How do vets choose stitch type and strength for my pet's surgery?

I am not sure if you are spaying your cat or if you vet it. I would recommend only have a vet who went through the proper schooling do the cat spay. Even though we consider spays routine they are intra-abdominal surgeries and have a risk associated with them. I would recommend having your vet decide what suture they want to use. The best suture will be one that the vet is familiar working with. hope that helps

I worked in Iraq at the Balad Air Base as an independent contractor vet. Yes, everything is difficult there! :) I agree! I am not familiar with the suture material you are describing except for the silk which I would not recommend you use for this procedure. First of all, silk is a multifilament suture and not indicated for a spay. Also, silk is considered a non-absorbable suture, you need an absorbable suture. Actually, silk does absorb but very slowly like >720 days!! So, it is highly likely to cause a suture reaction. So, the recommendation is to use an absorbable monofilament. I am not sure if one of the other sutures you mentioned fit that category so if you want to post again with a photo of the suture pack that may be more helpful. Hope this answers your question.

That depends on your surgeon whether there were internal sutures or not. You can always call them on tomorrow to be sure. But typically for dog neuters we do use internal sutures and skin glue on the outside. As long as the incision doesn't appear to be infected or skin separation at the incision site, then Scooby is likely healing just fine. Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and best of luck with your pet Scooby moving forward. Take care!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Using dissolvable or non-dissolvable sutures would not cause an incision to open. Other factors like movement and infection would. It sounds like Kane had a surgical complication that can happen with any surgery. I’m sorry he’s going through this but continue the treatment the doctor recommended and it should heal with time. Kisses to Kane!

Usually there three layers of stitches. One layer holds the body wall together, the next closes the subcuticular layer and the third layer closed the skin. The skin stitches can be put into the back of the skin so there are none showing. Sometimes skin stitches are on the outside of the skin and will need to be removed in ten to fourteen days. The buried stitches will dissolve over one to three months depending on the size and type of suture used. There will be some swelling as they dissolve and you often can feel them for a few months if you are feeling closely. Over time the scar will heal and you should no longer feel anything but the spay scar itself. The scar also will become softer and smoother over time so that often it is difficult to find. Since she’s a very small dog the sutures will be thinner and will be less noticeable sooner than on a big dog. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Precious.

"Thread" is not used for fracture repair. It is not durable enough and it poses too great a risk of failure and/or infection. Stainless steel wire, pins or plates and screws are typically used in repair.

Hi there. Often, losing a single suture a few days after surgery isn't a huge deal, especially if the incision still appears to be closed and there is no bleeding or drainage. But it's hard to say if this is a problem or not without being able to see it. If you want to, you can post a photo of the incision for us to look at - we may be able to give you a better idea of whether it needs any treatment.