Dog's umbilical hernia incision red, discharging, scratching. Normal?

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.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The red area next to his incision looks like some bruising that likely occurred due to trauma/pinching of the area during surgery. Bruising can worsen during the first 2-3 days following a procedure, but should start to improve after that time. The dried blood/crusting around his incision is not abnormal either. If Charlie Brown will tolerate it, you can gently wipe the crusting away using a damp wash cloth once daily, but not any more frequent than this. I definitely recommend keeping Charlie Brown's Elizabethan collar on AT ALL TIMES until his sutures are removed by your veterinarian to prevent him from licking at the area and causing trauma/increasing the risk of an incisional infection. If the bruising worsens after day 3-4 post-op, and/or you notice yellow/thick, foul-smelling discharge, and/or if any of the sutures seem to have fallen out, I recommend having Charlie Brown seen by your veterinarian right away. Otherwise, I recommend monitoring the area and keeping his E-collar on. Best of luck with Charlie Brown! And THANK YOU for neutering your pet!

Hello, thank you for your question about Pablo. Based on the photo that you have attached I am worried that Pablo may have caused a skin infection around his surgical incision. The area appears very red and inflamed and I can also appreciate some discharge. I would recommend having Pablo seen by a veterinarian so that they can further evaluate the area and discuss treatment options. If left untreated skin infections can sometimes compromise the healing of his incision. Hope this helps, good luck!

Hello. Thanks for the picture. Things look pretty good. It is a little irritated at the top, but the majority of the incision looks perfect. I would just clean away any discharge with a little warm water & not fuss too much with things. Once the staples are out, everything will calm down & heal well. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Theo. From your picture, it appears to be healing normally. That being said, pictures can be deceiving. I recommend taking him to your veterinarian for a quick peek. They will gently clean the incision site to ensure that it is healing normally and the tissue is healthy underneath the scab. In the meantime, do not allow him to lick the area. I hope this information helps!

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The photo looks like there is a little crusted discharge around the incision, which is OK. As long as the swelling continues to stay down, and you don't see yellow, thick, purulent liquid coming from the incision site, he will likely be OK. Winston should absolutely be wearing an Elizabethan collar (cone collar) AT ALL TIMES until his sutures are removed. It is best to restrict his activity too so that he is not stretching or pulling at his stitches. I hope this is helpful!

Hello. There is probably a small piece of suture material that was used to close the tissue under the skin, trying to poke out. Oft times, this will eventually close up on its own, & there is no danger that Max will totally open things up, but it is probably a good idea to show this to the vet that did the surgery just in case an antibiotic is called for. No emergency, just have this looked at in the next few days. Until then, just clean the area gently with a skin antiseptic containing chlorhexidine ( we have Hibiclens here in the US ) 2-3 times a day. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.