Dog licking after stitches removed. Should I put the cone back on?

He should have been healed after about 2 weeks. If he never had an e-collar (cone) on, he was likely licking the area when you weren't around or during the night. This could have caused the delay in healing. Ideally, he should be seen by a veterinarian as soon as you can. An e-collar should be obtained and placed as soon as possible to prevent further licking. A small tee shirt or onesie may prevent licking until you get a proper e-collar. Antibiotics may be indicated to treat infection. A veterinarian can dispense them, if indicated, after an exam.

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.

The skin looks perfectly healed. However it will take a few months before the internal stitches have dissolved. So I would still put en e-collar on Bell as long as he attempts to lick the incision.

Oh Chandler, what a naughty kitty. They are so good at removing their cone! It looks like there is a little prolapsed tissue there likely from where he opened the incision. As long as he keeps his cone on overnight it will likely be okay to see you vet tomorrow. They can then make sure he doesn't need a suture and/or antibiotics. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

This happens all the time so don't beat yourself up. Put the cone back on immediately. Then gently wipe the incision with a warm, damp cloth and pat dry. Apply neosporin (or other antibiotic ointment) tonight and tomorrow morning, then keep your appointment for tomorrow. The vet may decide to wait to take the stitches out now that there is some inflammation involved. They may also prescribe oral antibiotics if they are worried that Diesel might have infected his incision. Or it may be perfectly fine and they will remove the stitches and you and Diesel will be on your way! Hope this helps and best of luck to you and Diesel!

Poor pup! That area is very inflamed and may be infected. Keep the dogs separated and make sure your dog wears his elizabethan collar at all times. Get him seen by his veterinarian within the next 24 hours as he may need antibiotics. Make sure to keep him from any activity as well such as running or jumping. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

As far as I can see the wound looks fine at this stage. Cone should be kept all times unfortunately, as licking can delay healing process and open up skin margins. There is no acceptable amount of licking, the wound can open up any time. 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. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!