the surgery take a look to make sure everything is OK. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi, I have seen bruising like this myself in several cases and in itself is not a cause of concern as long as Ollie is eating, drinking, and seems comfortable. You could apply a cream on the bruised area, such as Arnicare twice a day (Arnica cream), skipping the area where the stitches are and obviously keep an eye on him. If he should be quiet, uncomfortable, not eating, I would recommend to have him checked over, if not just keep him home and monitor him. Hope all goes well, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

For a urinalysis, we usually draw urine directly from the bladder by inserting a needle through the abdomen. It's difficult to see exactly where this bruising is, but it appears to be where the needle would have been inserted and is likely the reason for the bruising. The needle can cause some damage and leaking of local blood vessels, which will give this bruise appearance. If Wolfgang is otherwise acting normal, then I would not be concerned about this. If Wolfgang seems to be acting sick, or the bruising appears to be getting larger, then I would be more concerned and recommend a visit to the emergency vet. I hope that helps and Wolfgang gets better soon.

Your dog may have been kicked or had a traffic accident. Such extensive bruising is either caused by trauma or a coagulation problem (e.g. caused by rodenticide or disease). This is severe enough to warrant a visit at a pet ER for an exam. If this is caused by trauma there may be more internal injury and it would also be painful. If it is caused by a coaguation problem your dog will need medication to counteract this so he does not bleed to death. Please take him to a vet or Pet ER now.

OK, that is a valuable piece of history and makes me much less concerned. A tight bandage could explain the bruising and certain drugs used during the surgery could account for it. If Danny is doing OK and acting normally, then no need to rush off to the emergency vet. I would just call your vet that did the surgery and ask to have them check it out at their next availability.

That appears to be a small scab and likely no cause for concern. The post op swelling is minimal and the bruising should be decreasing as well. Keep the e-collar (cone) on him and monitor for redness, swelling, bleeding or lethargy.

That bruising is not unusual following a cystotomy. Bruising can change over time and should start to dissipate soon. As long as she's feeling as well as can be expected post surgery and keeping quiet there shouldn't be anything to worry about.