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My dog had CCL surgery. Is his incision healing normally or infected?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Male | neutered | 2 years and 10 months old | 80 lbs

Dog just had Tightrope repair on his left CCL That was Tuesday afternoon and this is his second day home. Does the incesion look infected? The cotton ball is the color of fluid I've been damping off to keep the incesion dry. Is that a normal color? We were given Cephalexin 500mg one every 12 hours

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1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on February 22nd, 2018

I'm sorry Brutus had to have surgery for his CCL recently! From the pictures, it looks like it's healing well at the moment, and I'm not seeing any sign of infection. It's normal to have a slight bloody discharge, and I would be concerned if there was pus, or if the incision was red, swollen, or warm to the touch. Should you see those signs that I've mentioned, that indicates infection, and I would take him into the vet. Hopefully he continues to heal well. Good luck, I hope this helps!

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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.
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I wasn't given much instruction for aftercare for my dog. Does this look normal or should I contact my vet? They didn't send me home with a cone or anything.
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Batman's incision appears quite red and inflamed. I can't zoom in far enough to be certain, but I'm questioning whether or not the top portion of the incision may also be slightly open. Based on the appearance of his incision, I think there's a high likelihood of infection. I strongly recommend taking Batman to see his vet today or tomorrow for further evaluation. He'll need antibiotics if an infection is diagnosed and will likely need anti-inflammatory pain medications if he isn't already receiving them. Given this redness, he's clearly been licking at his incision quite a bit. Since he's a little guy, you could try putting a baby onesie on him in the crate or use an inflatable donut collar (https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/well-and-good-inflatable-collar-for-dogs-and-cats). I hope that the rest of Batman's recovery goes smoothly!
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just wanted to know if this incision was normal or if it got infected. keela has a cone on but i’m afraid he was able to lick it at night while i was sleeping. he’s able to lick even with the cone on, it’s just more difficult for him.
Thank you for submitting your question regarding Keela. The incision site appears intact. The redness and bruising mainly seems to involve the surrounding skin. It is unlikely infected at this time, but I worry that it will become so if he continues to lick. I recommend trying a larger size collar on him so that he cannot access the surgical site. I hope this information helps!
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