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Dog licked neuter incision scab. Is bleeding normal after 13 days?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Silky Terrier | Male | neutered | 1 year old | 11 lbs

I took my dogs cone off 13 days after being neutered… he licked the scab off and now there’s a small amount of blood. Is it normal for them to lick their scabs off or should he wear the cone until they fall off on their own?

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on March 9th, 2023

It's normal for a dog to lick the scabs. After 13 days, Milo's incision should be fully healed, and if there is a small amount of blood, I would not worry. I would start worrying if the area appears infected, in which case you would see redness, swelling, the area would be warm to the touch, and you'd see pus. If he is licking the area excessively, then I would put the cone back on and have him see the vet. I hope this helps!

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    Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on December 11th, 2023

    Hello, thank you for using PetCoach. It looks like Aston has been licking the surgery site. The scrotum should not be this red 10 days after surgery. You need to put the cone back on and leave it on until the scrotum is back to normal. It will not heal as long as he keeps licking it. You can apply this spray on the scrotum twice a day. ( https://www.chewy.com/vetericyn-plus-antimicrobial-wound/dp/133990 ) If after about 5-7 days it is not better or looking worse, then you need to take him back to your vet. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

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    Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

    Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

    Published on April 4th, 2017

    After 14 days, the incision site should be fully healed - so as long as there is no open wound and no bleeding or discharge, it's likely that things are just fine :) Some redness of the skin underneath the scab is common, and should resolve on its own within the next few days. If Marley seems to be licking the area excessively, or if you see any swelling or drainage from the incision site, it would be best to have him rechecked by your vet as these could be signs of infection.

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    Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on July 29th, 2020

    There is a good granulation bed seen there which means that the incision is still in the healing process and should therefore be left alone to heal. I would recommend placing the cone back on Kepler for the next 4-7 days until this has healed completely and that center pink area is completely covered with normal looking skin. You should also consider cleaning this for the next 1-2 days once daily with Betadine solution diluted 50:50 with water to remove any topical bacteria that Kepler may have introduced to the area during his licking sessions. This will help keep the area clean and allow it to continue to heal. I hope that this area finally heals up so that Kepler can do away with his cone. Best of luck moving forward. Take care!

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Related Questions

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Health & Wellbeing
My dog got neutered 9 days ago & he started bleeding a little today from the incision i think te scar he had fell what can i do?
This will heal fine as long as he’s not licking the area and you minimize his activity. You can dab it with hydrogen peroxide to clean it. Don’t rub and remove more scab as that will cause additional bleeding. Then apply a thin film of antibacterial ointment on it. Use a cone if needed to prevent licking. It will heal from the inside out in another few days to a week. Thanks for using Boop by Petco to help you care for Toby.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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Hi there. Our dog was neutered 11 days ago and 2 days ago we removed his cone. This morning we noticed he may have removed part of the scab from the scrotum area. He appears to be guarding the area as well. Would you return to cone or will this heal?
Thank you for your question about Lucky. Yes, Lucky needs to wear the cone at all times until the incision is completely healed. If he leaves it alone, there is a high likelihood that it will heal on its own. It takes roughly 10-14 days to heal an incision and he damaged it around around day 10 so that is going to delay things a bit. Check the incision daily for redness, swelling or discharge. If you see this, he needs to go to the veterinarian for a likely infection from licking. Keep the incision clean and dry. Don’t worry about putting anything on it. It will likely form a new scab and will continue the healing process. I do recommend to have him checked by his veterinarian in about 1 week. I hope you found this helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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My 1 year old jug pup was neutered Exactly 1 week today so I took his cone off he started licking and very quickly the scabs went and the wound started bleeding I’ve put his cone back on and I’m his crate so he can’t jump and he stays calm should I
It sounds like Scrappy has disturbed the healing process of his incision, and I would take him into a vet today or tomorrow to make sure he didn't remove any sutures. This incision needs to be checked out. I hope this helps.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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Hey there, my post never went through so I’m re-submitting. My 6 month old white German Shepherd got neutered six days ago. Not exactly sure what an incision site is supposed to look like, but I attached a picture. Is this healing normally? Also, h
There appears to be a small amount of scabbing and redness associated with the incision and that is normal at this stage. I think his incision looks great! Continue monitoring the site for another week. 2 weeks post surgery he should be good to return to normal activity and bathing. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Boop by Petco. Best of luck!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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my male yorkie was neutered on 11/30/2017 .I took him back on 12/04/2017 for infection he was licking it even with the e collar on his paper says afwe 7 day's from the time he had it done 11/30 to take the cone off. He was healing fine now he has lic
It takes 7-14 day to be completely healed. A this point the incision should be closed. If he is causing redness you can apply the cone again and place cortisone cream along the red parts to help provide relief. It does itch when hair begins to grow back and that may be contributing at this point. If there is no discharge then I would not worry about an infection
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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My male dog , is slightly bleeding from his incision wound where he was neutered. He was neatured 1 year ago and has never had any problems until now. It is not gushing blood, but there is a ring of dried blood around the incision. Please help. Thank
This is certainly not normal. The incision should be hardly visible after a year. Make sure Bama does not lick the incision site, (put an e-collar on him, if you have one at home, or put a t-shirt on him covering the site) and take him in to your vet in the morning. It is possible that something is irritating the incision, Bama licked it busily and caused it to bleed. However, this needs to be examined.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
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Hello! My dog is 2 weeks post neutering and he has just started licking his incision. There are tiny blood spots on him that look wet, but aren’t really bleeding. I’m wondering if his licking has opened up his stitches and it’s worrying me where it b
Hello. This incision is still healing and you are seeing areas where the skin edges have not completely healed together. Even though it has been 2 weeks- this photo indicates that Tucker should still be wearing an E-collar or some other device that will prevent him from licking the area. It will heal but it will take longer and you are at risk of it getting infected or opening up more if he is continued to be allowed to lick the area. Thank you for using Boop by Petco
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Training & Behavior
I took the cone off my dog for a bit cause his sutures are almost healed up! I looked at them this morning and they just look basically healed. If he licks them will that cause damage ? He got neutered on the 9th of this month so today marks his 10 d
Observe your dog very closely so it does not lick the incision. If you catch him at it , put the cone back on. Sometimes it takes more than 10 days for the "healing itch" to go away. Licking can indeed open the incision again at this stage.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog was neutered 2 days ago. Today his incision started bleeding. Not a lot but it’s dripping every now and then. I called the vet and brought him back in. The vet said it’s normal but was really rude because we came right as they were closing I f
If it is only dripping a few drops of blood and your dog does not show any other symptoms, i would not worry about it, it can happen and it can last 3-4 days max. the blood tends to gather in the empty testicular sac and this is why it tends to bleed for several days.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog was neutered today and I was wondering if redness is normal. There is no leakage but some swelling. He has the e collar but did lick the wound
Yes moderate amounts of redness are normal the same day and up to 3-4 days after the day of the surgery. No leakage is good and no smell are good signs that things are a-ok with the incision site. I would discourage licking of the incision site at all costs. I would recommend keeping the e-collar on at all time, if your pet has a difficult time eating with it on then you can temporarily remove it but then place it right back on to prevent re-opening of the incision site or infection due to excessive licking.
Updated on September 24th, 2025

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