Cat after sterilization by day: suture, care, what is possible, what is not

Castration (sterilization) of a domestic cat is a simple operation. It lasts 10-20 minutes, but requires certain postoperative care for the animal. Very little time passes after surgical manipulations, and the moment comes when it is necessary to remove the suture material. If possible, it is best to entrust this procedure to a professional veterinarian.

But there are reasons why some furry pet owners cannot go to the doctor. In this case, you can remove the threads yourself, having first studied the detailed instructions for carrying out such manipulations. This article will tell you when to remove stitches after sterilizing a cat, and whether this procedure can be carried out at home.

What a cat owner should know about post-operative sutures

Surgical sterilization of cats involves the mandatory application of postoperative suture materials. The pet owner should be aware that in a clinical setting, a veterinarian performing surgery can apply two types of sutures.

The first ones are located under the skin and are not noticeable during an external examination of the animal. With their help, the connection of dissected tissues (muscles, parts of the gastrointestinal tract, subcutaneous tissue) and ligation of damaged vessels after sterilization are carried out. The veterinary hospital doctor is responsible for the quality of the suture material applied inside . If this work is performed incorrectly, the animal may develop complications in the form of bleeding or prolapse of internal organs (hernias).

Thus, the likelihood of developing postoperative complications directly depends on the quality of suturing the wound after sterilization of the animal.

How long does it take for internal sutures to dissolve?

Modern veterinary clinics use special suture material to create internal scars, which can dissolve on its own. That is, in theory, removing the threads located under the skin is not required. But in practice, their resorption does not always occur. If a cat undergoes a second operation after a few years, specialists sometimes find encapsulated old suture material. It does not cause any trouble or inconvenience to the animal, so there is no need to remove it.

How long after sterilization are sutures removed from a cat?

The external scar during sterilization is often also formed using absorbable suture material. But the resorption time of the threads is delayed, and veterinarians do not recommend leaving them on for a long time. It is best to remove any remaining suture material several days after surgery.

The owner of a pet should know that the process of wound healing and the moment of removal of sutures after sterilization is accompanied by severe itching. It causes a lot of discomfort to the cat, so she tries to remove the stitches on her own using her teeth, claws and tongue. Naturally, the consequences of such amateur activity can be the most unfavorable. On special forums, owners of furry pets say that sometimes a cat, after sterilization, licks the seam with its tongue so much that it has to undergo repeated surgery.

Since it is impossible to quickly remove stitches from a sterilized cat , you should think about how to protect the stitched area. For this purpose, there are special blankets and collars, which veterinarians recommend putting on the problem area so that the cat after sterilization does not scratch or disturb the seam. When the wound is almost healed (this usually happens after 2 weeks), the suture material is removed. The owner can remove the cat's stitches on his own, without the help of a veterinarian.

The cat's seam came apart after sterilization

How to remove stitches from a cat after sterilization

There are many types of sutures - interrupted, continuous, intradermal, cosmetic, absorbable, non-absorbable, purse string and many others.

It is important for the owner of an animal to know one thing - there are two types of seams - external seams and internal seams. Let's start our story with internal seams, as the most important. They are not visible to the owner and are located under the skin of the animal. With the help of these sutures, cut tissues are connected to each other - muscles, subcutaneous tissue, tissues of the gastrointestinal tract, vessels are tied (ligated) - during abdominal operations, during sterilization of cats and dogs. Therefore, the quality of internal sutures is much more important - if there are problems with them, complications can arise - bleeding, prolapse of internal organs - hernia. You shouldn’t worry about the quality of the internal seams - you won’t be able to help yourself anyway - that’s the concern of the veterinarian. A good veterinarian-surgeon during an operation pays the main attention not to the beauty of the external sutures, but to the internal sutures, which helps to avoid postoperative complications.

In modern veterinary medicine, 90% of internal sutures are made with absorbable suture material. The only question is the time of resorption. As practice shows, not all dissolvable sutures dissolve, excuse the pun. If the operation is repeated after a year or two, they can be found in an encapsulated state in the animal’s body. As a rule, they do not cause any inconvenience to the animal. These sutures do not require removal and therefore are of no interest to animal owners.

cat after sterilization

It does not interfere with healing at all. It only protects the wound, but doesn’t even touch it, given the surrounding protruding fur! The blanket doesn’t tighten anything, doesn’t interfere with movement, it’s not a tight bandage

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Removing stitches from a sterilized cat at home

So, in order to remove stitches at home after sterilization, the pet owner needs to adhere to the following recommendations.

Only the outer suture material that is visible to the naked eye should be removed.
You cannot go under the skin to remove the internal suture material. Only a specialist from a veterinary clinic can perform such work.
The main difficulty in removing suture material is fixing the sterilized cat. The essence of furry beauties is such that all of them categorically do not accept lying on their backs. If the owner touches the painful area, the cat begins to growl or hiss. But you should not trust the cat’s emotions, because by the time the threads are removed, the painful sensations have already completely passed.
It is worth remembering that pets have a slightly lower pain threshold compared to humans. And if the removal of stitches from a cat after sterilization is accompanied by dissatisfied growling and attempts to escape, then this is most likely due to the fact that the pet is willful and freedom-loving.
Before removing a cat's stitches after sterilization, the owner needs to make sure that the wound underneath has completely healed. In the area where the surgical threads are located, the skin should be dry, without bloody crusts. The edges of the wound should also not be visible. That is, the cat owner must make sure that after removing the remaining suture material, nothing will come apart.
If crusts of dried blood are noticeable on the scars, it is not recommended to remove them yourself. You should tell your veterinarian about the problem. If everything is normal, the specialist will be able to immediately remove the suture material.
Before removal, the healed parts of the wound with threads must be carefully examined. They consist of 2 parts. The one located outside looks like a nodule and two antennae. The inside cannot be seen because it is hidden under the skin.
If the owner decides to remove the cat’s stitches after sterilization without resorting to the help of a veterinarian, then he should think about good lighting. Only in this case will it be possible to see the area where the stitches are placed.
You also need to prepare a sharp cutting tool. It would be good if these were surgical scissors, but if they are not available, you can also use manicure scissors. You will also need tweezers, with which it is much easier to remove the threads.
All working tools are first disinfected with warm water and soap, and then boiled for several minutes.
Suture sites require treatment with a disinfectant composition.
You should grab 2 antennae with your hands (or a knot, there is no fundamental difference), and gently, without overdoing it, pull them up.
Two threads go from the nodule under the skin. One of them is cut with scissors without damaging the delicate skin of the cat. Next you need to remove the seams by pulling the thread up. The suture material (knot, two tendrils and inner knot) will remain in the hands.
According to the above scheme, the remaining suture material is removed. The main condition is not to inadvertently cut 2 threads at once, because in this case part of them will remain under the skin and can cause suppuration.
The areas of removed sutures remaining after sterilization are once again treated with an antiseptic.
If, after sterilization, cosmetic sutures that are continuous are used to stitch up a cat’s wound, they are removed by a specialist from a veterinary hospital.

You need to carefully remove threads from a cat’s scars after sterilization, having previously assessed the psychological state of the animal. In fact, this work is not difficult. If your pet is too nervous and is even capable of attacking, biting or scratching its owner, then it may be better to visit a veterinarian.

In a clinical setting, the specialist who performed the sterilization will be able to use sedatives before removing the suture material.

If the cat’s mental state is unstable after sterilization, the help of a specialist from a veterinary clinic is the best option. Due to the fact that some animal treatment facilities now work around the clock, it is possible to remove stitches from a cat after sterilization at any time of the day.

Surgical intervention for an animal is stress that must be smoothed out in any available way, otherwise it will lead to the development of secondary pathological processes. In addition, the operation implies a violation of the integrity of the skin and muscle tissue, and this requires long-term and attentive care, a long period of rehabilitation and careful treatment of the surgical suture.

General recommendations

Blanket (bandage)

After sterilization, the abdomen should be protected with a special blanket (bandage) with ties on the back. The protective bandage is worn all the time until the stitches are removed, plus another day or two, so that the cat does not lick small wounds from the threads.

A cat blanket is usually made of natural cotton fabric and does not cause physical discomfort to the animal after surgery. But due to the peculiarities of tactile sensitivity, the cat may be lazy to walk in it or have a strange gait. When the bandage is removed, everything falls into place.

You need to be careful that the cat does not cling to anything with the blanket and does not get stuck anywhere.

If the cat is handed over to the owners after the operation in a state of anesthesia, then the process of blinking for the pet falls on them. Cats under anesthesia often have their eyes open. To prevent the cornea from drying out, you need to periodically cover your eyes (blink) or drip artificial tears or 0.9% saline solution onto their surface.

Upon arrival home, the cat should be placed warmly (for example, on a warm heating pad) and on soft bedding, because After anesthesia, the process of thermoregulation is disrupted. Be sure to place it on the floor so that during the awakening process the animal does not fall from a height. It is necessary to lay down a well-absorbent diaper, because... Until recovery from anesthesia, the cat cannot control the physiological needs to empty the bladder and rectum. There may be trembling throughout the body (general tremor) or vomiting.

You need to place the cat on its right side to reduce the load on the heart.

At first, the cat should not actively play, jump, or climb on pieces of furniture. If sterilization was carried out after childbirth, and there are kittens left in the house, you need to limit their contact for the first time. 2-3 month old kittens can suckle a cat for a long time, and this is fraught with injury to the postoperative wound. Sterilization of a nursing cat is carried out for emergency reasons, because... postoperative complications in the mammary gland are possible.

On the first day after surgery, the cat must definitely go to the toilet - it is important not to miss stagnation in urination and bowel movements after anesthesia.
For the first two days, you may need pain relief. Pain is indicated by increased aggressiveness, apathy, meowing, refusal to eat, dilated pupils and reluctance to move.
Antibiotic therapy is not required if the operation is planned and carried out taking into account the rules of asepsis and antisepsis.
Vitamin preparations and restoratives are prescribed only to old and weak cats who have undergone a difficult operation.
In case of urgent need (the suture is bleeding or internal bleeding has been detected), hemostatic therapy may be prescribed.

Coming out of anesthesia

Three types of anesthesia are usually used. After each type of anesthesia, the cat comes to its senses differently.

Muscle relaxants analgesics. The most effective mixture, used most often. The main disadvantage is the difficult recovery from such anesthesia: from 5-6 hours to a day.
Muscle relaxant epidural anesthesia. The mixture is slightly toxic, the cat easily tolerates it and quickly recovers from such anesthesia (up to 8 hours maximum). But there is a high probability of complications if the injection into the epidural space is carried out incorrectly - full sensitivity and motor activity in the hind limbs can return up to 2 days. When performing such anesthesia, the qualifications and experience of the surgeon are very important.
Gas (inhalation) anesthesia. A very effective and minimally toxic method, but it is rarely used due to the lack of special equipment and mixtures of substances for anesthesia. The cat comes to its senses almost immediately as soon as the anesthesia machine is turned off.

When recovering from anesthesia, the cat will be out of control for some time, coordination will be impaired, and the cat’s behavior after sterilization may seem inadequate. There are attempts to get up, run somewhere, perhaps meowing, and an obvious lack of understanding of what is happening around. It is important not to let the animal hide in the far dark corner, so that there are no difficulties in removing it.

Food and drink

On the day of the operation, the cat does not need to be fed, only watered as soon as it begins to rise after recovering from anesthesia. In the first hours after waking up, it is better to do this through a syringe. Be sure to monitor whether the animal makes swallowing movements so that it does not choke.

Start feeding from the second day with 1/3 of the usual portion. The cat should drink on its own. Food should be easily digestible and low-fat. On the 3rd day, the cat should begin to show independent interest in food, i.e. start asking. All food should be balanced. Portions are increased gradually, but not to the maximum - sterilized cats should be protected from obesity.

There are cases that a cat does not eat after sterilization for 2-3 days, but only drinks. If the lack of appetite is no longer associated with any additional symptoms, this phenomenon can be considered as an individual variant of the norm.

Throughout the entire postoperative period, the suture should be clean and dry. Any suppuration, inflammation or bloody wetting is a reason to contact a veterinarian.

Depending on the type of operation, the stitches may be on the abdomen along the linea alba, on the side, or in the form of punctures if the operation was performed using a laparoscope.

Sutures are placed on the muscle layer and on the skin (if on the stomach) or only on the skin (with an incision on the side, the muscles are not cut, but moved apart, and during laparoscopy small punctures are made). Internal sutures are applied with self-absorbing threads, external sutures are applied with surgical thread (it must be removed over time).

There are sprays with which the seam is treated immediately after surgery, and then every few days (for example, Aluminum spray or Chemi spray), and this is an almost 100% guarantee that no infection will get into the wound.

On days 7-10, the sutures are removed (after the 12th day, the threads will begin to grow into the skin). This can be done at a veterinary clinic or on your own.

Seams are made in two ways: stapled or continuous. The staple stitch consists of several threads tied into knots at equal distances. It is enough to pull the protruding threads, separate the knot from the skin, cut the loop and pull out the thread. If the seam is continuous, then the knot is cut off on one side, the seam fastening is on the other, the thread is pulled through the middle and the whole thing is pulled out.

Methods for suturing after sterilizing a cat

The suture method is of great importance.

The method of suture placement after sterilization is of great importance.

There are two of them - an internal seam and an external one.

The internal suture is applied with silk threads, which tend to dissolve on their own. Stitches are made on the inside of the cut.
The second method involves applying external stitches, the ends of which are brought to the edge of the wound and left free so that later the stitches can be easily removed.

As practice shows, caring for the incision site is not the only safety measure to prevent complications.

A number of rules after surgery

After surgery, the cat needs to be kept at rest.

There is a set of rules that must be followed in the postoperative period.

The first rule is to ensure rest for the operated animal. Active games and contact with other animals and household members should be excluded.
Long journeys should not be undertaken, as the stress received during transportation will intensify the recently experienced operational stress and will negatively affect the overall well-being of the pet and can lead to complications.

How durable they will be largely depends on the professionalism of the surgeon.

Why might a seam come apart?

Despite the doctor’s efforts, there are still a number of reasons due to which a discrepancy in the section site may occur.

One of the possible factors may be non-compliance with asepsis rules , as a result of which an infection could get into the wound.
The presence of hidden diseases in the body, which can weaken the soft tissues and muscles at the edges of the wound.
Possible excessive pressure on the operated area is a tight bandage or careless handling of the cat after surgery.
Possible causes may be excessively tight suture stitches, violation of the section closure technique, or abdominal trauma. A weakened body due to a lack of vitamins and microelements - hypovitaminosis, vitamin deficiency.
Long-term use of corticosteroid drugs before the procedure.

The seam may come apart if the bandage is too tight.

Additional factors may also be the reasons:

obesity;
presence of diabetes mellitus;
unbalanced diet;
malignant formations;
kidney disease;
presence of cough.

Symptoms of a seam coming apart

Dehiscence can occur before the sutures are removed, if the external method was used, and after removal.

Suture dehiscence in a cat.

Cat pain

The main sign before the threads are removed will be the appearance of pain in the pet . The pain can be so sharp that the pet will show severe anxiety, meow loudly and pitifully, and break free from the owner’s hands.

The manifestation of pain in a cat is the main sign of suture dehiscence.

Redness of the incision site

Redness of the incision site after surgery is a symptom that the suture may come apart.

The next symptom is redness of the incision site, and possible swelling of the surrounding tissues. When palpated, the skin will be hot. The edges of the section may move away from each other, and bloody fluid, the so-called ichor, may be released. A dangerous symptom will be the release of pus through the edges of the wound. This phenomenon may indicate a strong inflammatory process.

The cat licked the seam

If a cat's blanket is removed, it may lick the seam.

If a cat's blanket is removed, it may lick the seam. It's instinct. It is necessary to monitor the quality of the blanket tightening and prevent it from loosening.

What to do if the seam comes apart after sterilization?

If you suspect suture dehiscence, you need to soak the stuck bandage with hydrogen peroxide and carefully remove it.

To remove a stuck bandage, soak it in hydrogen peroxide.

It is recommended to treat the damaged area with an antiseptic solution or powder . This will reduce infection and inflammation.
Treatment with brilliant green, fucorcin, iodinol, and ethyl alcohol is acceptable.
After cleaning the wound, it is recommended to apply a bandage soaked in a solution of dimexide mixed with saline. If there is pus in the wound, your veterinarian may apply drainage.
When the inflammation goes away, it is permissible to tighten the edges with an adhesive plaster.
As a wound healing agent, it is recommended to prescribe levomekol ointment , as well as ointments containing sea buckthorn oil and panthenol. Milk thistle oil has good recommendations as an anti-inflammatory agent that resolves scars and promotes healing.
To improve healing, it is recommended to keep the inflamed section open for some time after treatment with antiseptics.

What to do if the stitch breaks after surgery

If you notice any changes in the area where the stitches were placed, and you are sure that the stitch has come apart after surgery, try to contact your surgeon as soon as possible.

The doctor who applied them should recommend how to treat the sutures. To treat a non-open wound, ointments with panthenol or sea buckthorn can be used (they have a healing effect).

The patient’s task subsequently comes down to high-quality treatment of the sutures in order to prevent infection. To prevent the sutures from coming apart, it is necessary to carefully care for the wound; strong and sudden physical activity is contraindicated for the patient.

What to do if the stitch breaks after surgery

If you are wondering whether a suture can come apart during suppuration, it can. That is why drainage eliminates negative consequences.

After the wound has healed, the well-known Contractubex ointment can be used to reduce the size of the scars. Sutures after operations require special attention and care. If there is a sudden discrepancy, you should seek help from the surgeon who performed the operation as soon as possible.

The seam came apart after frenuloplasty, Belgorod

If the postoperative suture has come apart, the wound must be treated with skin antiseptics (brilliant green solution, iodinol, alcohol, forisept-color, iodoperon and others).

Dehiscence of wound edges - Dehiscence of sutures after surgery - Eventration

If suppuration is detected in the wound, the doctor will install a drainage and, possibly, remove the skin sutures that are located in this area, which will now heal on its own, that is, by secondary intention.

Diagnosis of surgical suture dehiscence

During the healing process, the sutures can be lubricated with milk thistle oil - this oil is good

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The cat's seam came apart after sterilization: help from a veterinarian

Each surgical (invasive) intervention, which involves violating the integrity of the animal’s soft tissues, requires a long recovery period, which includes regular treatment of sutures.

However, careful care of the incision site is not a sufficient measure to prevent such a common complication when a cat’s stitch breaks after sterilization and there are a number of rules that must be strictly followed. The first thing that should be done to prevent a cat’s suture from coming apart after sterilization is to provide her with complete rest in the postoperative period, excluding active games with children, other animals, any activity, as well as long-term transportation. The fact is that moving and other factors of a similar nature, which can not only aggravate the stress experienced by the animal, but also negatively affect its physical condition, can easily become the main reason for violating the integrity of the seam.

The method of suturing is also of great importance in this delicate issue, because today there are two main methods. In the first case, we are talking about the use of self-absorbable silk threads, which are applied to the incision from the inside of the abdominal cavity, while materials of a different quality, which must be removed independently after the incision has healed, are, on the contrary, intended for external use. At the same time, the free ends of the silk are left outside, so that later they can fall off without hindrance, and not remain inside the peritoneum. Their integrity depends entirely on how well the stitches were applied.

That is, a huge responsibility is placed on the shoulders of the surgeon, because improperly stitched soft tissue of the peritoneum will be much more difficult to grow together, and possibly ooze ichor and fester, even if all the rules of care are strictly observed.

In addition, the procedure for further processing can be completely eliminated if, directly during the application of sutures, they are “frozen”, which is ensured using various specific means such as “Aluminum spray”, etc. This measure provides an almost absolute guarantee that no pathogenic bacteria will enter, and a special blanket, which is used in the postoperative period, will help reduce this probability to zero. You can purchase it at any veterinary pharmacy, although if you wish, it is quite possible to do it yourself, using simple pattern diagrams provided on various Internet resources devoted to this problem.

If it was not possible to protect the seam from bacterial infection, which led to its rotting, or it simply came apart as a result of non-compliance with the animal’s sedentary lifestyle or any other negative factors, the pet should be immediately shown to a qualified specialist. It is important to remember that only a thorough examination by a veterinarian of a suture that has lost its integrity and the urgent application of corrective measures to eliminate the consequences of such a plan will help to avoid even more serious complications. If this matter is left to chance, then as a result of necrosis of the peri-suture soft tissues, the animal will have to undergo a second operation, which, in addition to applying a second suture, provides for their partial resection.

Among the various pathologies that can be observed during the rehabilitation period after any surgical intervention, including sterilization, a phenomenon such as a lump in the suture area often occurs. But you shouldn’t be afraid, because this tumor tends to resolve on its own.

So, usually after a month there is no trace left of it, but if this does not happen, then the animal also needs to be re-examined in order to identify the nature of this formation. And most often we are talking about a scar, which is mistaken for a bump, and both cases are not a serious pathology.

Previous chapter of the article about possible complications during sterilization of cats - Inflammatory swelling, scars and thickening.

Seam divergence

- a common complication. After sterilization, complete or partial rupture of the surgical suture quite often occurs. This usually occurs for several days (up to a week) after surgery. As a result, an open wound appears on the skin of the cat’s abdomen, looking like a purulent and fleshy wound.

In most cases, suture ruptures occur due to poor postoperative care. The most common cause is the cat licking the seams. Too active behavior of the cat, heavy physical activity also lead to the disruption of the normal tightening of the sutures, and the wound may open. In some cases, the wound opens due to bacterial infections (an infected wound does not heal), which again is a consequence of poor cat care. Bacteria enter the wound more easily if in the first two weeks the incision site is exposed to moisture (the cat has the opportunity to lick the seam, it is washed, it has access to damp places). Infection is also facilitated by contamination of the wound, the ingress of urine and feces from the cat itself.

It is extremely rare for sutures to come apart due to poor quality of the operation (sutures were placed incorrectly, threads made of irritating material were used). The reason may be that an already infected cat was sterilized, or she had skin diseases (cats with allergies or rashes cannot be operated on). Removing stitches too early (when the skin has not yet completely healed) can also lead to an opening of the wound. It is possible for the seam to diverge due to inflammatory processes.

Suture dehiscence sometimes occurs after surgery in heavily pregnant or lactating cats if the incision passes along the line between the mammary glands. In such cats, during surgery it is difficult to avoid damage to the mammary glands, since they are significantly enlarged. As a result of the incision of the glands, the milk enters the fatty layer under the skin. Because milk is a foreign substance under the skin and is an irritant, the body often responds to the presence of milk with an aggressive inflammatory response that can cause pain, swelling and even open a wound.

In some cases, seam separation may be a sign that your cat has some kind of health problem, although this is rare. For example, in cats with Cushing's disease (Hyperadrenocorticism) or diabetes, wounds and sutures tend to heal more slowly, so it may be necessary to keep the sutures in place longer than usual (to prevent the wound from opening). In cats with collagen diseases (connective tissue and vascular disorders, such as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome), inflammatory cell response disorders, and other disorders that affect tissue healing, wounds may also heal slowly and are more likely to dehisce. .

If your cat's stitch breaks, you should contact your veterinarian. If the suture has not completely ruptured, the veterinarian may limit itself to prescribing antibiotics. An Elizabethan collar and good care will provide a solution to this problem. If the wound is completely open, a second operation may be required to debride the wound and repair the suture. It will take another 10-14 days for complete recovery.

The picture shows a wound caused by a cat pulling threads from a seam in the skin. The cat needs to be seen by a doctor; most likely, the wound will need treatment and medications will be prescribed to relieve irritation.

Such wounds are much more dangerous. All the seams, including those on the walls of the cat’s abdominal muscles, came apart, and part of the intestines came out! Urgent surgical intervention is required. If you encounter something like this, you need to cover the hernia with a damp (preferably with saline solution, but clean water will do) gauze, a clean cloth or paper towel and take the cat to the veterinarian as soon as possible. Do not try to repair the hernia - any dirt that gets on it will end up inside the abdominal cavity. Just keep the wound moist and covered until you get to the clinic. If the hernia tissue dries out, dies, becomes dirty, or bacteria gets into the wound, this can lead to peritonitis. If a cat licks a wound and damages the intestines, the consequences will be extremely severe.

Continuation of the article about possible complications during sterilization of cats - Infection of a postoperative wound.

Complications after cat sterilization

If the doctor’s recommendations are not followed, or based on the patient’s age and health status, complications may arise:

After surgery, the main danger is that the suture may come apart (dehiscence in a cat); if the suture comes apart after sterilization, you need to quickly but carefully take the animal to surgery. When the pet’s activity is not limited, the blanket is removed until complete healing, and the seam is allowed to be licked; the incision may come apart, which can lead to the loss of organs from the peritoneum and the death of the animal.
Suppuration and poor healing of the cut. Lack of care for the operated area leads to inflammation and suppuration in the incision area. It is necessary to regularly treat the cat’s belly with alcohol-free disinfectants. The use of alcohol-containing drugs around the incision is allowed. It is impossible to smear the cat’s suture itself with iodine and brilliant green after castration, in order to prevent the cuts from becoming rough and slow down healing.
The appearance of bulges and bumps. When a surgeon stitches up the abdomen after surgery, he first stitches the muscles together and then the skin. And if the skin grows together quickly, the muscle healing process is slower. Sometimes the sutures on the muscles come apart, internal organs fall out into the resulting cavity, and a lump appears on the abdomen. This hernia is a common complication after sterilization. The only way to get rid of it is through surgery. A lump may also indicate an abscess, which is opened and cleaned out in the clinic.

Responsibility for post-operative care rests entirely with the owner. Take care of your ward, carefully monitor his condition and this will help avoid serious consequences and complications.

After sterilization, the cat licked the seam and it came apart, what should I do?

Methods for suturing after sterilizing a cat

The internal suture is applied with silk threads, which tend to dissolve on their own. Stitches are made on the inside of the cut.

The second method involves applying external stitches, the ends of which are brought to the edge of the wound and left free so that later the stitches can be easily removed.

As practice shows, caring for the incision site is not the only safety measure to prevent complications.

The first rule is to ensure rest for the operated animal. Active games and contact with other animals and household members should be excluded.

Long journeys should not be undertaken, as the stress received during transportation will intensify the recently experienced operational stress and will negatively affect the overall well-being of the pet and can lead to complications.

Why might a seam come apart?

One of the possible factors may be non-compliance with asepsis rules , as a result of which an infection could get into the wound.

Possible excessive pressure on the operated area is a tight bandage or careless handling of the cat after surgery.

Possible causes may be excessively tight suture stitches, violation of the section closure technique, or abdominal trauma. A weakened body due to a lack of vitamins and microelements – hypo

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Complete cat care after sterilization

Neutering cats is a simple and common surgical procedure that is practiced in veterinary clinics around the world. Responsibility for proper sterilization lies not only with the veterinarian, but also with the owner of the animal. It is the cat’s owner who shares the burden of responsibility for the animal’s health with the staff of the veterinary clinic. The owner is responsible for the full care of the cat after sterilization, which is covered in this article.

After the cat has been sterilized, the owner can divide the postoperative period into several stages. In order to avoid complications and prevent the cat’s suture from coming apart after sterilization, the owner should study the care recommendations outlined by the veterinarian at the clinic. He must also take into account the specifics of caring for the cat at each stage of recovery.

For example, the first days after sterilization are the most difficult, so the cat should be closely monitored. The fifth day is considered the optimal period for checking the correct healing of wounds, and on the tenth day a decision is made about when to remove the sutures. If your cat is not sterilized in time, she may develop pyometra disease, read more about which here.

What should you do on the day of surgery?

When a cat returns home after a neutering procedure, owners should seek advice from their veterinarian regarding feeding, bathing, grooming and grooming. The advice provided by a specialist must be taken into account and followed in order to give the pet the opportunity to easily endure the recovery process, experience less pain and ensure rapid healing of the sutures.

If a cat is just beginning to come to its senses after anesthesia, the owner needs to give the pet freedom of movement and minimize its stress.

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What not to do after sterilization

After the operation, the doctor gives recommendations on how to care for the animal, but mistakes still happen. What not to do after surgery:

Treat the cut itself with iodine, brilliant green or other alcohol-based preparations to avoid burns. Under their influence, the edges of the wound dry out, become crusty and do not close together. As a result, a new operation may be required to clean up the cuts and place sutures. Sometimes veterinarians recommend using iodine or brilliant green on the tissue around the seam. This is permitted, but with caution to avoid burns and irritation.
Encourage your pet to play actively. Many owners worry when they see the animal’s suffering and helplessness after surgery, and are happy when on the second or third day the pet begins to behave as before - plays, tries to jump higher. But the wound healing process is slow (full recovery occurs after a month), so at first you need to limit activity, make sure that the cat does not jump on the sofa or closet (especially the first few days) in order to avoid the seams from coming apart.
Remove the blanket and stitches until complete healing, and allow the cat to lick the wound. A cat's rough tongue can only disrupt the integrity of a prolonged incision and cause infection. The animal’s saliva does not have any healing properties, but will only cause harm if it gets on the operated area. It is necessary to achieve complete isolation of the seam using a blanket and not remove it without a doctor’s permission (from 7 days or more).
Not paying due attention to caring for your pet. Not everything on a cat heals quickly and without complications. It is necessary to treat the incision and monitor its healing and condition. The suture after castration of a cat should not be convex, but flat, without swelling, discharge or pus.

Do not feed the cat, do not allow it to lie on a hot radiator (you can do it on a warm one), monitor the presence of normal stool and urination (2-3 days after surgery) and seek advice from a veterinarian if there is any suspicion of a complication.

cat is bleeding after sterilization what to do

Blood in urine after castration.

Our favorite cat, Xi, was neutered. Exactly on the day she turned one year old. The veterinarians said that everything went well, they administered an antibiotic, brought him home and... The first urination on the diaper is with blood.

In a panic, she began to call the veterinarian. At first they tried to reassure me that the cat was sick even before the operation due to poor nutrition. But after mother's milk, she feeds exclusively on hils for kittens. Yes, and I had the honor of seeing her urine when, in the heat of heat, madam pooped on the pillow. And the tray, again, with silica gel, is quite light enough to notice the blood. Many many words for the fact that the cat was healthy.

Then they said that this is natural in cats after surgery, the vagina is connected to the urethra and blood flowed from the removed uterus. Cat anatomy books confirmed this, but the fear remained.

The second time she went to the diaper without any visible traces of blood, and then she recovered and began to go to the litter box. And so, I nervously peer into the silica gel to see if it’s too dark in color. And I don’t know what to do. I called several clinics, essentially the answer was “get treated by your doctor.”

The cat's seam came apart after sterilization

Hello! A week ago the cat was spayed. The cat wears a blanket. The seams were processed as needed. The cat licked the seam constantly. They distracted us from this activity as much as we could. This evening we noticed that the seam had come apart. There is no pus, the wound is dry. The cat feels well: appetite and activity are normal. Do I need to re-sew the suture or can I still use non-surgical methods? Thank you in advance!

We do not recommend re-stitching. Continue the treatment superficially and the wound will heal by secondary intention. This is normal in this situation.

Sequentially Peroxide, Furacil

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The stitch came apart after a cesarean section

Good evening. Please tell me, the stitch after the caesarean section has come apart a little. It’s been 7 days since I gave birth. I have no one to leave the baby with and I can’t get to the surgeon now. Has anyone had this situation, what did you do? Will the stitch heal or should I still go to the surgeon? ?

unfortunately to the surgeon. Why did you cut it out so early if the seam is bad? I was discharged on the 6th day, but I really wanted to go home, and the maternity hospital was overcrowded, so they released me, usually they discharge me on the 10th day... but I was examined very well, there were no problems with the stitch, I healed like a dog...

and on the 5th early, this is an operation, you must be under the supervision of doctors for 10 days. But our maternity hospitals will write you out like this and do whatever you want. A friend of mine gave birth in August, and a week later she was admitted to the hospital, the stitches on her perineum came apart. And I can’t understand how they looked at her there before she was discharged... The baby is with her father, she can’t breastfeed - her mother is on antibiotics.

Unfortunately, yes, with my son I was creakingly discharged on the 9th day, and with my daughter on the 5th day, but I was glad and the new doctor made the stitch for me thin and even, they only removed the threads in 2 places using a new method and sutured it, and not like 10 years ago all the sewing was altered

Where is this?? Actually, a cesarean section is an abdominal operation, and after the operation, 10 days in the hospital is the norm. I can’t imagine at all if I had been discharged on the second day. I got up for the first time in the morning the next day after the operation.

We are forced to get up 3-4 hours after the operation. And the next day I was walking with my husband on the street. Discharged on day 7

!!1 I have 3 caesareans behind me. You start to feel your legs almost in the morning, this is after the epidural. mom is lying covered in tubes and peeing in a bottle

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And the day before yesterday I discovered that she had pulled out the napkin covering the seam from under the blanket, or had fallen off on its own. And the cat began to walk strangely, as if in a half-squat. I started eating less.

Yesterday I took it to the clinic. It turned out that the seam had come apart. The doctor cut the threads (which seemed to be used to sew the muscles together), cleaned the wound, applied a hemostatic sponge and glued a napkin. He said that the cat was allergic to suture material. And come back for an examination in a week. No injections, nothing. I didn't take the temperature either.

It is advisable to see a slightly more attentive doctor - it would be good to do a general blood test to assess the level of inflammation.

It is important to decide in time what to do - carry out a course of anti-inflammatory therapy (antibiotic + supportive care) or perform surgery to remove the suture material to which the cat has a reaction.

Most likely, what happened is called “ligature fistulas”, this is usually not the surgeon’s fault, it’s really a matter of individual intolerance.

Inflammation at the injection site is much less common, because After the operation, an antibiotic is prescribed for 5 days (or done once, a long-acting antibiotic).

But, unfortunately, if the name of the drug is not preserved, I will hardly be able to say whether the cat had adequate antibiotic therapy after sterilization or not.

Most likely, there is no inflammation in the areas. But. they will probe the entire abdomen. An inflamed uterine stump is quite easy to palpate; a normal surgeon does not even have to be outstanding.

Now you understand why I love and recommend not a “small incision” but standard classical sterilization, there are many times fewer problems with stitches, it’s only at first glance that it seems that a small incision is such nonsense.

Yep, I spayed three cats the old fashioned way. There were no problems. Mom your

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Complications after cat sterilization.

On September 2, my Sonya was operated on. September 8 - again. Today is the third time. I have no strength, my nerves are on edge. Things are bad, in short.

At first everything seemed to be going fine, the seam was healing, the cat was eating, moving around the apartment, trying to misbehave. and then suddenly a huge lump formed on her stomach, and the stitch began to fester. I took her to the vet. The friend who operated on the cat examined the stitch, frowned, and brought in a second one. They felt for a long time, quietly discussed, and brought in a woman. Again they talked about something for a long time. In general, poor Sonya was operated on for the second time. They cut on what had just healed. What was it? Yes, Idk. The explanations that followed were awkward and contradictory; some kind of “pocket” had formed between the outer and inner seams. By the way, I was scolded for putting a post-operative blanket on the cat. Yes Yes! You see, cats' saliva contains substances that promote wound healing, and you shouldn't stop them from licking their stitches. And under the blanket, colonies of putrefactive bacteria form. What, you didn’t know? And I didn't know. Everyone closes the seam, but our aesculapians are against it. And I don’t care that cats can pull out the threads. Hehe, they say, that’s how we sew. Oh well. However, the fact that they did not take money from me for the operation can be taken as the veterinarians’ tacit admission of their own mistake.

They injected me with antibiotics. On September 11, the seam festered and broke apart. I remember the phrase of the veterinarian who operated: “the threads will rot.” Do you understand? So I don’t understand. Catgut, which dissolves on its own - I know. It is mainly used for internal seams. They remove the stitches - I understand. But let the threads rot on their own. One way or another, today they operated again. What was there to sew? inflamed tissues. I am depressed. They told me to inject Amoxicillin and smear the seam with something wound-healing. How? Levomekol was recommended, but I am afraid that the seam will completely disintegrate.

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Behavior of cats after sterilization. Caring for a cat after sterilization

More and more often, owners ask themselves the question: “Should I sterilize my cat?” And this approach is more correct than the use of hormonal contraceptives or a complete refusal to regulate sexual activity. The fact is that medications negatively affect the cat’s health, can lead to various tumors, etc. And in the second case, there is a threat that the animal will become pregnant several times a year. Neutered cats walk around and do not produce any offspring. The operation eliminates all questions and problems once and for all.

Preparing for surgery

There is nothing tricky here. The animal must not eat for 12 hours and not drink 4 hours before surgery. This is due to the fact that the operation is performed under local anesthesia. That's all the preparation. Animals older than 8 months can be sterilized. In this case there will be no complications. It is optimal to carry out the operation before the first mating or the first desire. A month before the procedure, it is advisable to get vaccinations to protect your pet from possible complications and infections. When cats are sterilized, postoperative care is required for 1-2 weeks.

Transportation home

After the operation, the cat will have to be picked up while still asleep, under anesthesia. Or gradually moving away from it. The animal must have a protective collar or blanket. For aggressive pets it is better to use the first option. You also need to trim your nails. This set of measures will protect you from scratches and bites. A collar and blanket are needed to prevent the cat from licking the seams and causing inflammation.

The cat should not be taken away immediately, but after 20-30 minutes to finally make sure that the bleeding has stopped. Postoperative pain relief must be administered before transportation. Transporting an animal is necessary

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It is advisable to see a slightly more attentive doctor - it would be good to do a general blood test to assess the level of inflammation.

Most likely, what happened is called “ligature fistulas”, this is usually not the surgeon’s fault, it’s really a matter of individual intolerance.

Inflammation at the injection site is much less common, because After the operation, an antibiotic is prescribed for 5 days (or done once, a long-acting antibiotic).

But, unfortunately, if the name of the drug is not preserved, I will hardly be able to say whether the cat had adequate antibiotic therapy after sterilization or not.

Most likely, there is no inflammation in the areas. But. they will probe the entire abdomen. An inflamed uterine stump is quite easy to palpate; a normal surgeon does not even have to be outstanding.

Yep, I spayed three cats the old fashioned way. There were no problems. Mom your

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Caring for your cat immediately after sterilization

After the procedure, the animal is left under the supervision of doctors in the clinic to make sure there is no bleeding. If after half an hour or an hour the patient’s condition remains satisfactory, he can be taken home. You should not leave your ward in a hospital for a long time, this increases stress and slows down recovery.

Upon arrival home, place your pet on a mat (always on the floor to avoid falling) and carefully monitor its condition. Recovery from anesthesia may take several hours depending on the drugs used. If your pet's eyes are open, it is necessary to regularly close the eyelids or instill drops to avoid drying out the mucous membranes.

To prevent the cat from licking the wound, the clinic puts a cotton blanket (bandage) on it. Owners should ensure that the blanket completely covers the operated area, and also change it if it becomes dirty. The animal experiences discomfort from such “clothing” and tries to take it off, but after a couple of days it gets used to the inconvenience.

The suture itself does not require care immediately after surgery. But on the second day, you need to start treating this area with alcohol-free disinfectants. The procedure is performed daily, 2 times a day. Sometimes in clinics after surgery, coating compounds are applied to the incision to prevent infection for up to 7 days. In this case, the doctor must give separate recommendations about the need and frequency of suture care.

Depending on the method of operation, a 3-4 cm long incision is located on the peritoneum in front or on the side. If the operation was performed laparoscopically, there will be no incision, but holes will remain, which are also treated with disinfectant compounds.

Alcohol-free preparations approved for use:

aqueous solution of chlorhexidine (0.05%);
Dioxidine 0.5%;
Vetericin spray;
Chemi spray (1 time per day);
Aluminum spray (1 time every 2-3 days)

It is better to treat the cut together, when one person carefully holds the cat by the front and hind legs (the pet lies on its back), and the second removes the blanket and generously moistens the wound with a cotton pad with a solution, removing dried remains of the ichor, or irrigates it with a spray. The procedure should be carried out until complete healing (10-14 days).

When removing the blanket, pay attention to how the seam looks after the cat has been castrated. It should be dry and clean without bloody or purulent discharge. Swelling and slight redness are allowed for up to 5 days. If the incision becomes wet, blood or pus appears, the animal must be taken to the clinic for examination.

Owners should be wary of lumps and tumors in the operated area. This can be either a harmless proliferation of granulation tissue that does not require intervention and goes away on its own, or an abscess that needs to be opened, or a hernia.

Monitor the condition of the ward based on its temperature, activity, appetite (it is not recommended to feed immediately after sterilization, you are only allowed to give it water, and subsequently use food for castrates in portions reduced by a quarter of the daily volume).

Sterilization of dogs: care after surgery

Even if the dogs were successfully sterilized, care after the operation must be thoughtful and thorough. Insufficient attention to the pet during the rehabilitation period can negate all the efforts of the surgeon. The owner should know what symptoms to consult a doctor for, how to speed up the recovery process, and what behavior of the dog after sterilization is considered normal.

Abdominal surgery under deep anesthesia is a serious test for the body. In order not to undermine your pet’s health, you need to write down the doctor’s recommendations and follow them exactly, not trusting the advice of friends. A responsible veterinarian will tell you everything about caring for your dog after sterilization, based on your specific case. The article provides only general recommendations, the final word belongs to the doctor!

First day

During anesthesia, all body functions slow down, so the dog can freeze, even if it is warm outside and indoors - you need to transport your pet in a box, on a bedding, covering the sleeping dog with a blanket. To ensure that the dog’s recovery after sterilization is not complicated by muscle pain and general weakness, the pet should be laid at home on a flat surface, on a mattress, and also covered with a blanket. Do not place the lounger in a draft, on a bed, near a radiator, or use a heating pad - heating can lead to internal bleeding.

While the dog is sleeping, it may wet itself - use absorbent diapers and change them regularly so that your pet does not freeze. Switch your dog from side to side every half hour to reduce the risk of pulmonary edema and avoid numbness in the limbs.

During the period of anesthetic sleep, caring for the dog after sterilization is reduced to observation. It is important that your breathing and heart rate are smooth, without interruptions. A good sign is the presence of reactions to stimuli (if you tickle, the dog withdraws its paws

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Post-operative cat care

Day 1

After surgery, the cat sleeps an additional 30 minutes to 1-1.5 hours. On the first day the animal is half asleep and lethargic. There is a lack of coordination of movements. There may be hallucinations. Do not give any drugs that speed up recovery from anesthesia without the consent of your veterinarian! For the first 24 hours, you need to be nearby, pet the animal, hold it in your arms, and observe.

If there is no blinking, close the cat's eyes yourself to prevent the cornea from drying out. Do this before you start blinking on your own.

On the first day, the animal is disoriented - it can run away in an unknown direction, stop abruptly, run into walls, meow, fall and fall asleep, jump up, etc. There is no need to be afraid. It is better to place the pet in a room with no passages, so that no one or anything can disturb it. Involuntary urination is possible.

There is vomiting. The first sign of gagging is excessive licking of the face. You should not bathe until the stitch heals.

If the cat is in pain, it needs an anesthetic injection, previously prescribed by a veterinarian.

Day 2

The cat gradually comes to its senses and becomes more adequate. You can put water near it and start feeding it a little. The food starts with low-fat chicken broth or kefir with bifidobacteria. Do not overfeed under any circumstances, but give all food in small portions. Only water should be freely available and in plenty! Even if before the operation the cat was only on dry food, you should not start with it - it is better to replace it with similar “wet” ones.

If the animal moves little and the paws are cool, you need to rub them or put the cat on a warm heating pad, promptly removing the cold one. On the second day, she can hide from prying eyes - you must make sure that the animal is always in sight. If you are allowed to hide, then in places where you can easily get it.

The cat's toilet should be somewhere nearby so as not to bother the animal with unnecessary walking after surgery.

If a cat does not walk at all after sterilization, then there are two reasons: the animal is uncomfortable in the bandage or there are problems with the hind limbs after anesthesia (especially after epidural anesthesia). The exact cause will be determined by a veterinarian who can be invited to your home.

Continue to monitor behavior, appetite, urination, bowel movements (should have already appeared) and general condition.

Usually the pain goes away on the second day. If there are still signs of discomfort due to pain, a painkiller is given or injected.

Day 3

On the 3rd day, the cat should fully come to its senses: show activity and interest in what is happening, go to its litter box and start asking for food. You can gradually switch to a regular diet, but the ban on overfeeding remains.

On this day, it is necessary to measure your body temperature. Body temperature is measured rectally (in the rectum) with the tip of a thermometer lubricated with Vaseline or any greasy cream. If the temperature is elevated by two measurements during the day, you need to contact your veterinarian - you may have to start taking antibiotics. The course will have to be completed in full, regardless of which day the temperature drops to normal.

If the temperature does not begin to decrease from antibiotics, you need to take the cat to a veterinarian or call him at home - there is a risk that the infection is viral, and this is a risk of death of the animal due to post-operative weakness.

Also a reason to contact a veterinarian if the body temperature is below 37.5°C.

If there is no bowel movement, you can give mild laxatives based on lactulose (Lactusan, Duphalac). The intestines must be emptied regularly - this must be monitored, because... very often after anesthesia there is a slowdown in intestinal motility.

Day 4

By the fourth day, the animal should actively and independently eat and drink, active urination and bowel movements should be noted.

If there is no urination, you need to give 1/5 tablet of no-shpa or 2-3 drops of valerian tincture diluted in a teaspoon of water. After 15 minutes, do a light abdominal massage at the level of the bladder. Urination should appear. If still not, the cat needs to be taken to a veterinary hospital for bladder catheterization.

Day 5

By the fifth day, you can start letting the cat out of the closed room, because... She can be allowed some activity - walk relatively long distances (between rooms); she can be allowed to walk in the yard (under supervision) if the animal had access to the street before sterilization. You can jump on low surfaces.

By the fifth day, the swelling and redness around the suture should subside, if there were any such signs. Signs of scarring should appear.

Day 6 and 7

The only reminders that the cat has undergone surgery are the blanket (bandage) and the presence of postoperative sutures. By the end of the week, the animal should be fully active, eat with appetite, drink when it wants, sleep in any chosen place, jumping onto the sofa or chairs (it is, of course, still difficult to jump onto the windowsill from the floor).

No pain. Urinate and have bowel movements as usual. If the body's resistance is normal, the sutures can be removed on the 7th day - maximum on the 10th.

The suture after sterilization of a cat should be clean, dry, with signs of dense scarring, without signs of inflammation or suppuration.

READ Features of caring for a cat after castration