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Why is there a lump on my dog's spay incision after surgery?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Dachshund miniature | Female | spayed | 8 months and 8 days old | 11.5 lbs

I noticed a small lump along her incision line from her spay surgery. Any idea what this could be?

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4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on February 4th, 2018

Thank you for providing a picture of Mabel's incision! This small lump could be a local tissue reaction from an internal suture, scar tissue, a seroma (fluid in the dead space from a surgery), or a cyst. I'm not sure if the lump is hard or soft. The incision itself looks like it healed beautifully, but i would have this lump checked out by the vet to be safe. The vet can diagnose what is causing it and if it needs any treatment. Good luck, I hope this helps!

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11Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on December 8th, 2018

    A photo of the lump would help assess it, however considering a spay is an abdominal surgery , a lump/swelling would be quite normal so shortly after surgery. Make sure Reeses does not lick her wound (e-collar!). Should the incision turn an angry red, ooze or look infected, you will need to take her back to the vet for a recheck.

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    Answered By Dr Stafford, BVetMed, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on July 10th, 2017

    The lumps look like they have appeared where her scar is. They may just be a bit of scar tissue that will improve with time, or they could be a little bit of tissue reaction to the surgical suture material. If they feel at all hot I would go to the vet as an antibiotic may be required. If they are cool I would monitor and go to the vet if they get bigger.

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    Answered By Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA

    Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

    Published on September 29th, 2017

    I would recommend taking Bailey to the vet to have this bump checked out. It could be caused by an infection, seroma (fluid building up after the surgery), or a small hernia from where internal sutures did not hold and heal as expected. After a thorough exam, the vet may recommend diagnostics such as cytology to look at a sample of cells under the microscope or an ultrasound to see what could be inside the little lump. Until you get Bailey to the vet, try to keep her restrained to avoid further irritation and definitely keep her from licking it.

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Related Questions

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Health & Wellbeing
My 8 month Boston Terrier got spayed 3 weeks ago her incision was healing perfectly till I noticed a lump on top of her incision. It is very firm but doesn’t seem to hurt her
This could just be a local tissue reaction to an internal suture. Lola's incision looks great, so I'd just keep an eye on the lump for now. If it gets bigger, doesn't go away, or starts bothering her, have her see a vet. Best of luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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Health & Wellbeing
My dog got spayed (early caught Pyometra) in November 2018 and I noticed that the incision healed but one of the ends looks like the attached picture and it doesn’t seem normal, what could this mean? Thank you!
Hi, it does look like a reaction to subcutaneous sutures. It could just be inflammation or an infection. I would recommend to have it checked over at your vets, to see wether does need an antibiotic /antinflammatory ointment or injection or better some oral medications. The decision will depend on how the lump feels and on its content ! Hope this helps.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My puppy was spayed 6 months ago, today I noticed a knot or swelling in the area of her incision. Any info or ways to treat would be appreciated.
Hmmmm...six months is a long time after surgery to see a suture reaction or a seroma (fluid-filled area underneath the skin). I suspect your dog may have a small hernia or opening in the abdominal wall. When we do abdominal surgery (which a spay is) we have to cut through three layers of tissue. First the skin. Under that, the fat. And finally the body wall, which is muscle and connective tissue. Subsequently, when we finish the surgery and close the incision, we stitch all 3 layers separately. Rarely, one of those, typically the body wall, doesn't heal all the way and a small opening into the abdomen is left. These need to be attended to, since a piece of the bowel can lodge itself in the hole and cause a blockage or strangulation. Call the vet who did the operation and talk to him or her about your concern for this complication, and schedule a follow up.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My puppy has a lump around her incision after being spayed she was spayed 4/26. I noticed it a few days after the spay she is not painful I can touch and push on the lump its not red or oozing and she is eating and playful as normal
Larger dogs or dogs that are playful after a procedure can develop a seroma at the incision site. These firm bumps under the skin at the incision and are not painful. Sometimes they can drain and be fluid-filled. They will go away completely as healing takes place, but it may take a little longer than the normal 10 days for healing. It is still there after 2 weeks, begins to ooze any fluid, or gets noticeably larger, then I would have it rechecked. It's unlikely to be a hernia, particularly if it resolves on it's own. For some dogs, warm (not hot) compresses applied a few times per day can be helpful.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I have a dog which I got from a rescue centre. They spade her and from what my vet has said the stitches they put in weren’t dissolvable ones now recent I have found a hard lump down her scar which is worrying me. Could this be due to the stitches.
Congrats on your new dog! This could be due to a local tissue reaction from the internal sutures, which should be dissolvable. It's normal to use non-dissolvable sutures on the external incision as they can be removed, while the internal incisions do require dissolvable ones since those could only be removed by opening up the external incision. You can still get a local tissue reaction from the internal sutures, but it's always best to have Nina checked out to be sure. It could also be scar tissue depending on how long ago she was spayed. Take her into the vet tomorrow to have her incision examined. Good luck, I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I got my dog spayed almost 2 months ago. This lumb came up 3 days ago. Its hard and you can move it around. I attached some photos. Thank you!
From the picture, that looks like a suture reaction, which is common a month or two out from surgery as the internal suture material is dissolving. If there is no discharge and it's not warm to the touch, and she's otherwise normal, it shouldn't need medical attention. However if it starts to bleed or have discharge, take her in for a check up
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog got spayed 4 days ago. Her belly is hanging down right under her incision and it is hard. Like a lump of some sort. Is this normal?
Yes this is normal. The stitches underneath the skin can cause swelling like you are seeing while they are getting dissolved by the body, The incision itself is healing nicely. She may have this swelling for several weeks before it goes down completely. Thanks for using Boop by Petco to help you care for Minnie.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Wanted to see if my dog’s spay incision seems to be healing okay. The small opening at the end has me concerned. It leaks a clear fluid and I have also noticed a lump under the incision in that area (somewhat noticeable in the photo). She seems happy
Layla's wound looks to be healing nicely. It looks like she is having a mild suture reaction at the very end, likely where the suture is knotted. This is not uncommon and often a little lump forms which then bursts open and sometimes you will see some suture poke out. I would usually recommend going into the vet as often the piece of suture can be pulled out. However given the current circumstances I would keep it clean at home as long as she seems her normal self and there is no pus.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
New Pet
My adopted cat was spayed on 4/3. It’s now 4/22. I’m a little nervous as her incision site has a little lump by it. I adopted her and didn’t know she had gotten spayed so recently so I didn’t ask why type of after care she was getting. She’s acting f
The incision looks like it healed beautifully. That lump could be a localized tissue reaction to an internal suture. If the lump isn't bothering Stella, it isn't getting bigger or red, and she is otherwise behaving normally, you can wait until her appointment to have her seen. Best of luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
New Pet
Our yorkie was spayed Oct 7, so almost 3 weeks ago. Both of these lumps at the top and bottom of her incision have just come up. It doesn't hurt her for me to mess with them and they feel maybe a little hard. She is a rescue and the vet is 2 hours aw
Hi there and thank you for using Boop by Petco to address your concern. The picture is a bit grainy and discolored so it is difficult to say for sure what the problem is. However, with your description, what you are feeling are likely the knots of the suture at the top and bottom portion of the incision line. These knots can sometimes cause inflammation due to a slight suture reaction. If the incision is not open, then I would just monitor for now. If the incision is red, inflamed or there is pus present, then I would have Huggle rechecked by the veterinarian that did the procedure. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction! If the bumps are indeed due to the suture and they do not worsen, you should see those disappear over the next few months hopefully. Complete absorption of the suture I use in my spay procedures takes about 3-4 months to occur. However, absorption time depends on the type of suture used.
Updated on September 24th, 2025

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