Spay - Incision Question with picture

Hey guys

Princess had her spay surgery yesterday and has picked at it only a couple of times, so today I am heading to get her an e-collar to stop that. I have been checking it often to make sure she isn't picking at it when I'm not looking and it looks fine.. except for the last time I checked...

I noticed a "bubble-like" thing right under the incision. Of course it may have been there this whole time, this is the first time she's laid on her back with her legs spread. I would call my vet, but he is closed for the weekend and she doesn't seem to be in any pain at all.

Here is a picture of what I'm seeing..


Does that look normal to you guys? This is the first cat I've ever had, so the first spay I've ever seen. I am thinking it is just the way the skin is stiched, but I wanted to double check.

Thanks in advance

Is this a mid-line incision? If so, it's the first time I've seen that. All my girls had the incision in their sides beside their hip. It's difficult to tell from the photo.

I did have one cat who had problems when she got spayed. She managed to burst her internal stitches, things turned very nasty and she nearly died. She was 2 hours on the operating table getting the damage repaired and we were warned that she might not have pulled through. It was nothing short of a miracle that she did pull through and 7 years later she is absolutely fine.

Am I right in thinking that the swelling is towards the bottom of the picture? If so, then keep a very close eye on it and if it gets any bigger at all get her to the vet immediately as she may have also burst the internal stitches. With that type of incision basically it means it's herniated - i.e. part of the intestines are coming through the peritoneum. Left untreated it could become strangulated which, whether it's human or animal can become life-threatening. This is a worst-case scenario and is more likely to be just the way she's been stitched but if you have even the slightest doubt that something is wrong get her to a vet.

Let us know how she is.

my kitty just was spayed and it looked pretty similar.......

Originally Posted by cntrygrl

my kitty just was spayed and it looked pretty similar.......

Click to expand...

Luna's was like that. And she picked at hers too. But Chloe had all her stiches "inside". But they all get theirs done the middle here.

Pumpkin's looked like that but her stitches were entirely internal.

Thank you all very much for the input

I'm going to keep an eye on it and I got her an e-collar and will put it on her at night to be sure she leaves it alone.


Thanks again!

Looks normal to me too

It looks good to me too.
I'd worry if there was seepage, redness, visible swelling and/or she seemed to be in pain or distress.
It's a nice small incision.

Devlyn

looks totally normal, don't worry.

Nice incision - no problem at all, no red, irritation or anything. The bubble is common - just extra skin pinched together. No need to worry