My dog's spay incision isn't healing and smells. Is it serious?

Thank you for providing a picture of Honey's incision, it's very helpful. Yes, I agree it does appear to have opened up, and I'm worried it could get infected since it has opened. She needs to see a vet asap to get this closed, and the vet may likely close it with surgical glue after examining it and cleaning it. The vet may also prescribe antibiotics. Please take her into a vet immediately. I hope this helps!

Hello, & thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. While the antibiotics should prevent a real nasty infection from progressing, I would also recommend gently cleaning the area with dilute betadine and warm water. Add a couple of tablespoons of the betadine into 1/2 cup of warm water, & clean off any serum that has accumulated around the incision. Do not scrub the incision. Dry the area, & you can wrap her abdomen using an absorbant pad & either vetwrap or coban. Most general pharmacies will have all this. You can also place an infant t-shirt on her, tying up the bottom to cinch her just in front of the hindlegs. Keep the cone on, & clean the wound several times a day. If it is not healing or the discharge increases or changes in any way, see your vet immediately. Good luck with her, she should be fine in 7-10 days.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. From your photo I can tell you that this looks seriously infected and does not look very good post-neuter. I would get him in as soon as you can for treatment before this affects healthy surrounding tissue. He will likely need to be sedated and have the dead tissue removed for treatment and placed on a course of oral antibiotics and pain medications to reduce inflammation. If he has been chewing at the area, he must wear a plastic cone at all times to prevent him from getting to the incision. I hope this helps! Please feel free to contact me with any further questions or concerns you may have. I am also available via consultation if needed.

The wound probably got infected, this is not uncommon but it needs to be treated. you will need to take Scruffy to your vet today in order to get it checked, yor vet will clean the wound and prescribe a course of antibiotics.

Poor girl. She does apear to be taking a while to heal. If pus is present, then that is the reason for the delay in healing. The infection is not being controlled well with the antibiotics chosen. Another stronger antibiotic is needed here, so discuss this with your veterinarian. I do also see some granulation tissue there which is when the skin is trying to heal and close the incision. The wound still looks pretty fresh though, even though its been 3 weeks now. Based on what I see in the photo and your description, hydrotherapy of the area may be needed at this point, possible reclosure of the area with additional staples once these are removed, and a different antibiotic. I hope that this helps and best wishes getting this area to finally heal. Take care! : )

Hello, thank you for your question about your dog. Based on what you've described it sounds like he may have an infection secondary to his recent surgery, this is not uncommon. Typically, these infections due heal on their own with antibiotics, pain medication, and exercise restriction. The hole is actually a good thing as right now it is allowing the infected fluid to drain. It the hole does not heal or your dog continues to be lethargic or clinically ill I would definitely recommend having him rechecked by your veterinarian. They may need to flush out this area and help it close with additional stitches. Hope this helps, good luck!

You need to take your dog back to the vet in the morning and he will have to close the incision again. If you do not trust your vet, you should take Tofy to another reputable veterinarian to do this. Infection happens frequently in wounds in India, due to the climate and flies. So this unfortunately is not unusual. Once the vet has closed the wound again, you will need to cover it up with a t shirt or a light bandage to keep flies from getting to the wound. Tofy must not lick the wound.