HELP!! Week post op neutering re opened incision

[kcano13]

Hi guys.. first time posting on here. I got my cat Tobi neutered on May 28th. Tobi wore an e collar for the first 4 days and then was able to figure out how to remove it. We bought a different one and he was able to remove that as well. We then switched to monitoring him and scoulding him when he tried to lick his scrotum. I continued to check his incision everyday and it seemed to be healed, the are wasn't open and everything was dry. The picture was taken 2 days ago, and the other picture was taken today. It seems he opened his incision overnight. I can't put the e collar back on him without him taking it off and I no longer have any meds to ease his pain. All the vets are closed until monday. Do you guys think he is okay or do you believe it is already infected? Please let me know.

 

[fionasmom]

Spaying And Neutering – What To Look For After Surgery – TheCatSite Articles


Welcome to The Cat Site! Sorry that it is under these circumstances though. Take a look at the article and the section on incisions which are normal vs. infected. We cannot determine from a pic if there is an infection; however, I do see that the skin is pierced and blood...or at least I think that is blood. If it is opened, it could become soiled as he eliminates which could lead to irritation at the least, infection at the worst. Do you have an ER vet available over the weekend? This may be difficult to do, but try to keep him clean. Don't use hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, or witch hazel despite the fact that it might seem those would eliminate any infection. Is he acting as if he is in pain, not eating, odd behaviors?

 

[kcano13]

Spaying And Neutering – What To Look For After Surgery – TheCatSite Articles


Welcome to The Cat Site! Sorry that it is under these circumstances though. Take a look at the article and the section on incisions which are normal vs. infected. We cannot determine from a pic if there is an infection; however, I do see that the skin is pierced and blood...or at least I think that is blood. If it is opened, it could become soiled as he eliminates which could lead to irritation at the least, infection at the worst. Do you have an ER vet available over the weekend? This may be difficult to do, but try to keep him clean. Don't use hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, or witch hazel despite the fact that it might seem those would eliminate any infection. Is he acting as if he is in pain, not eating, odd behaviors?

There is a singular ER vet near me, but last time they told me that there were animals that were dying and required more urgent attention at the time 🥲 Tobi has been acting pretty normal, but he’s been getting the zoomies these last couple of days that he hasn’t been on the medications that made him drowsy so he’s been running around and jumping. It’s hard to stop a cat from running especially when they think you are playing and they continue to have you chase them. He has been eating but he hasn’t been defecating in the litter box, only urinating in it. He poops right outside of it. That’s the only weird behavior I’ve noticed, other than that he seems fine.

 

[fionasmom]

ER vets do prioritize that way but if you think that Tobi needs to be seen, go anyway and wait your turn. It is absolutely true that if someone shows up with a seriously injured animal they will get priority. Defecating outside the box can be a sign of stress or pain. The cat associates the box with pain and so tries to avoid the pain by avoiding the box. I would keep watching Tobi for any signs of problems for the rest of the weekend; however, if something seems to become worse I would go to the ER. If you think that he is okay until Monday, I would call the vet asap on Monday morning so that they can check the incision. As I said, we cannot determine infection from the picture, or the fact that infection might be starting given that the incision was just recently opened by him.

 

[kcano13]

ER vets do prioritize that way but if you think that Tobi needs to be seen, go anyway and wait your turn. It is absolutely true that if someone shows up with a seriously injured animal they will get priority. Defecating outside the box can be a sign of stress or pain. The cat associates the box with pain and so tries to avoid the pain by avoiding the box. I would keep watching Tobi for any signs of problems for the rest of the weekend; however, if something seems to become worse I would go to the ER. If you think that he is okay until Monday, I would call the vet asap on Monday morning so that they can check the incision. As I said, we cannot determine infection from the picture, or the fact that infection might be starting given that the incision was just recently opened by him.

I decided to just keep Tobi in my room and entertain/monitor him all day today until night comes and we both go to sleep. I texted my vet a photograph of his surgery site and will schedule a check up next week to see what she thinks. Thank you for your replies!

 

[fionasmom]

Great decision. Your vet now knows what it looks like and can advise you.