Infection in neuter incision?

Dr. Marie replied:

Hi Lucy,

You can send a photo to photos@askavetquestion.com. I'll take a look and then respond after that.

Thanks!


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Dr. Marie replied:

Thanks for the photos!

I've zoomed in on the important issue here in this photo:



Now, I can't say for certain without seeing this in person but it looks to me like there is a little bit of the suture material knot sticking out of the incision.

This does happen from time to time and does not mean at all that Teddy was the victim of an inferior surgeon.

If this is a piece of suture material then it likely needs to be pulled out. It's often something that needs to be done by a vet though. If Teddy allows it, you can try picking at the knot material with a fingernail...sometimes if it is really loose it will come out easily. But, I have found that most of the time it takes some special equipment (like a tiny hemostat instrument) and also a trained assistant to keep the dog distracted in order to get a piece of knot out.

You explained to me in your email the situation about how Teddy was neutered at SPCA but your local vet is closer. If your vet had performed the surgery, there is a good chance that they would assess the incision and remove the suture material for no charge. But, as they did not do the surgery, there likely will be a charge for the visit.

Alternatively, you can decide if the trip back to the SPCA is worth it to have them take a look. Sometimes though, with low cost clinics they will not do followup care as they only have a vet in on certain days to do surgery and that vet does not see appointments. You'll have to give the SPCA a call to see what they recommend.

Now, there is a chance that this knot will fall out on its own. So, whether or not to take the dog in to the vet's depends on a few things:

-If the area seems bothersome to Teddy then I would have it looked at. It doesn't look infected from the photo, but it certainly can get infected.
-If you are seeing yellow or green thick discharge then he'll need some antibiotics, so yes, he'll need to see a vet.

Hope that helps!

Dr. Marie.

Dr. Marie replied:

Even though he only had inside sutures, he likely still had two layers of sutures inside. The glue is usually just used as a failsafe. Actually, I usually use glue on surgeries where the final knot just won't bury under the skin for me properly. If this was the case, then sometimes these are the ones where the knot surfaces like it looks like is happening in Teddy's case.

If Teddy has been licking, then this is probably the cause of this problem!

Hope things go well!

Dr. Marie.