My dog's spay incision opened a little. Is this normal or serious?

I received the picture that you forwarded to customer service. I presume the area that you are concerned about is the area outlined in red. When we close the skin with surgical glue, there can be a small amount of tissue that looks like it does in the picture. I don't see anything that is particularly concerning in that picture. Make sure to keep Mia rested and use an e-collar so she cannot lick at the incision. The area that you outlined should not look any larger and should not ooze any discharge. If there are any other concerns, please feel free to post another question with another picture and one of us will be happy to try to help you. I hope that was helpful! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello, & thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. While the antibiotics should prevent a real nasty infection from progressing, I would also recommend gently cleaning the area with dilute betadine and warm water. Add a couple of tablespoons of the betadine into 1/2 cup of warm water, & clean off any serum that has accumulated around the incision. Do not scrub the incision. Dry the area, & you can wrap her abdomen using an absorbant pad & either vetwrap or coban. Most general pharmacies will have all this. You can also place an infant t-shirt on her, tying up the bottom to cinch her just in front of the hindlegs. Keep the cone on, & clean the wound several times a day. If it is not healing or the discharge increases or changes in any way, see your vet immediately. Good luck with her, she should be fine in 7-10 days.

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.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. You should clean the wound with cotton buds and warm, boiled water 2-3 times a day until you see your vet. Putting a cone back on is an excellent idea too. Your vet will likely prescribe Apollyon an antibiotic cream and maybe will put a stitch or two to close the small opening in the wound.

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.

Thank you for providing a picture of Honey's incision, it's very helpful. Yes, I agree it does appear to have opened up, and I'm worried it could get infected since it has opened. She needs to see a vet asap to get this closed, and the vet may likely close it with surgical glue after examining it and cleaning it. The vet may also prescribe antibiotics. Please take her into a vet immediately. I hope this helps!

Sometimes skin incisions that were closed with glue will pucker at the very ends and open slightly. However, the middle pucker appears a little swollen. I would recommend that you take Chloe to a vet to check the incision. Usually the vet that performed the surgery will do brief incision checks at no charge. Sometimes another spot of glue is all that is needed to get it to heal properly. Sometimes the puckers are left open to heal on their own. If the vet finds signs of infection, oral antibiotics can be prescribed. Make sure that Chloe is not licking the incision. If you see her lick even once she needs to wear an e-collar or cone to prevent further opening of the incision. Also, she needs to still be on moderate activity restriction - even though this can be difficult in young puppies, encourage her to stay flat and not jump around too much. And no bathing for at least 1 week after surgery.