Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

  • Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!

My dog was neutered 3 days ago. Is a small incision opening normal?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Chihuahua | Male | neutered | 2 years and 1 month old | 3.5 lbs

My dog got neuterred 3 days ago. When we first got him from vet there was alittle opening and I'm just wondering if it needs care. I will put a pic.

This question includes photos that may contain sensitive content. Click to view.

View more to consider that the photos may include sensitive content.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Image profile

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on September 28th, 2017

Thank you for providing a picture of Coach's incision! It looks like it's healing well, and that opening is quite small. It doesn't need any care at the moment, but if it gets bigger, then I would take him into the vet. I hope this helps :-)

Vote icon

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Questions

Petco Pet Education Center
New Pet
My puppy got neutered recently and he’s very active! We’ve noticed that his incision seems to be open but it seems to have a scab and there’s no dripping or swelling. We’re not sure if it’s healing well or not. Here’s an image of his incision.
Hello, and thanks for your question. I'm not overly concerned by the appearance of the small opening in the photo, as I don't see any obvious signs of redness, swelling, or discharge. However, that's a bit more open than I'd like to see an incision, so I think it's worth having your vet take a quick peek as it's much easier to evaluate a wound in person. And while Max is healing, make sure you're keeping him quiet/confined, and keeping him from licking his incision area with an E-collar or similar product. Hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hi. My dog was neutered 5 days ago but it doesn't look to be healing as well as it should after 5 days. One part of the incision looks to not be closing and is red and moist but not weeping
Hi there. It looks like a small part of the skin incision may be open a bit, but I don’t see any swelling or drainage, which are the most common signs of infection. This will probably heal over just fine - but to be safe, I would recommend having your regular veterinarian take a quick look. He/she may want to prescribe an antibiotic to prevent the open area of incision from becoming infected as it heals.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My boxer/corgi 10 month old was neutered on Tuesday, December 19th and since has become very clingy and after looking at the area I am curious if it is normal to look how it does since it has been 5 days.
Hi there and thank you for using Boop by Petco to address your concern. From your pictures you have provided, I would strongly suggest taking Buddy in to have the neuter incision rechecked. It looks infected and looks as though the wound will open up further. The sooner this is seen the better. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. This likely needs to be cleaned up and Buddy needs to be on an oral antibiotic.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Just got my dog neatured just want to make sure he isn’t healing correctly.
The swelling and bruising look ok to me, but the crusting is a little concerning. I am not sure how long ago the procedure was, but I would encourage you to have him evaluated by your veterinarian soon. In the meantime I would warm compress the area twice a day for 5-10 minutes. Best if luck and I hope he heals soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My male rabbit was neutered and we were wondering if this is how it’s sipposed to look when healing.
Thank you for using Pet Coach, and for posting the picture. From the picture it appears that the scrotal incision may have opened up and their may be a large blood clot there. I would highly encourage you to have a follow up appointment with your veterinarian to make sure that there is no infection and to See if the incision needs to be revised or not. I would encourage you to do this today if possible. Best of luck and I hope he improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
We adopted a dog last week and he was neutered on 9/24. Is his incision healing properly?
There are pictures this time, thank you! The incision doesn't look infected, but it does look a bit open along the top of the incision. I think to be safe, it would be a good idea to get this checked out by a vet. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My other dog just got netured and he slipped out of his cone and lick himself. He had his surgery on 4/23. Well he just opened it up and I’m afraid of it getting infected and his vet is closed and won’t be open till Monday. I’ve read that they’ll giv
I would not worry about this incision. If the opening is no bigger than what I see on the photo, it will likely just crust over and heal by itself. There is no infection visible (not red, no pus) so antibiotics are not needed. You will need to tighten the cone a bit more, so he cannot take it off again. You may also put a t-shirt on him so he cannot reach his incision. He must not lick it. If the incision still looks like this on Monday, ie, not worse, then you do not need to take him to the vet.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hi we are about 7 days post neuter and i was laying with my dog and it looks like his incision has opened. It’s not bleeding or oozing but i was wondering what to do. The doctor said she left a little open so that any infection but I was wondering if
Hello. I have never heard of leaving a dog neuter incision open like this. We do it in cats & horses, but not dogs. If this is your veterinarians practice, then he should have sent home a Elizabethan cone to prevent Cutty from getting to & licking the incision. Personally, I do not like the way it looks & really think it needs to be cleaned up & sutured closed. Until you can see your vet, please purchase a protective collar to keep him from licking & clean the area 2-3 times daily with a povidone-iodine or chlorhexidine skin cleanser. Thanks for contacting Boop by Petco.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Training & Behavior
Hey there, my post never went through so I’m re-submitting. My 6 month old white German Shepherd got neutered six days ago. Not exactly sure what an incision site is supposed to look like, but I attached a picture. Is this healing normally? Also, h
There appears to be a small amount of scabbing and redness associated with the incision and that is normal at this stage. I think his incision looks great! Continue monitoring the site for another week. 2 weeks post surgery he should be good to return to normal activity and bathing. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Boop by Petco. Best of luck!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog got neutered 6 days ago and the incision looks like this. I was wondering if I should take him back to the vet?
It looks swollen but still closed and no discharge or bleeding. Keep an e-collar (cone) on him until suture removal, 10-14 days post op. Restrict activity as much as you can to avoid stress at the site. See your vet if he becomes lethargic or it the site looks open or infected.
Updated on September 24th, 2025

Related Searches

Dog Supplies Dog Toys Dog Health & Wellness Dog Collars, Leashes & Harnesses Dog First Aid & Recovery Dog Medicine and Prescriptions Dog Recovery Cones & Surgical Suits Dog Clothes & Accessories Dog Bandages & Wound Care Pet Jerseys & Sports Gear Neo-Poly-Dex Dog Medicine and Prescriptions Well & Good Dog Recovery Cones & Surgical Suits Dogswell Dog Bandages & Wound Care Suitical Dog Recovery Cones & Surgical Suits Nutri-Vet Dog First Aid & Recovery Vet's Best Dog First Aid & Recovery Dogswell Dog First Aid & Recovery NaturVet Dog Bandages & Wound Care Suitical Dog First Aid & Recovery Sulfodene Dog First Aid & Recovery
image
Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Sponsored