Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!
Become a member today!
Members-only pricing and offers, personalized care notifications, Vital Care points back on every purchase and more!
Already a member? Sign in
Become a credit card member today!
Earn 2X Pals Rewards points at Petco
when you use Petco Pay!
APPLY NOW
Learn More About Petco Pay Benefits

My dog's umbilical hernia stitches are swollen. Is this normal?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 10 lbs

Hi! My dog had an umbilical hernia surgery on Wednesday, she has been peeing, eating, and acting normal. There’s some swelling the the left side of her stitches. I was wondering if this is normal, or if I should take her back to her vet? Thank you so much.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Elizabeth

Veterinarian

Published on April 30th, 2022

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.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Smart Picks for Smart Questions

Related Questions

Health & Wellness

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

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.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Health & Wellness

My puppy's neuter/hernia surgery incision is swollen. Is it normal?

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!

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

My puppy's umbilical hernia repair looks swollen. Is it reopened?

I can certainly understand how hard it is to keep a puppy calm and quiet! This swelling may be caused by a seroma, which is an accumulation of fluid that occurs when a dog is too active after surgery. Without seeing it in person, I can't say for certain, but it would be best that Tucker is seen by a vet tomorrow for it.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

My dog's spay stitches look like they could pull out. Is that normal?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Minnie. The stitches are not very tight, but that can be to accommodate any swelling of the skin post-surgically. As long as she is prevented from licking the incision, it should be fine. If however, the stitches come out or the incision opens up, then she will need to see her veterinarian. I hope this information helps!

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Health & Wellness

My dog's stitches look good, but incision is swollen. Is it normal?

This does look quite swollen and would be worthwhile having it rechecked and a small sample drawing to rule out infection and to determine if any additional treatment is required. It can occasionally require revision and restitching to close the pocket of swelling if persistent as the skin becomes stretched

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

My dog was neutered. Is this much swelling normal after surgery?

It doesn't appear that there is much swelling other than between the sutures here, and I don't see any discharge/leakage from the incision. If he is acting normally/normal energy and there is no leakage from the area I don't think this is an emergency, but I would recommend getting it looked at in the next day or so. He could be having a suture reaction which can cause inflammation/irritation to the incision site. I would put an e-collar on him at all times if he doesn't already have one, to prevent him from causing any trauma, and you can put an ice pack over the area to decrease swelling- just be sure to cover it with a cloth because the incision can't get damp/wet. If you don't want to drive back to Banfield, any vet office should be able to examine the incision, they will just want to charge an exam fee, which may be worth it so you don't have to drive so far!

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

My kitten has a lump after hernia surgery. Is it normal 4 days later?

This looks swollen but it can be a normal reaction to the dissolvable sutures under the skin. If the hernia opened up the swelling would be able to be pushed into the abdomen. If the swelling is firm it’s most likely a suture reaction. Be patient. This should go down a little every day and it may take a week or two to get flat. If it’s not going down or you can push the swelling into the abdomen then please take her for a recheck. If she was too active the inside stitches may have broken and the inside incision opened up. Then it would need to be closed again. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Symphony.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Share