My dog had drain tubes removed. What infection signs to watch for?

A small amount of straw-colored or blood-tinged fluid is common after surgery and usually isn't a concern. Just try to keep the incisions free of discharge by gently cleaning with a warm wash cloth. If the incisions look very red, puffy, and have thick discharge that has a foul odor, then an infection could be developing. If this is the case, I would recommend taking her to a veterinarian to have the incisions evaluated. I hope this helps and that Seide feels better soon!

I’m not sure what type of surgery was done, or what types of tubes are left. This makes it hard to answer as well as I would like. However, anytime my clients have ANY concern about a healing surgical patient, then I want to see them and evaluated the incision. If your doctor says it fine then great! If not, then having it checked out early is better than waiting!!! Good luck Bow! I hope he is back to normal soon!

Drain tubes will stay in until the wound actually stops draining. Usually between 3-5 days. If the drain is pulled too soon the holes will close and the wound will fill up with the fluid that now cannot drain.

It looks like a penrose drain was placed these drains usually stay in 3-5 days. It is normal to see a blood discharge or seriosangenous fluid like it see in the picture. I would monitor the wound for drainage. It should be decreasing each day. If at anytime the patient is lethargic or not eating/drinking I would take him back to the vet to have it checked.

Yes, this sounds normal. If she has a drain in place, you don't want to cover this with a bandage or else it won't drain properly. Your veterinarian should give instructions about how to care for the drain at home for the next few days - usually just keeping the openings clean, and keeping an e-collar (plastic cone) on her to make sure she doesn't chew it out.

The wound looks dry and not swollen. A small amount of discharge (not pus) even clear blood, would be normal. If your dog is otherwise normal, eating and drinking ok and normal activity level and not painful, I would just monitor her at this stage and make sure she does not lick the wound and rest her as much as possible. A buster collar would be helpful in case of any licking.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is probably ok for now though it does indicate that there was some discharge and potentially an infection. I would recommend that you keep a very close eye on the incision site. If you notice any active discharge (moist instead of dry), bleeding or pain, have her evaluated as soon as possible to make sure it is not an active infection. Keep the area clean for now. If no more discharge is noted, it is possible that it will heal completely on its own. Good luck and have a nice day!