Question about stitches

[Kittymom]

Hello all. I am very new here. This is my first post. I was reading through some of the threads on this site and think it's wonderful that there is a board such as this. I'm hoping someone here might be able to answer a question for me.

I have a 7 year old female kitty and she had surgery 6 weeks ago to remove stones from her bladder. She did OK with the surgery and is now fully recovered. The only thing is that she had internal sutures which the vet said will disolve and I'm sure they have. But there is one external stitch at the very end of the incision. The vet's office keeps saying I do not have to bring her back. I asked about the stitch and they said not to worry about it and just to keep an eye on it and if it's not bothering her then don't worry about it.

But I'm confused. Will this stitch be there forever or will it eventually fall out? Has anyone experienced this? If so, how long does it take to fall out? My kitty really doesn't pay it much mind and there's no irritation or anything.

Am I worrying needlessly. Perhaps this is common and will resolve itself. But the staff at my vet's office are giving me such vague answers that I'm getting annoyed. Does anyone have any ideas or advice?

Thank you!

Karen

[Traci]

Can you determine if there is actually a loop stitch in the suture? If so, you can gently moisten the skin with a warm wet compress for a few minutes, then use a tweezer and gently untie it, then gently pull it out...if it doesn't come out, clip it at it's end and leave it. If swelling develops, or fur loss around the area or if it bothers kitty in the least, take her back to your vet to remove it, or to ensure it isn't something else.

[gsc4]

My female had a similar thing after her spay surgery. Because she had kittens at home, the vet did some extra sewing and used internal stiches. We did not want a curious kitten pulling visible stitch. When I took her home, there were no stiches visible, just the closed up incision.

But about 2 weeks later when everything was healing nicely, a stich worked its way to the surface. Some skin closed around it and it was secured in good. She went back to the vet 2 weeks later and it was still visible. The vet said not to worry about because the incision healed very well and my cat was not picking at it.

Now it is months later and the fur is finally grown back and I can't find the thing. Don't know if was covered over or reabsorbed.

Since the vet was not worried, I just forgot about it. Don't worry too much if the incision is healing without redness or swelling.

[Guest]

Thank you both for your replies. She does seem fine. The incision is all healed from what I can tell and now her fur is growing back. She doesn't seem to notice the stitch. I don't know if it will absorb or just get loose someday and fall out. I tried wetting it to loosen it but she wanted no part of that. It doesn't seem like the type of stitch that will absorb as it it's black and feels like nylon thread. My daughter will be visiting tomorrow so I'm going to have her hold Misty for me and I'll see if I can at least snip the ends closer to the knot and maybe that might help it untie at some point while she is grooming. But I don't think it's actually causing her any trouble. There is no irritation and no swelling of any kind.

Thanks again for your advice.

[Traci]

The 'black' part of the suture could actually be it absorbing. Most sutures used in surgery are clear or pale white and when they absorb, some of them turn colors (like faded beige or brown/black). If you can at least clip it at it's end, just leave it, is should absorb eventually. Just keep an eye on the area for any visible signs of swelling or irritation.

Since she did have bladder surgery, keep an especially close eye on her. It sounds like she has indeed recovered, but if she has been prone to infections (urinary tract), be keen to any sudden signs in which you'd want to get her re-evaluated, urine tested, etc.

[jdogggy]

I just noticed tonight that my female kitten (8wks) is a little swollen where her spay surgery was done 4 days ago. I know that I should have kept her from jumping around, but she would cry when left all day in the bathroom, so I have been lettnig her roam the house during the day.

I checked the area this evening, and the scab looked like it had widened, and part of it had torn off. There was no bleeding, but it did look like there was some very small amounds of dried blood on the surrounding fur, and the area was a little red and swollen.

I will check it again in the morning, and possibly take her to the vet just in case.

[Traci]

You better get her to your vet first thing in the morning, don't wait.

Swelling and redness at the incision site could indicate infection, or a suture reaction...your vet can examine the site more closely and take her temp, etc to determine if a possible infeciton is present.

Keep her activity as restricted as possible for at least 5-7 days post-op. Rigorous activity can cause the suture site to rip open, and therefore induce serious bacterial infection.