Why is my dog's spay incision black with pus and not healing?

Based on the photos you provided, I would highly suspect that this is from a burn (temperature or chemical). If your veterinarian used heating discs, a heating blanket or a heating table during surgery, the temperature may have been too high and could have lead to these burns developing. I've seen this happen at my clinic where a technician used a blow drier to heat up a patient because the temperature was too low on the dog and the dog developed severe burns. I would treat them as burns (antibiotic therapy, pain medications and keeping the area clean) and wait for the scabs to fall off and the tissue to heal. I would seek a second opinion from a dermatologist as well in regards to this and whether or not Laly should be on immunosuppressant drugs for this as it may be a condition in which these are not needed. Again, the location, pattern and appearance have me suspicious of a burn. 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.

The wound appears very superficial in the picture and I would leave it open to the air without dressing. Manuka honey and saline washes once daily may help if it becomes crusted. It is possibly due to a reaction to suture material which although rare can occur (surgical repair is a last resort as healing can be slow!)

The fact that there is a hole now and pus is draining is actually good. All the dead cells from the infection need to be purged, and that is happening now. This should not take longer than three days, and then the hole should heal and the reddening should go away as well as the swelling. Should the the hole get much bigger, or the discharge turn greenish or smelly and the skin not lose the swelling and redness by Friday, I suggest you take Harley back to your vet on Friday. Make sure she cannot lick the incision as this introduces new bacteria and keeps it from healing.

Hi there. I would try cleaning it with some mild soap and warm water. She may be having a reaction to the suture material. As long as their incision is still holding together, and Aisha is acting normally, just clean and keep a close eye on her. Without seeing a photo I can't offer much more than that, but feel free to send a photo if you'd like more detailed advice. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

No, unfortunately there is no ointment that will keep the incision closed. Ideally, she should be rechecked by your veterinarian. The most common reasons for sutures to fail are too much activity and licking the incision. If an e-collar (cone) is not in place, put one on her immediately and keep it on until she is healed. Restrict her activity as well. Keep her crated, if necessary, to prevent running, jumping or rough play. Leash walk her when she has to go out.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is in fact concerning given the fact that it has not improved much. At this point, I would consider performing a culture of this discharge to check for evidence of a resistant infection that may be present so that targeted therapy such as the right antibiotic can be used. I would recommend you check in with your veterinarian again. Best of luck!

The whole story sounds a little weird to me, it just sounds as she might need an antibiotic course, this should resolve both problems. my only concern would be if the internal stitches did not hold, that is very rare and could cause a lot of problems of course, but i would definitely wait more than 48 hours unless some other more severe symptoms are showing.