# Spay incision still swollen after 3 weeks...is this normal?



## Rainheart (Nov 28, 2010)

Can you take a picture?


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## OnMyWay2MyDreams (Feb 13, 2011)

I would get it checked just be to on the safe side. Could be a seroma (blood tinged liquid) or could have herniated. If she seems fine otherwise probably just swelling from being too active and warm compresses may help..but def. get checked just to be safe.


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

Out of curiousity, did she have melting stitches?


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## nicosmom (Apr 19, 2011)

She had dissolving stitches. Is that the same as melting? I'll try to get a picture....


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

nicosmom said:


> She had dissolving stitches. Is that the same as melting? I'll try to get a picture....


Yes, MacKenzie had them too and the incision healed differently from any of the other incisions my pets have had with standard stitches or staples - at least for the first 8 weeks. I always thought it was the stitches, she was at the vet for something else during that time, and I forgot to mention it, but the vet also did not say anything either. Now a year and half later her incision is the best healed I have seen - you cannot see it at all.


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## IowaGold (Nov 3, 2009)

Definitely get it checked, but I would venture a guess that her body is just reacting to the internal sutures that are dissolving. I would recommend hot packing (use a wet wash cloth that is warm/hot but not so hot you can't hold it on your own skin). Do that for 5 minutes twice daily.


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## mudEpawz (Jan 20, 2011)

When Chloe got spayed the vet put in the dissolvable stiches. The first week it looked like it was healing but it was still pinkish. I took her back on the second week, the vet said that he thought there might be a small infection. He gave me some antibotics which seems to help a little. By the third week it was still pinkish and she had small little lumps that would come and go. It turned out that she was allergic to the stitch material . Poor thing. Anyways my vet is really good and he said that he would take out the stitches and re stich her with the disolvable material. On the day she was suppose to go back in the lumps and the pinkness disappeared :.


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