How to relieve my puppy's itchiness after surgery with a cone?

I am afraid the itch is the wound trying to heal. Anything that would stop the itching would likely also hinder healing. I actually think the woulnd is irritating him and a natural reaction to that is to lick the wound. Of course we need to keep him from licking the wound and contaminating it with nasty mouth bacteria as well as opening the wound. So, Priat will need to be brave and plow through having a e-collar or wearing the doggy jacket. It will keep him from licking and so facilitates healing. The pain and itching should be gone in a few days (DO NOT take off the jacket until your vet says so). He will get used to it and be a good boy.

Typically I recommend an anti-histamine like Benadryl or a pet formulate NSAID (such as Rimadyl(Carprofen) or Meloxicam) to help with potential pain at the incision site. It isn't advised to place anything directly on the incision as this can seep through the incision lining and cause infection. I would also recommend keeping an e-collar (cone) on your pet to prevent licking and scratching at the area that can lead to opening of the incision and infection as well. If there are obvious bumps or open lesions on the skin then this should also be treated with an antibiotic (oral) prescribed by your vet.

Thumps is certainly lucky to have an owner that is so attentive to her. It sounds like you are doing everything right. The most important things after surgery are to make sure that the area stays clean and dry. If the area does not feel wet, then Thumps may have just has a small amount of oozing around the stitches that has dried. If the incision appears red, swollen or painful, I would certainly have it examined. The only other idea I have for when you go back to work would be to put a T-shirt on Thumps to prevent her from scratching the stitches with her back legs if that becomes a problem. Otherwise, I think having her in the cone in a kennel should be perfect. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Poor Ems! You can certainly apply a little neosporin or coconut oil to the area to help soothe it. Make sure she isn't trying to lick it. If you clean it, just gently wipe the area and do not scrub. I think warm water only is perfect! You can also try benadryl twice a day to help with the itching. See link below. I hope this helps! https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/benadryl/#!

Sometimes an oatmeal based shampoo helps with itching (do not bathe your puppy until at least 10-25 days after her surgery). For flea control there are both OTC and prescription options as well as topical and oral. Depending on his frequently they are bathed, tolerance of topical application and other factors your veterinarian could recommend which product(s) work best for your situation. If you need something now most pet supply stores have products like Frontline or Advantage topical a which work well. It is important their environment is treated as well to prevent fleas. Also if either dog has a skin infection from scratching (which happens often in these cases) your veterinarian will often prescribe antibiotics for their skin.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. This could also be mange for instance and an exam and diagnostics would be needed to know for sure. You can buy a cone though that is only going to temporarily help and the cause of the itchiness still needs to be worked up to get that resolved. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

This presentation could be due to a localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria or fungal). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics or antifungal meds (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection can eventually be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths twice daily for the next 4-5 days. Buster collar may be useful again as well to avoid any licking/scratching (if any) . Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.