My dog just got neutered. Is ear scratching with a cone too much?

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!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Max should wear the plastic cone and not be bathed/groomed for 10-14 days. I wouldn't take it off at bed time if there is ANY chance he will lick his incision. It is better to be safe than sorry. He will be fine. Good luck

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It still looks mostly healed so I think it would be fine to monitor for now. If another scab forms then I would make sure to not her scratch it off. You can try to keep her from it by using dog "shorts" you may find online to try to cover that area. Hopefully, this continues to heal without problems. If it becomes a recurrent issue or it develops a discharge with a foul odor concerning for an infection, have her evaluated by a veterinarian then. Good luck!

Thank you for your question about Lucky. Yes, Lucky needs to wear the cone at all times until the incision is completely healed. If he leaves it alone, there is a high likelihood that it will heal on its own. It takes roughly 10-14 days to heal an incision and he damaged it around around day 10 so that is going to delay things a bit. Check the incision daily for redness, swelling or discharge. If you see this, he needs to go to the veterinarian for a likely infection from licking. Keep the incision clean and dry. Don’t worry about putting anything on it. It will likely form a new scab and will continue the healing process. I do recommend to have him checked by his veterinarian in about 1 week. I hope you found this helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The red area next to his incision looks like some bruising that likely occurred due to trauma/pinching of the area during surgery. Bruising can worsen during the first 2-3 days following a procedure, but should start to improve after that time. The dried blood/crusting around his incision is not abnormal either. If Charlie Brown will tolerate it, you can gently wipe the crusting away using a damp wash cloth once daily, but not any more frequent than this. I definitely recommend keeping Charlie Brown's Elizabethan collar on AT ALL TIMES until his sutures are removed by your veterinarian to prevent him from licking at the area and causing trauma/increasing the risk of an incisional infection. If the bruising worsens after day 3-4 post-op, and/or you notice yellow/thick, foul-smelling discharge, and/or if any of the sutures seem to have fallen out, I recommend having Charlie Brown seen by your veterinarian right away. Otherwise, I recommend monitoring the area and keeping his E-collar on. Best of luck with Charlie Brown! And THANK YOU for neutering your pet!

Jack is so cute, but it sounds like he is being quite naughty lately! I would tape the socks to his legs to keep him from pulling them off. Make sure the tape is tight enough to keep the socks up, but not so tight that it cuts off blood supply. You can look at getting him dog boots from the pet store to keep his claws covered. Finally, you can put a loose t-shirt over him to keep the incision safe. This combined with the socks should help. Best of luck!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! You may use it though I still recommend the cone over this option. The reason is that they can still lick through the sock and cause issues with the incision. Best of luck!