Dog spay incision draining pus: How long is this normal after surgery?

Poor girl. She does apear to be taking a while to heal. If pus is present, then that is the reason for the delay in healing. The infection is not being controlled well with the antibiotics chosen. Another stronger antibiotic is needed here, so discuss this with your veterinarian. I do also see some granulation tissue there which is when the skin is trying to heal and close the incision. The wound still looks pretty fresh though, even though its been 3 weeks now. Based on what I see in the photo and your description, hydrotherapy of the area may be needed at this point, possible reclosure of the area with additional staples once these are removed, and a different antibiotic. I hope that this helps and best wishes getting this area to finally heal. Take care! : )

Hi and thanks for your request. The skin seems healing normally, the small gap is not concerning at this stage. the redness is due to mild inflammation. there are no indications of delayed or abnormal healing or infection. Please rest her as much as possible for the next 4-5 days and discourage any licking.

Hello, thank you for your question about your dog. Based on what you've described it sounds like he may have an infection secondary to his recent surgery, this is not uncommon. Typically, these infections due heal on their own with antibiotics, pain medication, and exercise restriction. The hole is actually a good thing as right now it is allowing the infected fluid to drain. It the hole does not heal or your dog continues to be lethargic or clinically ill I would definitely recommend having him rechecked by your veterinarian. They may need to flush out this area and help it close with additional stitches. Hope this helps, good luck!

The site itself looks good. No swelling, redness or bruising and it appears closed. The slight discharge does not appear to be frank blood. It looks like it may be fluid from a seroma. Seromas can occur after surgery. Continue to monitor the site, If the discharge increases or has a bad odor then see your veterinarian. Monitor Delilah for lethargy, fever, loss of appetite, vomiting or diarrhea. These are symptoms that should also be addressed by your vet. Keep an e-collar (cone) on her to prevent licking or chewing of the site. You can use a diluted betadine or Hibiclens solution around the site to keep the area clean.

It looks like there could be some inflammation at the site of the incision. That could be due to her body breaking down the sutures, or she caused some sort of trauma to the area. If she is acting normal and you don't feel any swelling around that area I would wait and see if it improves. But if there is swelling, drainage, or pain I would worry about a dehiscence (opening of the incision) which would be an emergency and she should see a vet immediately.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The incision looks inflammed, but this could be part of the normal healing process. If there is any discharge, OR if the wound looked better than this previously and is now looking MORE red than say Friday or Saturday, I would take her back to the vet right away. If it is steadily looking better, and she is eating, drinking, pooping and peeing normally, then you can continue to monitor it. Best of luck with Lilo.

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.