Is my puppy's hernia surgery wound healing right after scab fell off?

Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I do see one little scabby area at the lower part of the incision, but otherwise it appears closed and healing well. Just to be on the safe side I would recommend waiting a full another 4-5 days before bathing to allow the scab to fall off. Continue to monitor this area for any discharge or separation of the skin. Also that swelling on the left side should be evaluated by your vet if it doesn’t resolve, just to make sure it isn’t another hernia. Mild suture reactions just below the skin can also cause swelling, which is usually firm and doesn’t depress when pushing down on it. I hope this helps and best wishes with your pet Aspen. Take care.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Theo. From your picture, it appears to be healing normally. That being said, pictures can be deceiving. I recommend taking him to your veterinarian for a quick peek. They will gently clean the incision site to ensure that it is healing normally and the tissue is healthy underneath the scab. In the meantime, do not allow him to lick the area. I hope this information helps!

If a hernia is repaired surgically, there is always a small chance that it will herniate again at some point of time in the life of the dog, obviously more care needs to be taken up to 10 days after the surgery to prevent from the wound and sutures to open.

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 )

That bit of scabbing is normal and no cause for concern. There is no redness, major swelling, bleeding or discharge. She will still need to be restricted in activity for another 4-6 weeks after suture removal.

If the incision is still closed, I'd just keep an eye on it, checking it two to three times a days. Should the incision open, then I would worry and have him seen by a vet right away to get it closed again. I hope this helps.

Hello, my name is Dr. Shines and I am happy to help. I agree that the incision does not look normal. I do recommend to have him examine today. They may need to place some staples and potentially give him an antibiotic. In my experience, the donut collars do not do a very good job of protecting the incision from licking. I recommend to switch to a regular, hard plastic Elizabethan collar. Ideally, these areas are not wrapped either. Keeping them open to the air is best for healing. If he can reach the area with his back legs to scratch, they to make surgery suits for them to wear and this would probably be less compression and allow more airflow. Also make sure his activity is severely restricted. No walks, jumping, running or vigorous play. Minimize stairs and outside on a leash only. The more he moves around, the more it pulls at the incision. I hope this helps and please feel free to reach out with any additional questions.