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My dog was spayed. Why is she licking dark discharge from her incision?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Female | spayed | 4 years and 2 months old | 10 lbs

Dark colored matter in the ureath opening. She was spayed past Wednesday. It seems to bother her (the opening). She licks it.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Published on March 12th, 2017

This could be due to a post surgical infection, it's not very common but it does happen from time to time, if she is overall bright and not lethargic, i would recommend waiting until tomorrow morning, then take Honey to the vet for a checkup, she will probably need a course of antibiotics.

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    Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on April 28th, 2018

    This appears to be healing well. However, you must not let Prescious lick the incision. There is a tiny bit of pus visible which is likely caused by excessive licking. You can have that checked by your vet, or wait and see if it heals by itself once your dog stops licking the wound. Leave the incision alone and don't clean it. The black stuff are crusts that will fall off when they need to.

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Related Questions

Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hi!I got my cat spayed last wednesday.She s 7y/o and a bit fat(8pounds).The vet gave me antibiotics and also a blue tinted antibiotic spray for her incision.Everything went fine except for the fact that she would not stop licking at the incision.Toda
I'm glad to hear that Bree is feeling well after her spay surgery. However, the single most important thing you can do during her recovery is preventing her from licking at the incision for at least 10-14 days after surgery. The best way to achieve this is by putting an e-collar (cone) on her. These are typically available through veterinarians or most pet stores. The blood and yellow discharge could indicate a sign of incisional infection from her licking, or could be irritation caused from her jumping and activity. Since you are seeing blood and yellow discharge, I do recommend taking Bree back to her vet for an exam to determine if an infection is present. If her incision has become infected, topical antibiotic sprays are not typically very effective and oral antibiotics are often needed. I hope this helps and that all goes well!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Training & Behavior
What could this be? It wasn’t there when I went to sleep 4 hours ago. However, when I woke up a few minutes ago she was licking her surgical site by that area. I don’t know how long she has been licking it. I think she just remembered it was there or
This red area looks like a bruise. It could be from a mild internal bleed just underneath the skin. I don't see any signs of infection however, which includes yellow or green discharge. I would monitor this area for the next 4-6 hrs to make sure it doesn't spread. As long as the area stays the size it is now and slowly goes back to normal tissue color over the next few days, then there is no need to worry. However, if the area of redness continues to spread, or if Precious begins to act ill (not eating, lethargic, vomiting, etc), then you should take her in to be examined by your vet right away. It is best to keep her cone on her at all times, especially when you are asleep and not able to monitor Precious. We don't want her opening up her incision site. I hope that things turn out ok for your pet Precious. Best of luck and take care!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Good morning! My dog got spayed 13 days ago. She is healing up but I noticed some weird discharge. I cleaned it up after the photos. She did not seem to be in any pain while I was cleaning, nor did she try to move while I cleaned it up a bit. Should
A little bit of discharge is normal but continue to monitor the incision and if the discharge persists or gets worse then she should be examined by a vet. She may need an antibiotic to treat an infection. Also monitor for redness and/or swelling. Make sure she is not licking the incision as this will inhibit healing.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog was spayed Monday (7/23). Caught twice Licking incision, even with cone on. Is now bleeding slightly. Have cone, tube, sleeve on now. How can I make sure she is okay? I have Covid now so I can’t take her in? Top left: amount of blood top right
Hi and thanks for your request. The wound seems fairly dry even though there is some discharge. The margins of it look healthy as well. I guess that the discharge is minimal but if not (from the pic I cannot assess it, then a check up would be required ). Her general status would be very important as well to decide whether she needs to be seen or not; if she is painful, lethargic, inappetent, if she has any vomiting, diarrhoea, then a check up would be ideal. Hope this could help. At the moment there is no need for a check up in my opinion. Licking should be discouraged with any possible means. plasters and soft inflatable collars (donut-like) may be useful.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog was spayed 2.5 weeks ago. When the cone came off after 2 weeks of recovery she started licking herself nonstop - paws, vagina, and tail, not the incision. She's been a bit lethargic the last few days and last night an odorless bloody discharge
Thank you for contacting Boop by Petco with your question about Duchess. Poor girl. Licking her vaginal area is a sign that something is wrong, as it the discharge. Two weeks after the surgery, there should not be a discharge and I'm concerned about an infection, either from the vagina or a UTI. This is urgent, especially because she is also lethargic. I would take her into a vet immediately. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog licked her spay incision... do I need to take her to an emergency vet ? Photo without pink shirt in pic was a few days ago. She had surgery Friday
This looks ok right now. I recommend trying an ecollar on her to prevent further licking and monitor overnight. If her incision becomes open, swollen or has a discharge she should be seen by a veterinarian
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I spayed my 8 year old dog friday, everything was ok until sundat overnight when she start dripping. I took her to the vet and gave her antibiotics. She is still dripping but less a sticky smelly liquid. The skin looks also a bit like its not "glued"
Hello, & thank you for using Boop by Petco. 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.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog was spayed 4 days ago and her vet is closed for the next week (on vacation). They failed to mention that before operating on my pup. Her incision looked fine this morning, but now I'm noticing some discharge. Does this appear to be infected? I
Hello. I think this incision looks pretty good for 4 days post op. I think you are seeing dried blood and possibly skin glue caked on the incision line. It does not appear infected right now. I would avoid putting any ointment or cream on the incision as this will attract her to lick it. If you see yellow fluid or wet accumulation of oozing fluid at the incision, post a photo again so we can help you evaluate it. If it does start to look worse, topical Neosporin applied 2-3 times a day is fine BUT you should keep an e-collar or “cone” on her to prevent her from licking the ointment. Thank you for using Boop by Petco
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Our dog got spayed 3 days ago. We are seeing a small amount of bleeding from the incision today. The first picture is the day of the incision, the second is today. Should we be worried?
The site itself looks good. No swelling, redness or bruising and it appears closed. The slight discharge does not appear to be frank blood. It looks like it may be fluid from a seroma. Seromas can occur after surgery. Continue to monitor the site, If the discharge increases or has a bad odor then see your veterinarian. Monitor Delilah for lethargy, fever, loss of appetite, vomiting or diarrhea. These are symptoms that should also be addressed by your vet. Keep an e-collar (cone) on her to prevent licking or chewing of the site. You can use a diluted betadine or Hibiclens solution around the site to keep the area clean.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Training & Behavior
My golden doodle was spayed on Monday dec 10th. She got her cone off today and licked her stitches. It looks slightly bad. Should we take her to the vet or does it look normal?
Emma indeed did a job on her incision! I hope she is wearing the e-collar again and I suggest you also put a t-shirt on her so she cannot mess with the incision using the cone. She apparently licked a lot of bacteria into the incision so there appears to be some infection. I recommend you take her to your vet for a recheck tomorrow morning.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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