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My dog's spay incision is red three months later. Should I worry?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Australian Cattle Dog | Female | spayed | 37 lbs

Our dog was spayed approximately 3 months ago. In the last day we noticed the area is more red than it was previously. She does not appear to be sensitive to touch in the area. We have attached a photo. Does this redness look concerning, or could this be a normal part of the healing process aggravated by her licking herself?

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3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on January 4th, 2020

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Ottoom. I see what you mean, it does look a little red. The healing process should have been over after 14 days post surgery. This is now part of the healing process, this is a new issue. It could be a skin infection or she may have irritated the area by licking it. You need to have her seen by a vet, and I'd take her into one on Monday. I hope this helps!

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2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on November 11th, 2018

    If you intended to upload a photo of the incision site, I am afraid, it did not arrive. However, there is a possibility that the internal stitches are in the process of dissolving, which may itch and so she licks the site and possibly irritates the skin. If there is swelling, redness and/or a discharge, I suggest you take Artemis to your veterinarian on Monday for a recheck. In the meantime keep her from licking the site, wither with an e-collar or put a t-shirt on her.

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    Answered By Tomasz Wnuk

    Veterinarian

    Published on June 1st, 2021

    Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. 18 days post procedure the wound should be fully healed. It looks that a part of the wound is inflamed and infected. A visit at your local vets is strongly recommended as Maple will likely need a course of antibiotics in form of ointment or tablets.

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Just noticed the end of her incision has started to scab and it’s a little red, should we get it checked or just let it heal on it’s own? The stitch on that area has been removed already a few days ago. She doesn’t bother it either.
Hello, and thanks for using Boop by Petco. It looks like that one focal area at the end of her spay incision is red, inflamed, and getting crusty. I definitely recommend having your vet take another look to make sure it's not getting infected, especially since that one spot looks dramatically different from the rest of the incision line (which appears to be healing nicely). Hope this helps!
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Lina had a spay/gastropexy one week ago. The incision today looks more red/scabby. Just making sure this is normal. The photos are in order of earliest to present
Thank you for contacting Boop by Petco with your question about Lina. Unfortunately only one picture is attached, and I think it may be the earliest picture given your description in the question. If the incision looks more red and scabby, that suggests infection. I would have her seen by a vet first thing in the morning to get it checked out to be safe. I hope this helps!
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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 was spayed on Thursday and her incision looks swollen and red. Is this normal?
Hello and welcome to Boop by Petco. The incision looks inflammed, but this could be part of the normal healing process. If there is any discharge, OR if the wound looked better than this previously and is now looking MORE red than say Friday or Saturday, I would take her back to the vet right away. If it is steadily looking better, and she is eating, drinking, pooping and peeing normally, then you can continue to monitor it. Best of luck with Lilo.
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My Bernese Mountain Dog was spayed on July 14th. On August 3rs it started getting a bit red. This coincided with the date when we took off the collar as per the vet recommendation, and we believed she licked. Since then we have been cleaning daily w
The area certainly looks less inflamed. As long as there is not discharge, heat, worsening of swelling, or pain I would not be overly concerned. I would keep her cone on until the inflammation is resolved. You do not need to clean the area overly as this can cause more irritation to the skin. The incision itself looks healed but has areas of irritation. This should resolve, if not I would be worried about a suture reaction or incisional infection and then she should certainly see a veterinarian.
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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!
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My dog got neutered about 4 days ago. He got his cone off and licked at it a little, now it’s a bit red. Should I be worried?
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My 8-mo. Jack Russell mix was spayed 1 week ago today. We have done a good job of keeping her way from the incision (she wore a surgical onesie that prevented her from reaching the surgery location), and put triple antibiotic ointment on to reduce re
Hi, thanks for using Boop by Petco! Harper appears to have a local inflammatory reaction, though it is hard to say whether it is an infection or not. She likely has absorbable suture which can cause local inflammation during the absorption process, but occasionally, bacteria find their way in no matter how sterile the procedure is done. As long as she is acting fine, you have two options. Either you can take her in to your vet to have it examined now for peace of mind or you can wait and monitor this at home. If the redness or swelling worsens at any point or if she starts licking at the incision site, please have her seen as soon as you can. As she is licking her vulva, I would be worried about vaginitis, so having her examined for that would be a good idea anyway to ensure she does not need some antibiotics to treat either condition. I hope this helps!
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My dog's spay incision opened up a tiny bit, and there is some redness around the area. Should I take her to the vet or let her heal?
I recommend taking her back to your veterinarian for a post-surgical suture check. Your vet can determine if it is safe to leave the [incision](https://www.petcoach.co/article/incisions-and-healing-in-animals) open or if it will need to be reclosed. Your veterinarian may also prescribe antibiotics (if your dog is not already taking them) to prevent infection. If your dog is opening up the incision by licking or biting at the sutures, your vet may also send her home with an e-collar (cone).
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Hi, thanks for using Boop by Petco! The only thing I can't tell from the picture is if the skin is together at the red area. If it is then I think it is fine. The red area appears to be a scab or dried blood that will likely heal. Just be sure she isn't licking the incision (use an E-collar or T-shirt) and that you are keeping her exercise restricted (no running, jumping, stairs and leash walks outside only). Good luck!
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