Is it safe to groom my dog after spay surgery with visible stitches?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Molly. No, you do not want to bathe her while her stitches are still in as her skin is not completely healed yet. I usually recommend waiting about 24-48 hours after the stitches have been removed. If she has soiled her suture site, then spot clean the area with a damp cloth. I hope this information helps!

We normally recommend waiting 2 weeks after surgery before bathing/getting the incision wet. If you are just cleaning the area next to the incision with a cloth this would be ok, but I wouldn't clean the actual incision itself for two more days to play it safe.

It takes several months for dissolvable sutures to fully break down. While this happens, it's not uncommon for a suture end to poke through the skin. Since Willow's incision has healed fully a month after surgery, it's perfectly fine to trim the end of suture that's sticking out. Obviously, take care not to accidentally cut Willow!

For routine bathing, I recommend waiting at least 10-14 days, or until the skin appears visibly healed. If Princess has managed to get herself quite dirty prior to this, you may wipe the area clean with a soapy wet towel (mild hand-washing dishsoap such as Dawn works well) - it's important to keep the area around the incision clean while it's healing, but I would wait until the incision is totally healed before immersing her in water. Hope this helps!

Although a picture would help to give you more specific advices, generally speaking I would recommend to wait until the lesion is completely resolved before having him groomed and bathed. Hope this answer was helpful, but 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.

Dissolvable sutures under the skin can take 6 months or so to fully dissolve, but will begin to slowly break down within the first few weeks. There are many different suture types, and all break down at different rates. However, the incision itself should heal within 10-14 days of the surgery and the glue should break down around this time frame. This type of surgical closure is quite common and most dogs can return to a normal activity level (including swimming and bathing) about 10-14 days after surgery. I hope this helps and that Hei Hei's recovery goes well!

Limit or restrict activity to avoid stress on the incision. Avoid excessive running, jumping or rough play. Use an e-collar (cone) to prevent licking or chewing of the sutures. Examine the site daily for redness, swelling, bruising, bleeding or discharge. Monitor for lethargy, loss of appetite, fever or abdominal pain. Look at her gums daily to ensure they are pink. Sutures are kept in for 10-14 days. Do not bathe her until the sutures are removed.