My dog's surgery staples are red and bulging. Should they be removed?

It looks like the wound is separating a bit, and perhaps one of the staples has pulled through the skin, but it is difficult to tell from a photo. There appears to be a little bit of redness/discharge which can sometimes indicate infection. I don't think this is an emergency but I would recommend having your vet examine the incision when they are next open. If your dog is licking at the area then placing an e-collar on him to stop this, or if you do not have one trying to put a long sleeved shirt on him so that he cannot lick at the area and further cause damage until your vet can see him. Best of luck to you!

Thank you for contacting Pet Coach with your question about IIsie. The top half of the incision looks like it's healing beautifully. You can see some redness and if the staples are tighter at the bottom of the incision, it could account for the swelling. I agree there are no signs of infection from the picture, so continue to monitor the incision for now. If the area gets redder, more swollen, and/or you see other signs of infection, then I would be concerned and have her seen by a vet. I hope this helps!

Hello, my name is Dr. Shines and I am happy to help. I agree that the incision does not look normal. I do recommend to have him examine today. They may need to place some staples and potentially give him an antibiotic. In my experience, the donut collars do not do a very good job of protecting the incision from licking. I recommend to switch to a regular, hard plastic Elizabethan collar. Ideally, these areas are not wrapped either. Keeping them open to the air is best for healing. If he can reach the area with his back legs to scratch, they to make surgery suits for them to wear and this would probably be less compression and allow more airflow. Also make sure his activity is severely restricted. No walks, jumping, running or vigorous play. Minimize stairs and outside on a leash only. The more he moves around, the more it pulls at the incision. I hope this helps and please feel free to reach out with any additional questions.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The area will still continue to heal without the staple. Monitor daily for redness, swelling, discharge, or heat. If you notice that, return to the vet for further evaluation. Kisses to Lucky!

I would get him in sooner than Friday to have that seen. The fluid can be drained with a needle so that the swelling can go down without compromising the suture line. I worry that if it continues to swell, the skin could slough and leave him with a large open wound. Call your vet tomorrow and find out if he can be seen.

Hello. This may need to be rechecked by the surgeon. There is some redness extending out on each side which can indicate that it is infected. I would expect it to look more healed after 8 days, so it is possible that there is some infection which is delaying the healing. I would recommend a recheck visit or possibly calling to let them know that it still seems painful . They may be able to look at your photos and determine if they want to see him or dispense any medication.

The site is inflamed and this may be a tissue reaction, at the site of the previous injury. I would suggest to have it checked as there may be even a piece of suture material still inside. It is difficult to give you more specific advices from the picture as a physical examination would be essential in this case to be able to determine what is going on.