My dog's hernia stitches aren't dissolving and are infected. What to do?

While it can take a long time for sutures to dissolve, and may cause some swelling or irritation, if the area is still very inflamed, is bothering Mikasa, you're seeing sutures actually coming out of the incision site through the skin, or the area is hot to the touch or lumpy, I'd get a second opinion from another vet. It's possible there is an ongoing reaction under the skin that needs to be addressed, or the sutures removed and the area examined to check for other causes. Until you can get to the vet, making sure to keep the area clean and dry to prevent infection, and keeping Mikasa from licking at it is best.

No, it will slowly dissolve and disappear with time. Some sutures can last for months at a time, so don't worry! If it seems to be irritating his skin, you can have your vet cut it out if you like. Hope that helps!

The stitches are usually removed 10-14 days after surgery. The vet that did the surgery should remove the sutures at no cost. I suggest you have them check the incision and remove the sutures if needed. The incision looks fine on the photo you provided but you need to stop him from chewing at it until you get them removed. You can purchase a cone collar at any local petstore to stop him from chewing. ( https://www.amazon.com/Total-Pet-Health-Elizabethan-Collars/dp/B00FXKSV3K )

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! No, non-dissolving stitches aren’t used UNDER the skin and always dissolve. What is likely happening is that Rocky is reacting to the suture as it breaks down. It happens somewhat often. It takes several months for the suture to dissolve completely. I would warm compress the area and give it time. Watch for secondary infection and any protruding suture. You can always send us a picture as well in another post. Good luck!

Hello, sorry to hear about Lucy. It is difficult to comment on this because it is not detailed where and how this Nylon suture was used. Nylon suture can be and is regularly used to close the skin on surgical sites. These however, need to be removed once the incision has healed. Dissolvable sutures are most often used when closing any organ, body wall, or subcutaneous tissue and skin, and don't need to be removed unless they cause an allergic reaction or if the site becomes infected. Nylon sutures could've been removed after her surgery was healed, and that waiting 6 months was probably too long, however this should've been better assessed by your veterinarian. Having the sutures left there longer may predispose them to developing infections and local reactions. However, this can be seen both with nylon and dissolvable sutures and its one of the risk known with any suture material. Hope Lucy recovers well and best of luck!

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.

It takes several months for dissolvable sutures to fully break down. While this happens, it's not uncommon for a suture end to poke through the skin. Since Willow's incision has healed fully a month after surgery, it's perfectly fine to trim the end of suture that's sticking out. Obviously, take care not to accidentally cut Willow!