Please look at this spay incision

My fosters were spayed/neutered last Thursday. One of the female kitten's spay incision looks a little bad to me. These pictures turned out terrible because of the flash and her squirming. It feels a little hard and there is some dried blood around the incision. Should I run her to the shelter to have a tech check it just to be sure?

I would, it looks strange ....... although it could be the skin overlapping. I never saw blood on either one of my girls, though. So as a precaution I would take her.

I haven't seen a spay incision like that. If I were you, I'd take her in just in case.

I've been trying to call the clinic at the shelter and keep getting the machine. It doesn't seem to be affecting her at all (still acting like a crazy kitten!), but I noticed some puss too. I'll keep you updated.

Thanks!

Its just all scrunched up from pulling the sutures too tight. Some people like to do that, but I personally prefer to leave a nice pretty incision line. Your suturing says a lot about your surgical skills... or at least your clients tend to think so!

If you look, its not swollen, just pinched together. There is no redness at all, and no fresh drainage. It looks like a lovely healing incision line to me.

Keep a close eye on it though, your kitty may lick at it more than she should if the sutures are pulling and making things feel funny or itchy. Excessive grooming is the number one cause of post-operative skin infections. You can take a clean, warm washclosh and gently wipe away the dried blood to get a better look if you would like, but just do it once, you don't want to leave an incision line wet. Your kitten will probably also clean it up fairly soon too!

Daphne's was worrisome to me, too. She turned out perfectly fine Just had to wear the dreaded collar because she would not leave the incision be. Here are a couple of her's:





I was so worried until those stitches finally came out. This was in June and she is doing very well Whew!

Edit: she had a lump under the incision site for awhile bt it has faded away. Sending lots of healing vibes for the little one

Originally Posted by Hdizzy

but I noticed some puss too.

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Is the drainage clear or slightly blood tinged? If so, that is normal. If the drainage is frankly purulent, looks cloudy or greenish, has an odor, or the incision line is reddened or swollen or hot....those are all signs that there is an infection, and she should be seen by the vet.

I agree that it looks like the suture line was pulled too tight at the time of suturing. It doesn't appear to me that there's anything to worry about, but continue to check it to make sure you don't see any of the above symptoms!

Thanks everyone! I took her down to the shelter to have a tech look at it. She still has a URI, so she was put on meds again for that and the meds will help if the incision is infected as well. All's well...

Good to hear all is well with her! If the lump underneath is hard it is normal, my vet said to expect one.

Just one question I'd like to ask if there are any vets or vet techs out there....

Why on earth do you have to shave the whole belly area for just a one inch cut? My beloved vet never has to shave the whole belly area - just a neat maybe 2 inch shave space and a small tiny cut.... or maybe my vet just does that coz my cats are show cats?

Originally Posted by Abymummy

Just one question I'd like to ask if there are any vets or vet techs out there....

Why on earth do you have to shave the whole belly area for just a one inch cut? My beloved vet never has to shave the whole belly area - just a neat maybe 2 inch shave space and a small tiny cut.... or maybe my vet just does that coz my cats are show cats?

Click to expand...

I've always wondered the same thing. I also wonder how they shave around those tiny little nipples too. Also, I think it is really neat to see the skin under the fur though. Especially with calicos or torties or any cat with markings for that matter...

Nikita was spayed with a side spay so they shaved a square on her flank. It was really neat to see her spotted skin underneath

Hang on, here's her post spay photo:


She was spayed at 11am and I got her home at 5pm the same day. No collar or anything needed since the stitches were all sowed in just underneath the skin with thread that then dissolved.

My vet does it laterally as well. It is a much faster healing time. In future, I would look for a vet that does it this way.