My dog was attacked. Is it safe to remove his cone after 5 days?

Hi there! I would recommend asking the vet who did his surgery how long you should leave the cone on. For my neuter patients, if absorbable sutures have been used for skin closure, I normally tell clients they can remove the cone after 10-14 days since the incision should be healed by then. The sutures themselves won't dissolve for a few more weeks, but it doesn't matter if the dog licks or chew them out before that, since the incision has already healed over. https://www.petcoach.co/article/surgery-on-your-pet-what-to-expect-before-and-after-the-pro/

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.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Max should wear the plastic cone and not be bathed/groomed for 10-14 days. I wouldn't take it off at bed time if there is ANY chance he will lick his incision. It is better to be safe than sorry. He will be fine. Good luck

Her incision should be healed by now so you should not need another cone. I would take that one off while you are home and make sure she's not licking the area. Distract her if she does, and if there are stitches and she's still going after them then you may need to get another cone and leave it on longer. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Luna.

I advise my patients to keep the cone on and decreased activity for 10-14 days. Also, the picture looks like maybe he was a cryptochid with 2 incisions? I would recommend being on the safe side and waiting 2 weeks before play with other dogs. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

It likely is just fine to take the cone off now. Cats are quick healers. However make sure you look at the incision site thoroughly for any areas that look troublesome and get them evaluated by your vet if seen. Otherwise enjoy your kitty Ayden and I hope things continue to go well with him : ) Take care

I usually suggest leaving the e-collar on for at least 2 weeks to avoid issues with licking. However, depending on the type of surgery Hei Hei had or if there are any complications with healing this time frame could be slightly shorter or longer. It would be best to call the veterinarian who performed the surgery to ask how long they suggest for whatever surgery Hei Hei had. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I'm wishing Hei Hei a speedy recovery from surgery!