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Why does my dog's spay incision feel like stitches years later?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Bichon Frise | Female | spayed | 15 lbs

Hello, I have a 7 year old dog that was spayed probably 4 years ago. I was just rubbing her belly and it almost feels like I can feel stitches under her skin where her incision would have been from her surgery. I’m sure it can’t be stitches since it was so long ago. It’s hard to explain, but it feels almost like a spiny little area about an inch long right in the middle of her tummy. Whatever it is, feels like it’s just below the skin. You can’t see anything and it doesn’t seem to bother her.

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4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

Published on October 30th, 2020

Actually, it could be stitches, depending on what kind of material they used for that layer (we close abdominal incisions in 3 individual layers). Or it could be scar tissue. Either way, if it isn’t causing any issues, just let it be! :) If it seems to be causing discomfort or swelling, then it needs to be examined by a vet.

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    Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on March 22nd, 2020

    It appears that she may be having a mild reaction to the stitches under the skin. I would not be overly concerned at this stage. I recommend you put a cone collar on her if she is licking it and I recommend you use this topical spray on the incision 3-4 times per day. https://www.allivet.com/p-2842-vetericyn-vf-plus-wound-skin-care-hydrogel-spray.aspx?SearchTerm=hydrogel+Auto

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on July 6th, 2017

    That spay incision looks like it's healing quite well. It does look like the stitches have come out, and I would have Diamond seen by your vet in the morning just to check the incision. Keep the cone on her until your vet says it's ok to take it off.

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    Answered By Angel Alvarado, LVT

    Licensed Veterinary Technician

    Published on July 22nd, 2018

    There appears to be some discharge and one section of the site is slightly open. Luna should be rechecked by your veterinarian today to make sure she has not or is not developing infection. Keep the e-collar in place and restrict her activity as much as possibly to allow for healing.

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Related Questions

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Health & Wellbeing
My dog was spayed two weeks ago, her incision has healed but when I went to touch the incision, I felt like I was touching somthing beneath the skin that I shouldn't be. The incision is not red at all and when I touched it and pressed the incision ge
Hi there. If it feels like something prickly under the skin, you're likely just feeling the ends of the sutures in the underlying layers of muscle and tissue - this is perfectly normal :) If it feels like something different, then I don't know what else it would be without a more detailed description. In that case, if you're concerned, I would suggest stopping by the vet's office to have them check it and make sure everything is okay. :)
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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How many layers of stitches come with a spay surgery? The ones inside are dissolvable, right? After she’s all healed up will I be able to feel anything?
Usually there three layers of stitches. One layer holds the body wall together, the next closes the subcuticular layer and the third layer closed the skin. The skin stitches can be put into the back of the skin so there are none showing. Sometimes skin stitches are on the outside of the skin and will need to be removed in ten to fourteen days. The buried stitches will dissolve over one to three months depending on the size and type of suture used. There will be some swelling as they dissolve and you often can feel them for a few months if you are feeling closely. Over time the scar will heal and you should no longer feel anything but the spay scar itself. The scar also will become softer and smoother over time so that often it is difficult to find. Since she’s a very small dog the sutures will be thinner and will be less noticeable sooner than on a big dog. Thanks for using Boop by Petco to help you care for Precious.
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My dog was spayed 15 days ago. The incision healed well but at the bottom there is a very small raised scab that seems to bother her. Can I attach pic
It is only possible to attach picture via private consults, which you can have with any of our online vets. from your description it's probably the knot underneath the skin (where the scab is) that is bothering her. these knots take a little longer to dissolve- it might take up to 4-5 weeks to dissolve completely, nut as long as the incision is closed i wouldn't worry too much.
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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.
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My dog was spayed 6 months ago and still has a spot that keeps scabbing. She keeps ripping off the scab any chance she gets. The vets has looked at the scab and said it looks okay and maybe to put some Neosporin, but they have never seen under the sc
The wound appears very superficial in the picture and I would leave it open to the air without dressing. Manuka honey and saline washes once daily may help if it becomes crusted. It is possibly due to a reaction to suture material which although rare can occur (surgical repair is a last resort as healing can be slow!)
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A few days ago I noticed some red bumps on my dog where her spay incision was. It’s been about 11 months now since she was spayed. They are red and kind of hard but don’t seem to be causing her pain. What is this and does it warrant a trip to the vet
The vet most likely used a suture material for the spay that takes a very long time to dissolve (like PDS) and she is having a reaction to that suture material that is still left there. I would not be worried about this unless it abscesses and opens. For now, just monitor it.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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My dog got spayed a few weeks ago and she is fine right now but there a bump on her stomach. It's not red and it's not bothering her. Is this normal l? Should I take her to the vet?
No worries. The internal sutures that are used during a pet spay can take as long as 2-3 months to completely dissolve. So the bumps you are feeling are likely a minor suture reaction occurring just underneath the skin. As long as there is no opening of the skin, redness or oozing at the site, Dixie is likely just fine. Just continue to monitor the area for any changes and report them to your vet if seen, but in most cases the bumpy area will resolve on its own over time.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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Health & Wellbeing
My dog is day 30 post spay. She had no external stitches as they were all dissolvable. Well there is a stitch sticking out of the skin. The incision is fully healed. I have tried to tug on the stitch but there was to much resistance. Should I just cl
It takes several months for dissolvable sutures to fully break down. While this happens, it's not uncommon for a suture end to poke through the skin. Since Willow's incision has healed fully a month after surgery, it's perfectly fine to trim the end of suture that's sticking out. Obviously, take care not to accidentally cut Willow!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hi, I may be fretting for no reason here! I had my 6 month old puppy spayed last week, she still has stitches in currently. I have noticed today (although it may have been like this the whole time) that the skin around the incision on her abdomen is
That wound looks absolutely fine ! I see what you mean about the stitches but the important is that the wound is coming together nicely ! There are some subcutaneous stitches which are holding the wound together, the ones that you see are the skin ones and they are sometimes loose in case the wound becomes swollen. Nothing to worry about.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
New Pet
My puppy was spayed just over a week ago. She's in a cone but I noticed today her stitches were gone. I don't know if they resolved or if she has opened her incision. :(
It is quite possible that she did not have any external stitches. Did you see any there at any point? Most routine spay surgeries with relatively small incisions are closed with layers of stitches under the surface and only skin glue at the skin edges. This does not look to me like there were ever skin stitches there to begin with as there are no marks that would have been left from the suture material. This incision is not open.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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