My dog had hip surgery. Is her incision infected? What should I do?

It's difficult to tell from just a picture. The skin is definitely discolored, but this could be from the surgical prep (iodine), or from dried blood. If the skin is not stained, then this would be abnormal and would indicate bruising or an infection. You can test for stained skin by gently wiping the skin with a little hydrogen peroxide. Avoid wiping the incision (the middle) and just wipe the edges. If it's staining, then the redness will start to be lifted with just a couple of wipes. If the wiping is unsuccessful at removing the discoloration, then it's likely bruising or infection and I'd recommend he get checked by the vet in the next 24 hours. I hope that helps and all is well with your dog.

Hello. This may need to be rechecked by the surgeon. There is some redness extending out on each side which can indicate that it is infected. I would expect it to look more healed after 8 days, so it is possible that there is some infection which is delaying the healing. I would recommend a recheck visit or possibly calling to let them know that it still seems painful . They may be able to look at your photos and determine if they want to see him or dispense any medication.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. This appears to be an old wound that is healing. This could have been secondary to a burn. Sometimes when heating devices / objects are used during surgery, these can cause a blister if left on too long. I would contact the veterinarian who did the surgery and ask him / her if any heating objects were used in this region. It looks as though it is healing well so I would just monitor it for now and if you notice any signs of infection (swelling, redness, pus, pain) I would have the veterinarian assess the area. As for the tail, I would recommend using a topical medication such as Zymox topical ointment to apply to the affected area 2-3 times per day until resolved. If there is no improvement, I would recommend having the tail assessed by the veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Thank you for contacting Pet Coach with your question about IIsie. The top half of the incision looks like it's healing beautifully. You can see some redness and if the staples are tighter at the bottom of the incision, it could account for the swelling. I agree there are no signs of infection from the picture, so continue to monitor the incision for now. If the area gets redder, more swollen, and/or you see other signs of infection, then I would be concerned and have her seen by a vet. I hope this helps!

I'm sorry Brutus had to have surgery for his CCL recently! From the pictures, it looks like it's healing well at the moment, and I'm not seeing any sign of infection. It's normal to have a slight bloody discharge, and I would be concerned if there was pus, or if the incision was red, swollen, or warm to the touch. Should you see those signs that I've mentioned, that indicates infection, and I would take him into the vet. Hopefully he continues to heal well. Good luck, I hope this helps!

The site is inflamed and this may be a tissue reaction, at the site of the previous injury. I would suggest to have it checked as there may be even a piece of suture material still inside. It is difficult to give you more specific advices from the picture as a physical examination would be essential in this case to be able to determine what is going on.

Thank you for providing a picture of Maci's incision. It doesn't look infected to me, and it looks like it's healing well. If you had the flash on, that may affect the appearance in the picture, but to me it looks good. If you are concerned it's infected, then you need to take her into a vet now to get it treated. Best of luck.