Dog Licked Its Incision? What to Do Tonight and ER Signs

Dog licked its incision? Put the cone back on and check it in good light. A gap, heat, pus, bleeding or anything poking out needs an ER now.

Go to an emergency vet now if the incision has opened or has a gap, stitches or staples are missing or chewed through, anything (tissue or fat) is poking out of it, it feels hot, redness is spreading out from it, a swelling under it appeared suddenly or is getting bigger by the hour, it is bleeding, pus or any other fluid is oozing from it, or it smells bad, or if your dog has pale gums, a swollen, hard belly or trouble breathing, vomits, won't eat, can't rest or get comfortable, is very lethargic or weak, or collapses.

Dog licked its incision: why it matters tonight

The ASPCA's spay/neuter guidance says: "Prevent your pet from licking the incision site, which may cause infection, by using a well fitted Elizabethan collar."

"They don't understand that as they're healing, it's going to start itching," a veterinarian at Virginia Tech's veterinary teaching hospital explains. The same veterinarian warns: "Dogs and cats can actually lick so much that they open up that entire incision." And: "They can make it become infected because of the bacteria that's in their mouths."

The aftercare instructions from Tufts' spay/neuter clinic are just as firm: "Do not allow your pet to lick or chew their incision for any length of time."

What matters now is what the incision looks like and how your dog is acting.

Emergency signs: go to an ER now, not a video call

Go to an emergency vet now, not a video call, if:

• the incision has opened or has a gap, even a small one
• stitches or staples are missing or chewed through, even if the edges still look closed
• anything (tissue or fat) is poking out of it
• it feels hot
• redness is spreading out from the incision line
• a swelling under it appeared suddenly or is getting bigger by the hour
• it is bleeding
• pus or any other fluid is oozing from it
• it smells bad
• your dog has pale gums, a swollen, hard belly or trouble breathing
• your dog vomits or won't eat
• your dog can't rest or get comfortable
• your dog is very lethargic or weak, or collapses

These need hands-on care tonight, which no video call can give. If you are unsure whether you are seeing a gap, missing stitches, heat, spreading redness, pus or a growing swelling, go now.

On the way, put the cone on, cover the area loosely with a clean, dry cloth, and call your surgeon's after-hours line from the car if there is one. Do not push anything back in, do not try to clean inside the wound, and do not try to close, tape or glue it. Only if it is actively bleeding, hold the cloth against it with gentle pressure on the way; otherwise, do not press on it.

Check the incision in good light: what can be normal

Use your phone's flashlight, keep your dog calm, and don't press on or squeeze the incision. To notice heat, rest the back of a finger lightly on the skin beside the line, never on the line itself; if it feels hot, go to an emergency vet now.

Virginia Tech says: "Light swelling and some bruising around the incision is normal." It does not say the same about redness.

A call to your surgeon or a video vet tonight fits only when the edges are closed, no stitches or staples are missing, the skin around the incision is not hot, nothing is oozing from it, your dog is bright and eating, and nothing on the emergency checklist is present. That call can cover mild redness that is not spreading, light swelling that is not growing, bruising, a line that looks slightly damp but is drying, with no pus, no blood, no other fluid oozing and no smell, skin rubbed raw around closed edges, or a closed incision your dog keeps licking. In that case, take a photo in the same light each day so you can compare.

Anything on the emergency checklist goes to an emergency vet now, in person, not to a call.

If there is a soft lump under a closed spay incision that is not growing, and none of the emergency signs is present, our guide to a lump under a spay incision explains seroma versus infection. A lump that appeared suddenly or is growing means an emergency vet now.

What to do in the next hour

Put the cone back on and keep it on, including overnight. Tufts' spay/neuter clinic aftercare instructions say: "Your pet should wear the Elizabethan collar provided AT ALL TIMES for the first week after surgery. You may remove the collar for him or her to eat or go for a walk, but then it should be replaced."

A Virginia Tech veterinarian says: "So it's really important to keep that E-collar on for at least 10 days after the surgery." The two sources give different windows, so follow your surgeon's discharge sheet. Our own advice: stay with your dog whenever the cone is off.

If the cone keeps failing, some owners use a covering garment for a spay incision; Virginia Tech's hospital notes: "Some people dress their pets in baby pajamas to keep them from licking their spay incisions." That is not a recommendation, and a garment may not cover a neuter incision, so ask your surgeon first.

Tufts' instructions say: "Please keep the incision clean and dry and check the incision daily."

Do not wipe, scrub or put anything on the incision (no creams, ointments, sprays, peroxide, alcohol or home remedies) unless your surgeon told you to, and never give your dog human pain relievers or leftover medicines.

If someone already put an ointment on the incision and your dog licked it off, read what to do if your dog licked a medicated cream. If you are worried your dog swallowed some, call an animal poison control line or go to an emergency vet now.

Why your dog keeps licking: itch, pain or boredom

Itch is one reason, as the Virginia Tech veterinarian explained above. Pain can be another. Cornell's Riney Canine Health Center lists "Excessive grooming: Licking or chewing at a specific area on the body." among the changes that could indicate pain in dogs.

A dog that cannot rest or get comfortable is on the emergency checklist: go to an emergency vet now.

If your dog seems sore but none of the emergency signs is present, call the surgical clinic or its after-hours line tonight about the pain plan, and do not change or add to the pain plan the surgeon sent home. Cornell's advice to "try to document your dog's behavior by taking photos, videos, or written notes to share with your veterinarian" fits here: note how often and when your dog licks or seems sore.

Keep activity low: short leashed potty breaks, and no jumping, rough play or stairs. For boredom, a quiet room, your company and a chew your surgeon allows give your dog something else to do.

If the skin on the shaved patch around a closed incision is mildly pink or bumpy and none of the emergency signs is present, see our guide to a dog acting weird after grooming.

What a RexVet online vet can and cannot do for a licked incision

A video visit fits only when the edges are closed, no stitches or staples are missing, the skin around the incision is not hot, nothing is oozing from it, your dog is bright and eating, and nothing on the emergency checklist is present. Then a veterinarian can look closely on camera at an incision you can see is closed, compare it with your earlier photos, coach cone or garment fit, go over the discharge sheet with you, help you sort a surgeon recheck in the morning from watching at home with clear stop signs, and send you to an emergency vet if they see a sign from the checklist.

If you are not sure whether there is a gap, do not book a video visit to find out; go to an emergency vet now.

A video vet cannot re-close or re-stitch an incision, culture a wound, feel for heat, pain or swelling by hand, or change the surgeon's medication plan; because a camera cannot feel heat, a hot incision goes to an emergency vet, not a video call.

If the veterinarian decides medication is appropriate, they can prescribe where state rules allow. In Florida, a veterinarian who has seen your pet only by video may prescribe only FDA-approved animal drugs used as labeled, for up to 14 days (1 month for flea-and-tick-only products), and cannot renew without an in-person exam.

RexVet's veterinarians are licensed in Florida, New York and Virginia and are available 24/7. If your dog's incision is closed and none of the emergency signs is present, you can book a RexVet video visit for $64.99.

Surgeon, ER or video vet: who to call in Florida, New York or Virginia

For any sign on the emergency checklist, go to an emergency vet now, in person, or straight back to the surgical clinic if it is open and can see your dog right away.

Tufts' spay/neuter clinic aftercare instructions say: "Should your pet show signs of being seriously ill (vomiting, not eating, unable to rest or get comfortable, or being extremely lethargic), he or she should be seen right away."

Every sign in Tufts' list is on our emergency checklist, so at night it means an emergency vet now.

Only when none of the emergency signs is present is the surgical clinic the first call during its hours. Book a hands-on recheck there soon for skin rubbed raw around closed edges, or for a dog that keeps getting to the incision despite the cone.

Florida law requires a telehealth veterinarian to give "the contact information for at least one physical veterinary clinic in the vicinity of the patient's location".

RexVet's veterinarians are licensed in Florida, New York and Virginia and are available 24/7, even when your clinic is closed. For an incision that is closed with none of the emergency signs, you can book a video visit now for $64.99.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I tell if my dog opened the incision by licking?

Check in good light, without pressing, for edges that have pulled apart, a gap, missing or chewed stitches or staples, or anything poking out. A Virginia Tech veterinarian warns that dogs can "lick so much that they open up that entire incision." If the incision has opened or has a gap, stitches or staples are missing or chewed through, anything (tissue or fat) is poking out of it, it feels hot, redness is spreading out from it, a swelling under it appeared suddenly or is getting bigger by the hour, it is bleeding, pus or any other fluid is oozing from it, or it smells bad, or if your dog has pale gums, a swollen, hard belly or trouble breathing, vomits, won't eat, can't rest or get comfortable, is very lethargic or weak, or collapses, go to an emergency vet now, even if you are not sure.

Is it normal for the incision to be red after my dog licked it?

Virginia Tech says light swelling and some bruising around the incision is normal; it does not say that about redness. Mild redness that is not spreading, with closed edges, no missing stitches, no heat and nothing oozing, in a dog that is bright and eating, can be checked by your surgeon or a video vet. If the incision has opened or has a gap, stitches or staples are missing or chewed through, anything (tissue or fat) is poking out of it, it feels hot, redness is spreading out from it, a swelling under it appeared suddenly or is getting bigger by the hour, it is bleeding, pus or any other fluid is oozing from it, or it smells bad, or if your dog has pale gums, a swollen, hard belly or trouble breathing, vomits, won't eat, can't rest or get comfortable, is very lethargic or weak, or collapses, go to an emergency vet now, even if you are not sure.

Can I take the cone off at night if I'm sleeping next to my dog?

No. Tufts' spay/neuter clinic aftercare instructions say: "Your pet should wear the Elizabethan collar provided AT ALL TIMES for the first week after surgery. You may remove the collar for him or her to eat or go for a walk, but then it should be replaced." Only take it off while you are right there watching, and follow your surgeon's sheet for how long it stays on. Some people use a covering garment for a spay incision, but it may not cover a neuter incision, so ask your surgeon first.

What can I put on the incision to stop my dog licking it?

Nothing, unless your surgeon told you to: no creams, ointments, sprays, peroxide, alcohol or home remedies. Tufts' aftercare instructions say: "Please keep the incision clean and dry and check the incision daily." To stop the licking, use a well-fitted cone, or a covering garment if your surgeon agrees.

Can an online vet look at my dog's incision tonight?

Yes, if the edges are closed, no stitches or staples are missing, the skin around the incision is not hot, nothing is oozing from it, your dog is bright and eating, and nothing on the emergency checklist is present. If you are not sure whether there is a gap, do not book a video visit to find out; go to an emergency vet now. If the incision has opened or has a gap, stitches or staples are missing or chewed through, anything (tissue or fat) is poking out of it, it feels hot, redness is spreading out from it, a swelling under it appeared suddenly or is getting bigger by the hour, it is bleeding, pus or any other fluid is oozing from it, or it smells bad, or if your dog has pale gums, a swollen, hard belly or trouble breathing, vomits, won't eat, can't rest or get comfortable, is very lethargic or weak, or collapses, go to an emergency vet now, even if you are not sure.