suture removal problem (kind of serious)

[kigndano]

hi all

cassius had his sutures out yesterday from having his hind dewclaws removed, and the vet said all was fine. so we got home and i left him in my room to go to the bathroom; i came back and he was licking at the dewclaw site and it was bleeding. (not pouring/gushing blood, a slower drip)

it was after the vet had closed,so i did what i could; put one of my moms cotton makeup pads over it, and taped it down with med-tape. then i put the head cone back on him.

the site itself looks like a fissure (small crack) but you can see the line quite clearly.

im going to call the vet at lunch today; but if anyone had this happen to them or anything and can tell me what happened, that would be helpful as well.

[Dr Lee]

[QUOTE=kigndano;462340]
the site itself looks like a fissure (small crack) but you can see the line quite clearly.QUOTE]

Many times there is a small line of scab which stays protected by the sutures. When the sutures are removed, the pet licks the scabs off revealing a line where the skin is healing. Ideally there is no 'crack' but sometimes there is a small gap. The gap may lead to a slight prolongation of healing and slighly wider scar formation at times.

Best to have your veterinarian recheck it but it sounds okay from what you describe. You did the right thing by putting the cone on - I would keep it on till the recheck when you vet says it is okay.

Good luck

[kigndano]

thanks very much