What's the crusty stuff on my dog's spay incision? Is it normal?

Related Answers from Veterinarians

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  Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

  Veterinarian

  Published on February 10th, 2018

  Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The stitches look great and it appears that the incision site is healing well. I do not see any indication that there is any infection or that the incision is opening up. A small amount of crusty material is completely normal to see. I would leave any crusted material alone and let the incision heal undisturbed. 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.

  

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  Answered By Lotus Altholtz

  Veterinarian, Board-Certified Lab Animal Medicine Specialist

  Published on January 20th, 2023

  Unfortunately, no. The skin edges are separated instead of healed together, especially in the middle. There may be granulation tissue underneath but it is possible that once the sutures are removed, the skin edges will separate even further. There appears to be inflammation where the suture enters/exits the skin, which is possibly due to a suture reaction. A suture reaction to the layer of suture holding the abdominal wall together may be part of the reason the incision didn’t heal well. I recommend bringing your dog back to your vet for an evaluation. It is possible that debriding the skin edges and resuturing under anesthesia with perhaps nylon (or another less reactive suture) may be required to get the skin edges to heal properly. An up close examination would be warranted to tell for sure. Best wishes -

  

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  Answered By Stephanie Echols, DVM

  Veterinarian

  Published on September 5th, 2017

  Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is hard to tell by the picture but the area looks scabbed over and healing well. If you feel a bump underneath, it could be a knot from the suture that is under the skin layer. If there is no discharge, no heat around the area, and no swelling, I would just continue to monitor the area. Good luck and kisses to Zoii!

  

  1Pet Parents found this answer helpful