My puppy's surgery suture disappeared. Will the incision open?

Sometimes skin incisions that were closed with glue will pucker at the very ends and open slightly. However, the middle pucker appears a little swollen. I would recommend that you take Chloe to a vet to check the incision. Usually the vet that performed the surgery will do brief incision checks at no charge. Sometimes another spot of glue is all that is needed to get it to heal properly. Sometimes the puckers are left open to heal on their own. If the vet finds signs of infection, oral antibiotics can be prescribed. Make sure that Chloe is not licking the incision. If you see her lick even once she needs to wear an e-collar or cone to prevent further opening of the incision. Also, she needs to still be on moderate activity restriction - even though this can be difficult in young puppies, encourage her to stay flat and not jump around too much. And no bathing for at least 1 week after surgery.

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.

Since there is a hole in Jaxx's incision it will probably need to be stitched closed again so it heals properly and decreases the chance of infection. If you have an E-collar at home I would keep that on him to prevent him from licking the incision more and preventing more trauma. Also, depending where the incision is you could place a light bandage over it to prevent him from licking. Just be sure not to put too much pressure on the incision with the bandage because that could do more harm than good. Definitely keep you appointment at the vet tomorrow so they can check him out.

Hello, thank you for your question about Roofus. Depending on the location of the hole in regards to the rest of his stitches I would be concerned that his incision may not heal properly. Since his surgery was so recent and there has been very limited time for any healing so far it is possible that Roofus could develop a build of of fluid (seroma) or blood (hematoma) which could prevent healing of his full incision. It is also possible that he could develop a surgical site infection due to this opening, although this is less likely since he is on antibiotics. I would recommend having Roofus evaluated by a veterinarian so that they can examine the surgical incision and determine the need for additional closure. If this opening is at the bottom of the incision they may elect to allow this to act as a drainage site and perform no further closure. However, if the hole is at the top or middle portion of the incision they may elect to place an additional stitch or staple to close the incision. Hope this helps, good luck!

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! From the photo, it looks like Milo has sutures under the skin, which you cannot see. There does seem to be a mild amount of swelling and redness of the incision, and a very slightly opened area. Swelling and redness, especially if accompanied by discharge, are signs of infection. Milo should definitely be wearing his E-collar at all times. Licking and chewing can cause the sutures to loosen and the incision to open. You can apply a warm compress the the area several times a day to reduce swelling and promote healing. If you notice that incision opens more, there is any bleeding or discharge, or the area feels hot to the touch, Milo should be seen by his vet as soon as possible. I hope this helps and that all is well!

Hello. I can assure you that there are internal sutures holding the incision closed, but I assume you are worried about the small opening visible at the base of the incision. Two things you can do, the first is to make sure Rhett can not get to the incision to lick or chew at it. He may need to wear a collar or cone of shame to protect the incision. Then you can put a dab of Neosporin on the raw area, but if Rhett is leaving the incision alone, this is probably not necessary. Everything looks good to me based on your pictures. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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!