My dog's neuter wound is open, watery, with maggots. What to do?

Hello. I have never heard of leaving a dog neuter incision open like this. We do it in cats & horses, but not dogs. If this is your veterinarians practice, then he should have sent home a Elizabethan cone to prevent Cutty from getting to & licking the incision. Personally, I do not like the way it looks & really think it needs to be cleaned up & sutured closed. Until you can see your vet, please purchase a protective collar to keep him from licking & clean the area 2-3 times daily with a povidone-iodine or chlorhexidine skin cleanser. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This warrants a veterinary evaluation for further assessment and treatment. This is most likely going to require stitches though that would be determined with an examination. Good luck and have a good night!

Poor Ben! You should keep the ecollar on as a deterrent to lo licking, keep the area as clean and dry as possible and you can try warm compressing the area. Do not give human medication as it can be very toxic. You should continue with your plan to see his veterinarian tomorrow.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It does look like it may be infected. I recommend that you have him evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They can flush it and clean it well and start him on antibiotics. He will get better on the right therapy. They can also examine him for possible causes of vomiting such as gastroenteritis and perhaps start him on something for nausea. Have a good night!

Unfortunately, there is no way to share photos on the forum, but you can request a consult with an expert online to share as many photos are you'd like and receive more in-depth help. After almost a week of healing, the wound shouldn't be opening back up, so I would have Kane seen by a vet to check this out. It may need to be closed again with more surgical glue or staples.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! At least based on these pictures, this looks almost healed. It just has a small area that appears to be close to healing but not quite. While neosporin is ok, I think the main thing to make it completely heal is making sure that he is unable to get to it and chew or lick at it. Please make sure to use an e-collar to try to prevent this. If you are able to keep him from getting to his incision, I think you should be able to get it to heal. You can continue to use the neosporin as that may speed up the healing process. However, make sure to not pick at any scabs as that will usually delay healing. Good luck and have a good night!

Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The incision appears to be closed, although it isn't a pretty incision, it is functional. : )There is one area that has a pustule (infected pocket) there, but it should heal with the antibiotics that he is on. This is a common thing that occurs in pets that have a mild reaction to the sutures or staples placed, nothing serious to be concerned about at this time. So far, this looks to be healing appropriately. : ) Keep an eye on the pustule there, it may rupture, and if it does just wipe it with a clean dry towel and make sure the incision does not get wet in any way. Also ensure that Waffles keeps his e-collar on at all times to avoid him getting to the incision and potentially taking out staples, which could cause this to open up. With the antibiotics on board, the incision and pustule should heal completely by day 10. Keep an eye out also for any profuse drainage, separation of the incision line, or increased redness, and get this rechecked by your vet sooner if seen. For now, things look quite stable. : ) I hope that Waffles continue to heal well post neuter. Best of luck and take care.