My dog's cancer surgery left a hole. Should I leave it open?

Question

I have a pup that had mass cell cancer removed, and the vet took out the stitches leaving a gaping hole. She put my dog on antibiotics and gave me Trixie flush to put in the hole. She said it will heal fine. I'm worried. Do you agree is okay to leave open and uncovered or packed? Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Female | spayed | 78 lbs

Daniel Fonza, DVM · Accepted Answer

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. From the pictures, it does appear that this is a sizable hole. Unfortunately, when dealing with cancer cells, anytime a cancerous mass is removed this is a possible complication. Flushing the area may help this heal faster or this may not heal well at all due to the cancerous nature of the area. I would say that if this is not looking like it is developing healthy tissue within a week of flushing and caring for the open wound, I would recommend having this closed with stitches again. I would have the veterinarian check the wound every 3 days to monitor it's progression. This area is hard to bandage and most likely a bandage would not stay in place in this area. I would leave this exposed to the air so it heals better. When she goes to sleep at night, I would put a shirt around her or a pair of boxer shorts to keep it protected. 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.

My dog's cancer surgery left a hole. Should I leave it open?

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