Spayed site opening?

Hey guys! I posted a thread earlier this week that was semi-related, but I have a new question and I'm pretty sure it has been buried. I got my cat Freya spayed on Monday this week, but I don't think it's healing properly. It seems as though the glue that was meant to hold the top layer of skin together dissolved almost immediately and the incision site seems like it's opening and I can see what I think are some of her inner sutures. There is no bleeding or leaking, and she doesn't seem to be in any pain. In fact, I've had a difficult time containing her and keeping her separated from the other cat. Should I go ahead and take her in for a checkup on Monday just for my peace of mind, or am I overreacting? This is the first spayed animal I've ever had to deal with, so I feel likeim probably being overly paranoid.

You may be, and you may not be. Does the clinic have an afterhours help number you can call?  I would, at the very least, call on Monday morning and say you want someone to check her spay site.  If it is not bleeding or oozing, there is unlikely to be an urgent problem, but if the dermal glue is not holding the skin together on top of the internal sutures, she could get an infection.

When I worked at the low-cost spay/neuter clinic, we took turns having the emergency phone that clients could call after hours or on weekends...because many of them didn't have access to a full-service vet, and also, we took pride in the work we did and wanted to make sure that if something went wrong, we were available to make it right.

In the meantime, keep a close eye out for bleeding or oozing, which could indicate an urgent need to see the vet.  It is not uncommon to have a hard time keeping them quiet--she doesn't have to be super still, but if you can keep her from rough-housing and doing a lot of jumping around, that would be ideal.  But do call first thing Monday and ask for a re-check.

That's what I have decided to do. The clinic does free check ups after the surgery, so I'm going to call first thing tomorrow and see if I can bring her in. Like I told my mom, I would rather take her in when there isn't a problem than just leave it and hope it gets better and it end up becoming a huge problem.

I had this happen to my last little girl that was spayed. Sometimes the Vets will use two layers of stitches, one on the inside and some on the outside. Some vets will use super glue to close the skin layer (its a special glue that is designed for this purpose), and some vets will use super glue as well as a stitch or two to keep things closed up after surgery. Typically newly spayed cats are young and very active, so pulling a stitch or opening the super glue isn't unusual...although you should take your kitty back to the vet to make sure there is no infection or abscess at the surgical opening...they will usually clean up the incision area and either re-stitch it or re-glue it until it is healed together. My cat, Salome, pulled a stitch out a few times and was in danger to be tortured with an Elizabethan Collar...those cones that fit over your cats head that keeps them from picking open their sutures, etc. Even licking, with a cat's rough tongue, can open the incision. It happens all of the time and isn't an emergency....but a trip to the vet is highly recommended to make sure there are no complications after the surgery.

Jim

Update: I took her to the clinic today. They confirmed she has a small infection, so she will be on a course of antibiotics for the next ten days. They also added an external suture and she has been put in the cone of shame. Luckily we caught it before it was anything serious.