Dog spay incision healing: Are staples and black stitches normal?

You can keep staples in for as long as needed, as long as they are not causing any irritation / other problems. I would agree with the vet and keep those in a little while longer. I would not place another staple in that area though. The incision appears to be intact still based on the picture. However, if the picture does not show how open it is, then I would have the vet take a look at this and make that decision on whether or not another staple should be placed.

Peroxide can hinder healing and there are enough staples out that I would be concerned the skin is going to reopen/tear from movement. I would try to get her into your vet or an ER vet ASAP to have a few extra staples/surgical glue put in to prevent the remainder from pulling apart. In the meantime, you can keep the area clean and debris-free with a clean washcloth and limit ALL activity (leashed walks outside to go potty, kennel rest, etc) to minimize pulling apart the skin as it heals.

Hello there! Scabbing over the stitches is pretty normal, however a gap at the top might be a stitch from under the skin poking out. The stitches that go into the muscle layer after a spay are absorbable, but sometimes the body treats them like any other foreign substance (think splinters) and tries to reject them before they get a chance to absorb (which can take 90-200 days). If you truly see a hole in her incision line, I recommend bringing her back to the vet to see if a subcutaneous stitch needs to be removed. This would not likely require anesthesia, but it's not something that you should do at home. Good luck, and I hope that Snowball continues to do well! :)

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! : )

It takes several months for dissolvable sutures to fully break down. While this happens, it's not uncommon for a suture end to poke through the skin. Since Willow's incision has healed fully a month after surgery, it's perfectly fine to trim the end of suture that's sticking out. Obviously, take care not to accidentally cut Willow!

Actually, it could be stitches, depending on what kind of material they used for that layer (we close abdominal incisions in 3 individual layers). Or it could be scar tissue. Either way, if it isn’t causing any issues, just let it be! :) If it seems to be causing discomfort or swelling, then it needs to be examined by a vet.

That looks like it's healing pretty well at this stage. Keep an eye on it for any redness, bleeding, seeping, swelling or her feeling sick or lethargic. Keep her confined, going outside only on a leash and only long enough to go potty for another week or so until she heals completely.