Dog's e-collar off, wound exposed. Should I take him to the vet?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Panda! This is a tough situation! With out seeing the extend of the neck wound it is hard to give advice. I would go the pet store and find the bitter apple spray or lick guard and apply in on the skin (not the stitches) near the testicle area to discourage licking. Then I would consider a donut or softer E-collar to prevent rubbing and licking that hopefully won't continue to irritate the neck. But since the throat wound hasn't improved in 4 days you should have Panda rechecked sooner than Thursday. Maybe if it has been 10 days since the surgeries the stitches can be removed then. I hope this helps and feel free to repost with a picture of the neck wound.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! At this point this looks very superficial. If he does not lick or scratch at it, this will likely heal on its own at this point. I would put the e-collar back on until this heals completely. Good luck!

I'd gently clean it with warm water and antiseptic soap. To keep him from licking at it, you can put an Ecollar on him. You can get one at a pet store or make one at home. Keep the wound clean and dry, and monitor it for signs of infection. If you see redness, swelling, warmth to the touch, or pus, then it is infected and he will need to see the vet for antibiotics to treat it. Best of luck.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Wound dehiscence is probably one of the most frustrating things to treat for that same reason of sometimes taking longer to heal than typical. However, it is indicated to continue treating this through a veterinarian as there are really no at home treatments for something like this. Having said that, it is important to continue to use an e-collar to avoid self-trauma and one thing you can do is limit her activity as much as possible as often times it is the continued motion what affects healing the most. Good luck and have a great day!

That looks fine for the stage it's at. Rather than cover the wound with a bandage, I would put an e-collar or an inflatable collar on him that will keep him from licking at it, unless he's getting to it with his hind claws. In that case you can put baby socks on his hind feet to keep his claws from getting into the staples. If you do keep it covered, change the bandage daily or twice daily if the wound oozes a bit.

Thank you for the picture. The incision looks like it has healed really well. Yes it is normal to see some scabbing and from the picture, I don't see any obvious signs of infection (redness, swelling, pus). It takes 10-14 days to fully heal an incision so to be safe, I would keep it on for 14 days, then you can remove it. Frequently, vets who do the surgery like a recheck to be safe, so I'd give his vet a call just to check if you need to bring him in or not. I hope this helps!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I think that area should have had stitches, so I’m assuming Buddy licked them out. It only takes a few seconds for a dog to remove them. He should be wearing an E-collar or a donut at all times. He shouldn’t lick that open area either. Clean it well with soap and water and apply a triple antibiotic ointment. It likely will heal on its own as long as he doesn’t continue to lick. I wish Buddy a speedy recovery!