My skittish dog's spay incision looks red. What are e-collar alternatives?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The only thing I can't tell from the picture is if the skin is together at the red area. If it is then I think it is fine. The red area appears to be a scab or dried blood that will likely heal. Just be sure she isn't licking the incision (use an E-collar or T-shirt) and that you are keeping her exercise restricted (no running, jumping, stairs and leash walks outside only). Good luck!

Petco should have an inflatable collar that works like an e-collar. It looks a lot like an inflated inner tube and it helps keep her from being able to turn her head far enough to reach her incision site.

I am concerned that it looks like bruising, and that there appears to be a large scab over the incision. Neither of these things are particularly uncommon, but both warrant an exam by a veterinarian to ensure that there is no infection, fluid pockets, or bleeding that could occur after any surgery. Also, make sure that Sandy wears her e-collar at all times to prevent licking as this could make the possible issues even worse.

Hello, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It looks like that one focal area at the end of her spay incision is red, inflamed, and getting crusty. I definitely recommend having your vet take another look to make sure it's not getting infected, especially since that one spot looks dramatically different from the rest of the incision line (which appears to be healing nicely). Hope this helps!

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The red area next to his incision looks like some bruising that likely occurred due to trauma/pinching of the area during surgery. Bruising can worsen during the first 2-3 days following a procedure, but should start to improve after that time. The dried blood/crusting around his incision is not abnormal either. If Charlie Brown will tolerate it, you can gently wipe the crusting away using a damp wash cloth once daily, but not any more frequent than this. I definitely recommend keeping Charlie Brown's Elizabethan collar on AT ALL TIMES until his sutures are removed by your veterinarian to prevent him from licking at the area and causing trauma/increasing the risk of an incisional infection. If the bruising worsens after day 3-4 post-op, and/or you notice yellow/thick, foul-smelling discharge, and/or if any of the sutures seem to have fallen out, I recommend having Charlie Brown seen by your veterinarian right away. Otherwise, I recommend monitoring the area and keeping his E-collar on. Best of luck with Charlie Brown! And THANK YOU for neutering your pet!

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 area certainly looks less inflamed. As long as there is not discharge, heat, worsening of swelling, or pain I would not be overly concerned. I would keep her cone on until the inflammation is resolved. You do not need to clean the area overly as this can cause more irritation to the skin. The incision itself looks healed but has areas of irritation. This should resolve, if not I would be worried about a suture reaction or incisional infection and then she should certainly see a veterinarian.