My dog's spay stitches look like they could pull out. Is that normal?

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! :)

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!

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.

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, my name is Dr. Shines and I’m happy to help. Yes, I would call the veterinarian and ask about getting Minnie back in for an exam to check the site. This could be a suture reaction, a reoccurrence of the hernia or an infection. Gently press around on the sides of the incision. If it seems painful, you identify any discharge coming out of the incision, or if there are sutures missing from the incision, have Minnie examined today. If Minnie is acting normal, eating well and the incision seems ok, it’s probably fine to wait until Monday unless something worsens. Make sure Minnie is wearing an Elizabethan collar at all times to prevent any licking. Make sure to significantly restrictor activity. No running, jumping, walks or playtime. She needs to be as still as possible. If she moves excessively, she will cause the sutures to tear at the tissue and this will delay healing, cause more swelling and sometimes cause pain. I hope this helps and please feel free to reach out with any additional questions.

Yes this is normal. The stitches underneath the skin can cause swelling like you are seeing while they are getting dissolved by the body, The incision itself is healing nicely. She may have this swelling for several weeks before it goes down completely. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Minnie.

What you're seeing looks like the tail end of suture material popping out from under the skin. I would not be worried or fuss with it too much. The incision looks well healed, but you might want to take Luna to the vet to have that piece of suture removed.