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My puppy's spay incision has bumps. Is it normal or infected?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Redbone Coonhound | Female | spayed | 55 lbs

8 month old puppy spayed 3 1/2 weeks ago. Incision looked great. Today this showed up. Infection?

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4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist, Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner

Published on January 26th, 2018

When we close a spay incision, we leave sutures under the skin that will dissolve on their own once the incision has finished healing. In some dogs, the process of dissolving the sutures under the skin will be very dramatic and the body will create swellings around the sutures as it breaks down the sutures. We call this a suture reaction. If they are continuing to look larger, any of the areas break open, there is any redness or discharge or if Scarlet seems irritated by the bumps, then your veterinarian should certainly evaluate her. Sometimes these suture reactions need to be treated, but often they will resolve on their own as the body finishes breaking down the suture. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Jessica Keay, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on May 29th, 2017

    We can sometimes get seromas or hematoma develop at incision sites which eventually resolve on their own but we can also have adverse reactions to suture material or infection at the site as well. The safest course of action is to have your vet look at the incision. They should be able to determine if infection is present and antibiotics are needed. Until you are able to have her seen she should have restricted activity and wear an e-collar at all times.

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    Answered By Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH

    Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist, Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner

    Published on February 5th, 2018

    From the picture, it appears that the upper end of the incision is red and swollen. We expect a small amount of redness around an incision, but the amount of redness and swelling is much more than we would expect for an incision from 5 days ago. I would recommend having your veterinarian examine the incision. They may need to take some samples to see if the incision is infected. If Lucy is not on antibiotics, she may need antibiotics. If Lucy does not have an e-collar to prevent her from licking at the incision, I would certainly recommend that since licking at the incision is the most common reason for infection of the surgical site. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and answered your question. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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    Answered By Rodrigo Roca, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on November 17th, 2018

    Hello, thank you for your question about Heidi. Based on the photo you’ve attached I would be suspicious that Heidi is having a mild reaction to one of the stitches. Sometimes depending on how the stitch was tied and which layers of tissue it goes through animals have a mild reaction and it causes symptoms similar to the one in the photo. Some suture material can take up to 45 days to dissolve completely, which could explain why you are seeing these signs at this point after surgery. I would recommend continuing to monitor this area. I would also try to discourage Heidi from licking at the area as this could predispose her to developing an infection. If the lesion doesn’t go away in the next few weeks I would recommend having her rechecked by your veterinarian. Hope this helps, good luck!

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