My dog's neuter incision is leaking blood. Do I need an emergency vet?

Thank you for the picture of Apollo's incision, it's very helpful. I agree the incision does look a bit swollen and red, and I'm concerned there is some bleeding. Please feel the skin area, and if it's warm as well, he needs to see an ER vet immediately. Otherwise, wait until the morning and take him in then. Should the area keep swelling during the night, it keeps bleeding, and/or he becomes lethargic, then rush him into an ER vet right away. I hope this helps!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. From your pictures you have provided, I would strongly suggest taking Buddy in to have the neuter incision rechecked. It looks infected and looks as though the wound will open up further. The sooner this is seen the better. 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. This likely needs to be cleaned up and Buddy needs to be on an oral antibiotic.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Chulo. Hemorrhaging is a life threatening surgical complication that typically occurs relatively soon after the surgery. The patient becomes weak, pale and very lethargic. If he has any of these signs, then you need to seek emergency care right away. If he is eating, drinking and acting like himself, then it is more likely that he has some post-surgical swelling and bruising of the scrotum. The incision site itself appears to be healing well. I recommend following up with his veterinarian to ensure he does not require additional treatment. For example, some dogs that are too active will require mild sedatives to keep them quiet and allow their body to heal. I hope this information helps!

That does look a bit concerning with the blood, and if Agno is hunching or acting painful (with the quick steps and then sitting), I'd worry that it is bothering him. I would use a warm washcloth compress for 10-15 minutes to help reduce any pain or swelling and also to clean up the area gently so you can see if there is extra discharge or swelling. If this causes him pain, there is discharge that is discolored, green, or yellow, or the site is opening back up again, a trip to the vet is best to treat any infection and make sure the surgery site is healing properly. Until you can get to the vet, strict kennel rest (leashed walks only) is best to help reduce pain and prevent any open wounds from tearing further.

This is likely very normal and don't panic! try to keep him from licking at the incision. Some skin incisions are left to heal completely open and do just fine. A tiny amount of blood is not a concern. If he starts to have a very large amount of swelling in the scrotal sac where the testicles are, this is more of a concern.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If the incision was well-healed there would not be an issue with him going outside. However, bleeding from it is not expected at this point so far out from the surgery. For that reason, before letting him outside and returning to normal activity, I would recommend you have reevaluated by your veterinarian to make sure that he truly is doing well with his healing. Good luck and have a great day!

Thank you for the picture of his incision, it's very helpful. After 12 days, the incision should be fully healed, and in the picture, it doesn't look red, swollen, or infected. There is an area in the middle that looks a little open, and that may be from him pulling at the stitches, but it doesn't look fully open. I would put a cone back on him to keep him from pulling at the stitches more, and take him to a regular vet if you can on Monday to get the rest of them removed. There isn't a need for an emergency vet at this point in time. If you cannot get him into another vet on Monday, you can wait until Tuesday to see his normal vet as long his incision doesn't become infected or open up more. Again, keep a cone on him to keep him for getting at the stitches. I hope this helps!