Yellow color around cat spay incision

[mchick]

The first picture is her the day after surgery, yesterday. The next picture is today. We haven’t cleaned it with anything but peroxide as recommended from the vet. The yellow part doesn’t seem to be wet or anything either.
I’m worried it’s the beginning of an infection. She absolutely will not let us put her e collar on and she’s been licking the incision a little bit.
The vet is closed today but we want to try to bring her in and see if they can get the e collar on. Does this look like pus to anyone? It’s not red or anything and I haven’t seen anything that looks similar on the internet that’s why I’m confused

 

[stephanietx]

Her incision looks great! The yellow is from the stuff they put on to sanitize the skin before surgery. It's similar to iodine and leaves a stain that wears off over time. The knot you see is also normal and should go down in a few days. Keep doing what you're doing!

 

[mchick]

Her incision looks great! The yellow is from the stuff they put on

Her incision looks great! The yellow is from the stuff they put on to sanitize the skin before surgery. It's similar to iodine and leaves a stain that wears off over time. The knot you see is also normal and should go down in a few days. Keep doing what you're doing!

Her incision looks great! The yellow is from the stuff they put on to sanitize the skin before surgery. It's similar to iodine and leaves a stain that wears off over time. The knot you see is also normal and should go down in a few days. Keep doing what you're doing!

thank you!! :’) i was just worried because the yellow wasn’t there yesterday and her sister doesn’t have that color either!

 

[stephanietx]

You want to watch for oozing, the incision becoming an angry red color, or any changes in eating, sleeping, or litter box habits. Also, if she becomes lethargic, that's another thing to watch for.

 

[mchick]

thanks for replying guys!! i’m sorry i have such anxiety about their surgery!! my other cats incision looks like a little more rough. do you think that’s a bruise next to the stitches?

 

[cat nap]

View attachment 421119
thanks for replying guys!! i’m sorry i have such anxiety about their surgery!! my other cats incision looks like a little more rough. do you think that’s a bruise next to the stitches?

No worries about the anxiety. Most of us get anxious when our cats have any medical surgeries or procedures, too.

Not sure if it's a bruise. It might just be a bit of a razor burn or slight skin rash, from when they used the clippers or shaver to shave the fur before surgery.
If you notice it's also slightly reddish around her lower nipple, too, which also could be from the shavers.
(If it is a bruise, then it will change colours, to a more purple, then yellowish colour.)

Sometimes the incision site feels itchy to the cats, so they try to scratch it a bit.

I would just keep an eye on it, and look for the signs that stephanietx mentioned, above,...like any oozing, openings, whitish or yellowish discharge from inside the incision site,....(not the yellow/orange from the betadine scrub on the outside of the skin, which is used for disinfection, like stephanietx mentioned),...or heat or more redness.

It really looks like your Vet did an excellent job with how straight and neat the stitches are.

Did the Vet tell you that the stitches are 'absorbable stitches'?
...or do you have to bring the cats back for a re-check, and suture removal?

How old are your cats?
Can you post any photos of their faces, too.
We love seeing cat photos, here.

(mine were 5.5 months old, and were not given any e-cones, at all, but did have absorbable stitches. It was difficult to keep my kittens from playing, and they were basically up and back to normal, after about five hours of sleeping.)

 

[mchick]

No worries about the anxiety. Most of us get anxious when our cats have any medical surgeries or procedures, too.

Not sure if it's a bruise. It might just be a bit of a razor burn or slight skin rash, from when they used the clippers or shaver to shave the fur before surgery.
If you notice it's also slightly reddish around her lower nipple, too, which also could be from the shavers.
(If it is a bruise, then it will change colours, to a more purple, then yellowish colour.)

Sometimes the incision site feels itchy to the cats, so they try to scratch it a bit.

I would just keep an eye on it, and look for the signs that stephanietx mentioned, above,...like any oozing, openings, whitish or yellowish discharge from inside the incision site,....(not the yellow/orange from the betadine scrub on the outside of the skin, which is used for disinfection, like stephanietx mentioned),...or heat or more redness.

It really looks like your Vet did an excellent job with how straight and neat the stitches are.

Did the Vet tell you that the stitches are 'absorbable stitches'?
...or do you have to bring the cats back for a re-check, and suture removal?

How old are your cats?
Can you post any photos of their faces, too.
We love seeing cat photos, here.

(mine were 5.5 months old, and were not given any e-cones, at all, but did have absorbable stitches. It was difficult to keep my kittens from playing, and they were basically up and back to normal, after about five hours of sleeping.)

They have an appointment to get their stitches off next week! Thanks for your reply They love cuddling lol

 

[mchick]

My 10 month old cat got spayed on last week on friday. Her stitches looked really good at first I was so happy! And then I noticed some yellow discharge around them. The vet said it was probably from licking so we got an e collar on her. It’s been hard to keep her less active and she’s pretty clumsy, especially with the cone lol. We’ve been cleaning it daily with hydrogen peroxide. I didn’t want to try too hard to get the yellow stuff away because it looks like under neither could be an opening in the stitches. I’m honestly freaking out thinking she got has an infection and I can’t call the vet until tomorrow
If anyone has any thoughts on what is around her stitches I would really appreciate it! My boyfriend thinks it’s a scab but I really can’t tell. And maybe some advice on how to clean it up without causing any damage or pain.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi
I would stop trying to remove whatever that is, and I've read conflicting info that hydrogen peroxide can be a problem on wounds.

 

[mchick]

Hi
I would stop trying to remove whatever that is, and I've read conflicting info that hydrogen peroxide can be a problem on wounds.

Yes we didn’t really try to remove it. Just tried to see what would happen if we dabbed it. We removed some crust that was about a centimeter away from the incision and not part of any wound, just on her belly. I’ve heard the same about peroxide but was just doing as the vet told me. I used a washcloth with warm water and dabbed it on the spot to see if anything was wet but it’s just dry and crusty. She doesn’t seem to be in any pain

 

[mchick]

Hi
I would stop trying to remove whatever that is, and I've read conflicting info that hydrogen peroxide can be a problem on wounds.

Would you recommend something better we could clean it with?

 

[cat nap]

They have an appointment to get their stitches off next week! Thanks for your reply They love cuddling lol

Oh, wow,...they are adorable!!
Your cats colours are so unique and vibrant.
And yeah,...that cuddling looks awesome, and sweet.
Thanks for the photos.
Made my night.

Good Luck next week, with your two beautiful cats.

 

[Robyn5678]

It could be glue. When my cat was spayed the surgical glue was crusty looking. It freaked me out haha. Def call the vet just to be sure. This was her incision

 

[Furballsmom]

Let us know what your vet says