My dog's spay stitches have pus. Can I clean it or wait for the vet?

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! : )

Based on the photos you provided, I would highly suspect that this is from a burn (temperature or chemical). If your veterinarian used heating discs, a heating blanket or a heating table during surgery, the temperature may have been too high and could have lead to these burns developing. I've seen this happen at my clinic where a technician used a blow drier to heat up a patient because the temperature was too low on the dog and the dog developed severe burns. I would treat them as burns (antibiotic therapy, pain medications and keeping the area clean) and wait for the scabs to fall off and the tissue to heal. I would seek a second opinion from a dermatologist as well in regards to this and whether or not Laly should be on immunosuppressant drugs for this as it may be a condition in which these are not needed. Again, the location, pattern and appearance have me suspicious of a burn. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There is nothing you can do at home other than keeping the area around it as clean as possible. This warrants a veterinary evaluation as soon as possible to try to prevent an infection. Best of luck!

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.

This is a pustule probably from a buried suture knot. The suture is absorbable but it takes several months to dissolve and sometimes the knot can cause irritation and a small infected pustule. I recommend taking Patti to your veterinarian and they can feel if there is suture left in the incision. It can be removed now that the incision is healed. Generally when the pustule is opened the knot is exposed and can be cut off and removed with suture scissors. Then the skin will be cleaned and it should heal up quickly once the knot is gone. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Patti Mayonnaise.

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.

I cannot speak for your vet but Spays are sterile procedures. This means it is done in a sterile bacteria free area. Sometimes patients can have suture reactions or inflammation around the surgery site secondary to movement. Also sometimes mild discharge if clear in color is not actually a bacterial infection. The clear discharge can be just secondary to the inflammation and reaction. However at anytime if you see green/yellow discharge, heat around the incision, increase in patients temperature or the incision separating I would recommend taking Lexi back to the vet for possible antibiotics and a close exam of the incision. I hope that helps and Lexi makes a speedy recovery.