Dog's surgery wound reopened. Emergency vet or wait for appointment?

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.

it is hard to say if this can heal without putting another stitch in. If you cannot keep your dog still, then this will indeed need another stitch or staple to hold the wound edges together and especially not enlarge. It is also very important to keep an e-collar on her so she cannot lick the incision. Keeping her calm would be essential and you may have to crate her in order to achieve that.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The incision is open indeed and it will require stapling or re-suturing. A visit at your local vets or emergency service is required as this wound should not be left like this till Monday. If you clean the wound with antiseptic skin solution (ideally containing 4% chlorhexidine, for example Hibiclens) and make sure Chase does not lick the incision, you can wait and see your local vets tomorrow. Alternatively, you should try and get Chase seen at your local 24/7 vets this evening.

Keep an e-collar (cone) on her to prevent licking. Restrict activity as much as possible. As long as there is no active bleeding, Lilo can likely wait until your veterinarian is available. If there is active bleeding, discharge, lethargy or fever then have her seen at the nearest veterinary ER.

You can keep it clean with salt water (1 liter of water 10 teaspoons of salt) until tomorrow and then take Jess to your veterinarian. No need to rush. A buster collar would be useful to avoid any licking. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

I would not touch it. Make sure she has an Elizabethan collar on so she doesn’t bite at it. I would call your vet in the morning to have them evaluate the incision to make sure it is completely closed. They may just have you keep the collar on for another 5 days. The incision is healing well according to the picture. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It looks like the area is pretty irritated again. Until you can get back in for an appointment, it is best to place the Elizabethan collar back onto Tiffany and keep the wound as clean and dry as possible. This can help reduce irritation and prevent any infections from worsening until your vet can take another look. If it is very red and swollen, they may also recommend antibiotics in addition to another round of pain meds.