When are my dog's dissolvable mouth stitches safe after surgery?

Her gum is healing well. I would recommend calling your veterinarian and seeing if they are able to pull the stitch out. If they cannot it typically dissolves rather quickly. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your question. There are different types of suture that are used and that are absorbable. Absorption time ranges from 42 days to 180 days depending on what is used. I would contact the veterinarian that placed the sutures and discuss this further. Redness and itchiness van be a sign of healing but can also be a sign of a suture reaction. If this redness and itchiness continues then I would have the veterinarian recheck the mouth. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

It is difficult to tell from the pictures, but the area of gum above the stitches does not look red or irritated, so I would leave it alone. The mouth isn't sterile, so it's not concerning unless the area is red. The time it takes for stitches to dissolve varies greatly, so I wouldn't be worried that they haven't dissolved yet. If the area where the stitches are becomes red or irritated, I would contact your veterinarian for advice. Otherwise, I would just continue to monitor the area. I hope that was helpful! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello, sorry to hear about Precious. If dissolvable the sutures should go away on their own. Depending on the suture material used, this could take anywhere from 1 month to 3 months. Monitor the area for any bleeding, discharge, pain, swelling, or redness and if you note any then have her veterinarian evaluate the area. Ideally, Precious should not be licking at the area and you should not be cleaning it or touching the area as this can delay healing. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Dissolvable sutures under the skin can take 6 months or so to fully dissolve, but will begin to slowly break down within the first few weeks. There are many different suture types, and all break down at different rates. However, the incision itself should heal within 10-14 days of the surgery and the glue should break down around this time frame. This type of surgical closure is quite common and most dogs can return to a normal activity level (including swimming and bathing) about 10-14 days after surgery. I hope this helps and that Hei Hei's recovery goes well!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Using dissolvable or non-dissolvable sutures would not cause an incision to open. Other factors like movement and infection would. It sounds like Kane had a surgical complication that can happen with any surgery. I’m sorry he’s going through this but continue the treatment the doctor recommended and it should heal with time. Kisses to Kane!

it is not always necessary to suture the cavity, If there was infection at the root you would not suture it, for example, as you want pus and debris draining freely. If you suspect a problem, contact your veterinarian tomorrow morning.