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Why is my spayed dog's incision bleeding and licking despite cone?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Australian Shepherd | Female | 35 lbs

My dog was spayed Monday (7/23). Caught twice Licking incision, even with cone on. Is now bleeding slightly. Have cone, tube, sleeve on now. How can I make sure she is okay? I have Covid now so I can’t take her in? Top left: amount of blood top right :most recent pic bottom L: this morning bottom R: yesterday vet pic

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4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Published on July 23rd, 2021

Hi and thanks for your request. The wound seems fairly dry even though there is some discharge. The margins of it look healthy as well. I guess that the discharge is minimal but if not (from the pic I cannot assess it, then a check up would be required ). Her general status would be very important as well to decide whether she needs to be seen or not; if she is painful, lethargic, inappetent, if she has any vomiting, diarrhoea, then a check up would be ideal. Hope this could help. At the moment there is no need for a check up in my opinion. Licking should be discouraged with any possible means. plasters and soft inflatable collars (donut-like) may be useful.

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    Answered By Ana M, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on July 15th, 2020

    Thank you for submitting your question regarding Ellie. I recommend that she sees her veterinarian. She may have infection or a reaction to the suture used in her surgery. The veterinarian will examine her and determine if oral antibiotics or if another treatment is needed. In the meantime, place an E-collar on her to prevent any further self trauma. I hope this information helps!

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    Answered By Ana M, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on March 27th, 2019

    Thank you for submitting your question regarding Maya. Yes, her incision site appears irritated and may be infected. Is she licking the area? The self trauma can make it worse. I would place an E-collar on her just in case. Some dogs will have reactions to the type of suture used under the skin as well. She should see her veterinarian again. I hope this information helps!

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    Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on December 14th, 2018

    Emma indeed did a job on her incision! I hope she is wearing the e-collar again and I suggest you also put a t-shirt on her so she cannot mess with the incision using the cone. She apparently licked a lot of bacteria into the incision so there appears to be some infection. I recommend you take her to your vet for a recheck tomorrow morning.

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Related Questions

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My dog went for spaying 1 week ago. She had a hard scab around the incision but today it came off either due to jumping or rubbing. It bleed a little and i used a solution prescribe by the vet to clean the wound. Im worried that the has open prematur
The wound seems still sealed with a minimal amount of muscle layer exposed. Considering the pics you attached, the wound is healthy and there is no infection at the moment. I would keep a close eye on it though and if anything changes, please contact us asap. Disinfection can be continued at home wiping it twice daily with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any licking. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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My 45lb husky mix was spayed January 4th. She was given clavamox about 3 weeks ago because her incision was slightly bleeding. It has started bleeding a little bit again. How can I get this to heal properly? She's not scratching or licking the incisi
It is hard for me to see from your image if the incision looks infected or not. I would say that if she is still having some discharge from her incision, it would be a good idea to have her examined by a veterinarian. Most incision's should be fully healed by now. Causes of bloody discharge could be infection or she could be having trouble clotting (low platelets). Your veterinarian can run some blood work (CBC) to check her platelet count and make sure it is normal. I hope this has helped. Thank you for using pet coach.
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My 6month old GSD was spayed 5 days ago. She has been in surgical suit and has seemed interdst in getting to incision. However, she ran in yard and following day I noticed red seepage. My vet put her on antibiotics incase. No odor. Thought maybe w
Hi and thanks for getting in touch with us! The incision seems relatively healthy, with a small amount of dry discharge. Antibiotics will prevent any infection. She should be checked only if the discharge is increasing and she seems uncomfortable and lethargic. She should be absolutely kept indoors and rested as much as possible. A cone/buster collar should be kept on at all times.
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What could this be? It wasn’t there when I went to sleep 4 hours ago. However, when I woke up a few minutes ago she was licking her surgical site by that area. I don’t know how long she has been licking it. I think she just remembered it was there or
This red area looks like a bruise. It could be from a mild internal bleed just underneath the skin. I don't see any signs of infection however, which includes yellow or green discharge. I would monitor this area for the next 4-6 hrs to make sure it doesn't spread. As long as the area stays the size it is now and slowly goes back to normal tissue color over the next few days, then there is no need to worry. However, if the area of redness continues to spread, or if Precious begins to act ill (not eating, lethargic, vomiting, etc), then you should take her in to be examined by your vet right away. It is best to keep her cone on her at all times, especially when you are asleep and not able to monitor Precious. We don't want her opening up her incision site. I hope that things turn out ok for your pet Precious. Best of luck and take care!
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my dog won't keep his cone on he licks the incision sometimes, it's a little bloody what do i do & does it look okay?
Based on the picture it looks okay but you need to prevent him from licking the area. You could clean the incision with a small amount of hydrogen peroxide. If he won't keep the cone on then you could try an inflatable E-collar and see if that works better https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/dog/dog-health-and-wellness/dog-ecollars/well-and-good-inflatable-collar-for-dogs-and-cats
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My dog was spayed 4 days ago and her vet is closed for the next week (on vacation). They failed to mention that before operating on my pup. Her incision looked fine this morning, but now I'm noticing some discharge. Does this appear to be infected? I
Hello. I think this incision looks pretty good for 4 days post op. I think you are seeing dried blood and possibly skin glue caked on the incision line. It does not appear infected right now. I would avoid putting any ointment or cream on the incision as this will attract her to lick it. If you see yellow fluid or wet accumulation of oozing fluid at the incision, post a photo again so we can help you evaluate it. If it does start to look worse, topical Neosporin applied 2-3 times a day is fine BUT you should keep an e-collar or “cone” on her to prevent her from licking the ointment. Thank you for using Boop by Petco
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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My dog licked her spay incision... do I need to take her to an emergency vet ? Photo without pink shirt in pic was a few days ago. She had surgery Friday
This looks ok right now. I recommend trying an ecollar on her to prevent further licking and monitor overnight. If her incision becomes open, swollen or has a discharge she should be seen by a veterinarian
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Our dog got spayed 3 days ago. We are seeing a small amount of bleeding from the incision today. The first picture is the day of the incision, the second is today. Should we be worried?
The site itself looks good. No swelling, redness or bruising and it appears closed. The slight discharge does not appear to be frank blood. It looks like it may be fluid from a seroma. Seromas can occur after surgery. Continue to monitor the site, If the discharge increases or has a bad odor then see your veterinarian. Monitor Delilah for lethargy, fever, loss of appetite, vomiting or diarrhea. These are symptoms that should also be addressed by your vet. Keep an e-collar (cone) on her to prevent licking or chewing of the site. You can use a diluted betadine or Hibiclens solution around the site to keep the area clean.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Training & Behavior
My dog is extremely hyper. She is a German Shepherd and is inside but I caught her licking her incision and the vet told me to put some antibiotic ointment on it and this is what it looks like now. Should I be concerned?
Hello, and thanks for your question about Junie. Of course, a photo isn't the same as being able to examine Junie in person, but that incision still looks pretty good to me. There's a little mild redness where I presume she was licking, but no swelling, and I don't see any discharge. The most important thing now is to make sure you keep Junie from continuing to lick the incision, as that really could cause problems. She should wear a cone / E-collar for 10-14 days until that incision line is completely healed. If you don't already have one from your vet, they are available to purchase at most pet stores, such as PetCo. Secure it to her collar, and make sure it's a large enough size so she can't lick around the top of it! You can also ask your vet about a mild oral sedative medication to help keep her a bit quieter during this recovery period. I know it's not easy to keep a high energy dog quiet when they think they feel fine! But it's really important for her healing that she
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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Luna was spayed 7/31/18. As of today 8/4/18, this is what the area looks like. There is some fluid that came out of the hole and a little bit of blood. Is this normal?
Hi and thanks for posting! I think the actual spay incision which appears to be the green line below the area of concern (green die is used sometimes to tattoo them) looks very good. The area above this looks like there is some blood and redness from perhaps a scratch or puncture wound. It is a little hard to tell from the picture. I would recommend you can take some mild soap and water and clean the area a bit to see exactly where the blood in coming from. If the area continues to have discharge or blood coming from it, I would have Luna seen by her veterinarian. Typically spay incisions should not bleed or have a lot of discharge. I hope this helps and thanks again for posting!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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