My 8 month cat got spayed on December 1st and in the first week everything was normal until 3-4 days ago her incision started getting pinkish/red. I would take her E collar off when she would eat so I thought she licked herself and ripped off her stitches? My mom told me if she had ripped them off she would be bleeding non stop. Although she did bleed a bit the first day my mom kept telling me it was normal for the healing process. I chose to wait and see if it would get worst or better but I need an opinion! My vet is 1 hr away and is always busy, so I hope it’s not infected or that she really did ripped her stitches off. On Wednesday she will have 2 weeks so can someone help me out?
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HELP! Is Spaying Incision Normal?
- Thread starter hndzanaee
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Hi, your mother is entirely right.
I'm not a vet, or a vet tech, but from what I remember my vet telling me is that:
Vets usually use three layers of stitches when doing spays...closing the incision at the abdominal layer, subcutaneous layer, and then the skin layer. (Sometimes the skin layer is closed using surgical glue instead of actual sutures.)
What probably happened was that the incision site scabbed over, and then the scab fell off...so you are seeing more red, a bit of blood, and clear fluid. Whenever a scab falls off...it looks a whole lot worse and raw, messy,...then before.
Just keep an eye on the slightly open part, (in the top part of your photo)...to make sure that it does not open further,...no white or yellow discharge forms...which means infection,...no excessive white or yellowish oozing, more redness, or hot to touch around spay incision.
It should scab over again, and the opening should reduce in size...but the scab may fall off again...until it closes completely.
I suggest sending the above photo, and other newer photos,...to your Vet...through email or text...just to make sure.
Asking your Vet to look at the photos...is what I would do.
In these times with covid protocols in place,...your Vet looking at photos...shouldn't be too much to ask.
Please update, when you can.
I'm not a vet, or a vet tech, but from what I remember my vet telling me is that:
Vets usually use three layers of stitches when doing spays...closing the incision at the abdominal layer, subcutaneous layer, and then the skin layer. (Sometimes the skin layer is closed using surgical glue instead of actual sutures.)
What probably happened was that the incision site scabbed over, and then the scab fell off...so you are seeing more red, a bit of blood, and clear fluid. Whenever a scab falls off...it looks a whole lot worse and raw, messy,...then before.
Just keep an eye on the slightly open part, (in the top part of your photo)...to make sure that it does not open further,...no white or yellow discharge forms...which means infection,...no excessive white or yellowish oozing, more redness, or hot to touch around spay incision.
It should scab over again, and the opening should reduce in size...but the scab may fall off again...until it closes completely.
I suggest sending the above photo, and other newer photos,...to your Vet...through email or text...just to make sure.
Asking your Vet to look at the photos...is what I would do.
In these times with covid protocols in place,...your Vet looking at photos...shouldn't be too much to ask.
Please update, when you can.
It did part a little near the top. but not badly, so OK. It was most likely a scab coming off as said above. Incision looks very clean right now, vets usually don't use stitches now, or if they do it is dissolving ones. the incision is held together with glue. There are dissolving stitches inside too, so if she has a lump in the incision area, that is normal from internal swelling. Clear discharge with a little red blood mixed in is normal, thick opaque yellow/white/green discharge means infection. I would at this stage monitor her, if the open area doesn't get bigger, everything is fine, I have had cats open up a lot more than that. if there is ever bright red blood and a lot of it, get her in right away. At two weeks she shouldn't need anything covering it or preventing her to get at it, she should be on her way to healing!
