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How to soothe my spayed dog's clipper burn and stop her scratching?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Australian Shepherd | Female | spayed | 26 lbs

My dog was spayed two days ago. She has irritation where she was shaved before surgery on her upper abdomen, lower rib cage. She is wearing an E collar, but she is flexible enough to scratch at this spot with her hind legs. She cannot reach the incision. The incision looks normal with no abnormal swelling or discharge. How can I prevent her from scratching her clipper burn with her paw? Is there anything I can put on the irritation to sooth it?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Lauren Jones VMD

Answered By Lauren Jones VMD

Veterinarian

Published on April 14th, 2019

I'm sorry to hear that Dakota has been experiencing so much clipper burn, but I'm glad that her incision is healing well. Since Dakota cannot lick her incision (and presumably her paws too), try putting baby socks on her paws so that her nails cannot irritate her skin further should she scratch more. A small amount of hydrocortisone cream applied to the irritated skin (but not the near the incision!) may alleviate Dakota's discomfort. If this issue persists or worsens, I recommend calling Dakota's vet. I hope that she feels better soon!
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