My dog's surgery site is discolored and she licks it. Is it serious?

It's difficult to tell from just a picture. The skin is definitely discolored, but this could be from the surgical prep (iodine), or from dried blood. If the skin is not stained, then this would be abnormal and would indicate bruising or an infection. You can test for stained skin by gently wiping the skin with a little hydrogen peroxide. Avoid wiping the incision (the middle) and just wipe the edges. If it's staining, then the redness will start to be lifted with just a couple of wipes. If the wiping is unsuccessful at removing the discoloration, then it's likely bruising or infection and I'd recommend he get checked by the vet in the next 24 hours. I hope that helps and all is well with your dog.

Is Precious licking at this? Does she have an elizabethan collar on? If she does not have a collar on then I would recommend putting one on her. This is starting to look infected. I would call your veterinarian and make an appointment to have them see her, but in the mean time I would recommend getting an elizabethan collar for her so she doesn't lick at this and make it worse. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thank you for the picture of Malina's paw, I see what you mean about the incision being pink. This is likely due to irritation from her licking it. Stitches can be removed between 10-14 days after being placed, and since they are bothering her, I would take her into the vet to have this checked out and see if they can be removed. It's really hard to constantly supervise a dog, so I would urge you to keep an Ecollar on her to prevent her from licking this further. You can buy one at a pet store or make one at home. I hope this helps!

Hello. This may need to be rechecked by the surgeon. There is some redness extending out on each side which can indicate that it is infected. I would expect it to look more healed after 8 days, so it is possible that there is some infection which is delaying the healing. I would recommend a recheck visit or possibly calling to let them know that it still seems painful . They may be able to look at your photos and determine if they want to see him or dispense any medication.

The site is inflamed and this may be a tissue reaction, at the site of the previous injury. I would suggest to have it checked as there may be even a piece of suture material still inside. It is difficult to give you more specific advices from the picture as a physical examination would be essential in this case to be able to determine what is going on.

The area certainly looks less inflamed. As long as there is not discharge, heat, worsening of swelling, or pain I would not be overly concerned. I would keep her cone on until the inflammation is resolved. You do not need to clean the area overly as this can cause more irritation to the skin. The incision itself looks healed but has areas of irritation. This should resolve, if not I would be worried about a suture reaction or incisional infection and then she should certainly see a veterinarian.

I would have Brownie examined by a vet. There looks like signs of infection, and it needs to be treated aggressively. Wounds in this area are often hard to heal since there is constant movement from the joint. There could also be something under the skin or a problem with bone causing delayed healing.