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Puppy neuter incision painful & infected 3 weeks later? What to do?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

It's been over 3 weeks since my 8 month old puppy was neutered, but today it looks like the incision is infected? (I gave him a bath, if that makes a difference). It hurts him when i try to touch him anywhere close to the incision. I don't know what to do. Please help

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1 Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on December 6th, 2019

I'm concerned about this redness and swelling. After three weeks, it should be completely healed, not look like this. Like you, I am worried about infection as well. I'd take him into a vet immediately.

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1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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Had our fur baby neutered on thursday he seems to be in alot of pain. And think he now has a infection
The site does appear reddened and swollen. This could be post operative issues or signs of infection. Since he is painful, he should be rechecked by your veterinarian or at the nearest veterinary ER. A vet can diagnose infection and treat the pain if indicated. Place an e-collar (cone) on him to prevent licking if he doesn't already have one on. Keep him warm and as stress free as possible until you see the vet.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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Is my dog's neuter incision infected? If so, is it okay to wait until tomorrow to take him to the vet?
Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. From your photo I can tell you that this looks seriously infected and does not look very good post-neuter. I would get him in as soon as you can for treatment before this affects healthy surrounding tissue. He will likely need to be sedated and have the dead tissue removed for treatment and placed on a course of oral antibiotics and pain medications to reduce inflammation. If he has been chewing at the area, he must wear a plastic cone at all times to prevent him from getting to the incision. I hope this helps! Please feel free to contact me with any further questions or concerns you may have. I am also available via consultation if needed.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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My dog got neutered 6 days ago. The healing seemed to be going well and everything was turning to normal color. But now this morning an area is red again. Is it infected?
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! While this may represent an infection, this is not definitive just based on inflammation. This may just be part of the healing process and may mean that he was able to lick at his surgical incision. I would encourage you to prevent him from licking at his incision at least until 14 days post-surgery to ensure healing. If it worsens, does not improve or you see any discharge, I would recommend you check in with your veterinarian to ensure at that point that there is no infection going on. At this point however, I think it would be fine to monitor it. Have a great day! I hope this improves and he is fine!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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My male golden doodle got neutered on Friday, September 15th. He just finished his pain meds yesterday and has been acting like himself and eating normally. He has had diarrhea and thrown up once since surgery, but out vet said his pain meds could ca
Hello, thank you for using Boop by Petco. I think the incision looks fine. Just continue to monitor it by checking it daily definitely keep him from licking it. Licking is the the number one cause of incisional infection. Don't apply anything to the incision and don't remove the scabs. Just leave it to heal on its own. Things to be worried about: swelling, actual discharge (pus or blood-tinged fluid) coming from the incision, lots of redness around the incision or a portion of the incision is open. To me, this looks just fine right now. Hope this helps. Best wishes.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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Hi. My dog was neutered 5 days ago but it doesn't look to be healing as well as it should after 5 days. One part of the incision looks to not be closing and is red and moist but not weeping
Hi there. It looks like a small part of the skin incision may be open a bit, but I don’t see any swelling or drainage, which are the most common signs of infection. This will probably heal over just fine - but to be safe, I would recommend having your regular veterinarian take a quick look. He/she may want to prescribe an antibiotic to prevent the open area of incision from becoming infected as it heals.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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My puppy got neutered recently and he’s very active! We’ve noticed that his incision seems to be open but it seems to have a scab and there’s no dripping or swelling. We’re not sure if it’s healing well or not. Here’s an image of his incision.
Hello, and thanks for your question. I'm not overly concerned by the appearance of the small opening in the photo, as I don't see any obvious signs of redness, swelling, or discharge. However, that's a bit more open than I'd like to see an incision, so I think it's worth having your vet take a quick peek as it's much easier to evaluate a wound in person. And while Max is healing, make sure you're keeping him quiet/confined, and keeping him from licking his incision area with an E-collar or similar product. Hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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My dog is a 6 month old Shitzu poodle, that's was neutered on Saturday. He was sent home with a cone, but can't go in the crate because it's too big. He has been active since coming home despite all my efforts to have him calm. It also snowed this pa
Batman's incision appears quite red and inflamed. I can't zoom in far enough to be certain, but I'm questioning whether or not the top portion of the incision may also be slightly open. Based on the appearance of his incision, I think there's a high likelihood of infection. I strongly recommend taking Batman to see his vet today or tomorrow for further evaluation. He'll need antibiotics if an infection is diagnosed and will likely need anti-inflammatory pain medications if he isn't already receiving them. Given this redness, he's clearly been licking at his incision quite a bit. Since he's a little guy, you could try putting a baby onesie on him in the crate or use an inflatable donut collar (https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/well-and-good-inflatable-collar-for-dogs-and-cats). I hope that the rest of Batman's recovery goes smoothly!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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It’s already been the 2 weeks since my dog got neutered, he had dissolvable stitches. We took off the cone for maybe 1 or 2 hours I went to check on him and where the stitches were at the skin is red and looks like as if it’s bleeding but it is not b
Both incisions do look red, and the incision from his undescended testicle looks as though it may be partially open. Unfortunately even though it had been two weeks it looks to me like the incisions may not have been fully healed and he was able to open them by licking. An infection would also be possible. I would recommend seeing a veterinarian. They might recommend re-suturing the incisions or potentially starting antibiotics and putting the e-collar back on.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I noticed this just now on my dogs neuter incision. He was neutered back in early March. He doesn’t show any signs of pain if it is touched or in general. The bump itself is a bit soft. I am very worried. What is this? Thanks in advance.
Thank you for contacting Boop by Petco with your question about Geralt and for providing pictures, it's very helpful. I am concerned with how this looks, it's quite red and swollen. It looks like the area may be infected. Without seeing him in person, I can't say for certain what is causing it, but he should see a vet for it. The vet can diagnose this bump and treat it. I'd take him into the vet in the morning. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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Hello! My dog had a blood clot removed from his back 8 days ago. He had self-dissolving stitches and some sort of blue oinment. We kept his harness on the whole time (even in the house), so he wouldn’t be able to scratch. When we walked him, we onl
Hello. This may need to be rechecked by the surgeon. There is some redness extending out on each side which can indicate that it is infected. I would expect it to look more healed after 8 days, so it is possible that there is some infection which is delaying the healing. I would recommend a recheck visit or possibly calling to let them know that it still seems painful . They may be able to look at your photos and determine if they want to see him or dispense any medication.
Updated on September 24th, 2025

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