Getting Stitches Out After Spay

AceCard Jones

Hi again,

I was just wondering what the average waiting time is for getting stitches removed after being spayed? Our vet told us to come back in 14 days time for it, but after reading a bit online it seems that a lot of vets (at least from the advice that I read) say to come back in 7-10 days for it.

The reason I am asking is because our two kittens are being driven mad by the collars they have to wear (and yes, they have to wear them! Lightning ripped a stitch out the night after the op, and neither of them can be trusted not to pick at or lick their stitches), they are very depressed looking and we can't wait for the stitches to come out so they can be free from the collars.

So would it be wise to wait the full 14 days, or would it be a good idea to get in contact with the vets to see about getting them out sooner?

Thanks

shinikins

Vet's guidelines are there for a reason, if they remove the stitches too soon there's a very good chance that the wound will burst as the edges will not have knit together. Unfortunately you'll just have to leave them as they are, a few days discomfort will be nothing in the long run! Keep an eye on the stitches, if any look particularly tight then go back to the vet.

AceCard Jones

shinikins wrote: »

Vet's guidelines are there for a reason, if they remove the stitches too soon there's a very good chance that the wound will burst as the edges will not have knit together. Unfortunately you'll just have to leave them as they are, a few days discomfort will be nothing in the long run! Keep an eye on the stitches, if any look particularly tight then go back to the vet.

I'm not trying to go against the vets recommendations. The only reason I asked was from talking to relatives and friends, and from what I've read online since the operation, 7-10 days seems to be the norm. That's why when the vet after care information said 2 weeks I was wondering if that's a new thing brought in. I wasn't debating the vets recommendation I was merely wondering if two weeks is the usual healing time or if it's odd to anyone else?

We're planning on going away soon and wanted to bring the cats with us, bringing them along with the collars etc would just make things a bit more awkward.

moving_home

When my dog was spayed the vet told me 10 - 14 days. I checked them and saw they were loosening and the wound was healed so brought her back after 10days. Would imagine it would be similar for a kitten. Think 7 days would be too soon

shinikins

OP it really depends on the type of stitches and the gauge of suture used by the vet, certain stitches heal faster than others, and different gauge suture will help that process. If you have female cats then the likelyhood is they have several layers of sutures and the only ones you can see are the skin closures, they probably also have two more layers of disolvable sutures in the lower layers of skin.

The last practise i worked for would recommend pets to be brought back within 7+ days, and i have to say i saw a lot of bad scars from poorly healed wounds, and wounds reopening as they had not fully knit. The practise i work in now has a guideline of 10-14 days and the vast majority of wounds are well healed by then and leave no visible scarring. Your kitty's will soon not even notice the collars, they adapt incredibly quickly! Just keep an eye on the wounds, as soon as the area is completely dry and the stitches are loose you can head back to your vets to have them removed.

Jules

10-14 days is best as it allows for proper healing of the underlying tissues and not just the skin. Also cats tend to be more active post op than dogs as its more difficult to keep them quiet so better the stitches stay in for the 14 days.

AceCard Jones

Thanks for the replies. We'll just wait and see how they get on.