You'll know a spay incision has healed when redness is gone from the incision and no staples or sutures are needed to hold the wound together. There should be no tenderness on or near the incision area, and it should be free of all discharge.
An average incision typically takes 10-14 days to fully heal. This means remaining disciplined as a pet owner and keeping your pet's e-collar on while limiting her activity levels for at least 2 weeks following the surgery is a must.
A healing surgical site will appear pink, without redness, noticeable swelling, odour or discharge. There may be some scabbing at the site. Some incisions will be closed with visible external sutures or staples while others are closed internally using sutures just under the skin.
Most spay/neuter skin incisions are fully healed within about 10–14 days, which coincides with the time that stitches or staples, if any, will need to be removed. Don't bathe your pet or let them swim until their stitches or staples have been removed and your veterinarian has cleared you to do so.
After the first week, most incisions are healed enough to allow the skin sutures or staples to be removed. The edges of the incision are typically sealed together, there is no discharge and no pain associated with the incision, and the redness should be gone.
Do not allow your dog to lick or scratch at the incision, as there is a danger that the dog may pull out the stitches or may introduce an infection into the incision. As long as the incision is not bandaged, inspect it at least twice daily.
Dogs and female cats have internal sutures that provide strength to the tissue as they heal; these will dissolve after approximately four months. Surgical glue has also been applied to the skin to seal the incision against bacterial penetration.
Most practices recommend that by 2 weeks post-surgery they can be walked as normal – however, remember that by 2 weeks their wound may only be 10% as strong as before, so we would still urge caution. To be on the safe side it may be sensible to lead walk up to a month post-surgery before allowing them to run around.
Keep her as quiet as possible for one week. Too much activity too soon will disrupt the healing process and can lead to swelling and/or the formation of a fluid pocket under the incision. If a fluid pocket does form (seroma), it should go away on its own in a few weeks.
Your pet should be closely supervised and on an exercise restriction for the next 10-14 days. Keep your pet quiet as quiet as possible during the first two weeks. Avoid running, jumping, and excessive playing.
It is completely normal for your incision to have a scab. This is a good indication that your incision is healing, as a scab is an early part of the process that fills in the incision with new skin and tissue, closing the wound. If pus or fluid is oozing from your incision, it's important to alert your surgeon.
If your dog jumped right after the surgery and perhaps even fell down due to a lack of coordination, it's probably best to call your vet. However, if your dog is a couple of days or even a week post-op and made a little greeting jump or jumped up on the couch, it's usually nothing to worry about.
It should take about 10-14 days after the spay surgery for the incision to be completely sealed and unlikely to open up again. Usually if after about a week post op everything looks ok, then it is generally safe to say that the stitches will hold and the site is not likely to open.
Cuddles, cuddles and more cuddles
Your dog loves to be by your side, so post-op recovery is a perfect time to cozy up with your pet and relax together.
To keep your dog from playing, jumping, and running around after surgery they're going to need confinement or supervision. When you're not home you can use their crate, exercise pen, baby gates, or confine them to one room.
Vets advise you to let your dog rest for up to 48 hours after neutering. Light short and slow walks just for them to do their business is fine until you bring your dog in for their 3-day check-up.
Many people wonder if they should stay home with their dog for days after surgery. This is not necessary. It is, however, a good idea to be home for the first 24 hours after surgery so that you can make sure that your dog is eating, alert, going to the toilet, and not in too much pain.
In summary – Exercise after spaying a dog
It is recommended that your dog is not given exercise for the first two weeks after the desexing procedure and limited exercise, preferably on a leash for the following two weeks.
A recent spay incision should be a clean, straight wound and the edges should be sealed with glue, stitches or staples. The skin will be slightly swollen and a slight reddish-pink color around the edges. As the incision heals, you will want to check the area for redness, swelling or discharge.
Generally absorbable sutures are clear or white in colour. They are often buried by threading the suture under the skin edges and are only visible as threads coming out of the ends of the wound. The suture end will need snipping flush with the skin at about 10 days.
Excessive licking can irritate the incision site causing inflammation, leading to further infection, and will even cause it to reopen. Licking and chewing on the wound will also tear the sutures and require you to visit the vet again to close it properly.
If the incision looks dirty you can gently clean the area with a cotton ball and warm water. Do not use Hydrogen Peroxide. You must not allow your dog or cat to get wet for at least 7 days after surgery. For this reason, bathing is also prohibited for at least one week after surgery.
Your pet needs to be kept in an indoor crate/ kennel for most of the day and night for the next 10 days. The time of highest risk for the sutures breaking down is 3-5 days after surgery.
An infected spay incision will likely be quite red and swollen. You may also observe drainage from the area, including blood or purulent discharge. Sutures may be missing and you may even notice underlying tissue protruding from the wound.