My dog partially pulled out her surgical drain. What should I do?

No worries. Some dogs are really good about rubbing their bodies on just about anything in the house to scratch their incisions. The penrose drain is likely somewhere in the house. Most penrose drains need to remain in for only 2-3 days minimum. If the surgery was done today, then it is still ok. Just contact your vet in the morning to see if they wish to reinsert it or not. Chances are your vet will just leave it as is, especially if Sunmers incision is otherwise healthy looking and free of infection. Take care of that fur baby!

Yes, this sounds normal. If she has a drain in place, you don't want to cover this with a bandage or else it won't drain properly. Your veterinarian should give instructions about how to care for the drain at home for the next few days - usually just keeping the openings clean, and keeping an e-collar (plastic cone) on her to make sure she doesn't chew it out.

I would not touch it. Make sure she has an Elizabethan collar on so she doesn’t bite at it. I would call your vet in the morning to have them evaluate the incision to make sure it is completely closed. They may just have you keep the collar on for another 5 days. The incision is healing well according to the picture. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi there! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Yes, this drainage could be due to excessive activity which in turn it can cause a seroma which is essentially an accumulation of fluid at the incision site which can result in drainage. Another possibility is an infection. Even though his discharge does not have a smell to it, it can still be due to an infection. I recommend that you have him evaluated by your veterinarian when possible (for example next Tuesday when they open again). The reason is that that region is very prone to infections as it is so close to the anus and if an infection is present, you want to treat it appropriately. In the meantime, keep the area clean and keep him as quiet as possible to prevent any further issues. If the incision forms any scabs, avoid picking the scabs. Good luck! I will keep my fingers crossed that everything goes well! Have a good night!

Just keep an eye on the spot to make sure it doesn't get infected, it could still have some discharge for several days but this is normal. if it looks infected you should take her back to your vet to get it checked.

I’m not sure what type of surgery was done, or what types of tubes are left. This makes it hard to answer as well as I would like. However, anytime my clients have ANY concern about a healing surgical patient, then I want to see them and evaluated the incision. If your doctor says it fine then great! If not, then having it checked out early is better than waiting!!! Good luck Bow! I hope he is back to normal soon!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The picture I am seeing does not show much evidence of infection but of course take her in first thing in the morning to have someone evaluate in person. There is not a whole lot I would recommend doing tonight. If the area seems painful you can wrap an ice pack in a thin cloth or paper towel and ice the area for 5-10 minutes. That bandage should probably be changed every 24-48 hours so if that has not been done I would do that if possible. If not, consider leaving it off overnight if she won’t scratch at it. The prednisone is very unlikely to be the culprit of any of the signs you are seeing. Best of luck to you and Lupita.