Guest GrayceNDanger Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 So I wanted some opinions. This obviously is not normal. We adopted Danger Jan 7th. Prior to that we had gone out to visit him several times. The first time we went to visit and walk him he had this gash on his side...one of the kennel workers in front of us mentioned to a manager that his gash (which was stitched) seemed to be popping open. They examined it (I saw it) and she was correct..it was def popping open! The next time we came to see Danger (for our dog to meet him) they had fixed him up and it was stapled shut. We took him home a day later with instructions to bring him back for staple removal in 2 weeks. We did just that. Well now the gash is healing up nicely or so I thought. All of a sudden sutures are now popping through the scar as its healing! It looks as if they just stapled right over his origional sutures. There are 3 spots where I can visibly see the sutures...and other spots that are quite bumpy and do feel like sutures may remain under the skin. I have emailed these pictures to the rescue as well. Im just curious of your thoughts. Will I need to bring him back in and they have to now cut these sutures out of him? ugh!!! I should mention there is no sign of infection, redness, or even irritation. His scar is about 2-3 inches long. Just random sutures beginning to pop up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batmom Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 Could be they're dissolving suture material that didn't dissolve, which is pretty common. My vet feels around to see how far they go and either snips them off at skin level or tweaks them out, no cutting, no blood, no guts. Quote Star aka Starz Ovation (Ronco x Oneco Maggie*, litter #48538), Coco aka Low Key (Kiowa Mon Manny x Party Hardy, litter # 59881), and mom in IllinoisWe miss Reko Batman (Trouper Zeke x Marque Louisiana), 11/15/95-6/29/06, Rocco the thistledown whippet, 04/29/93-10/14/08, Reko Zema (Mo Kick x Reko Princess), 8/16/98-4/18/10, the most beautiful girl in the whole USA, my good egg Joseph aka Won by a Nose (Oneco Cufflink x Buy Back), 09/22/2003-03/01/2013, and our gentle sweet Gidget (Digitizer, Dodgem by Design x Sobe Mulberry), 1/29/2006-11/22/2014, gone much too soon. Never forgetting CJC's Buckshot, 1/2/07-10/25/10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Flysmom Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 Could that be Gut sutures? They are supposed to dissolve on their own - we use those in the office on Patients who live too far away to come in for suture removal, may be that is why the stapeled over them... They are supposed to dissolve in 10-14 days. Do you know how to remove sutures? If yes, try to remove them on your own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest GrayceNDanger Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 Could be they're dissolving suture material that didn't dissolve, which is pretty common. My vet feels around to see how far they go and either snips them off at skin level or tweaks them out, no cutting, no blood, no guts. ooo I hope thats the case Id rather leave them if than have them cut out if its not going to cause him problems. Could that be Gut sutures? They are supposed to dissolve on their own - we use those in the office on Patients who live too far away to come in for suture removal, may be that is why the stapeled over them... They are supposed to dissolve in 10-14 days. Do you know how to remove sutures? If yes, try to remove them on your own. Im not sure. I didnt realize there was a change of dissolveable stitches not dissolving so I just assumed they were regular stitches they forget about. I do not know how to remove stitches. These are also quite healed over and embedded in the skin. I could prob cut the end one but the other 2 are practically in the skin and than I can feel that their may be more under the skin in other parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatricksMom Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 Dissolving stitches can take a long time to dissolve--Patrick's last internal ones we could feel for over a month. If they're embedded in the skin, I'd take him to the vet or leave him alone if there's no redness/swelling/pain. Quote Beth, Petey (8 September 2018- ), and Faith (22 March 2019). Godspeed Patrick (28 April 1999 - 5 August 2012), Murphy (23 June 2004 - 27 July 2013), Leo (1 May 2009 - 27 January 2020), and Henry (10 August 2010 - 7 August 2020), you were loved more than you can know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest GrayceNDanger Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 Dissolving stitches can take a long time to dissolve--Patrick's last internal ones we could feel for over a month. If they're embedded in the skin, I'd take him to the vet or leave him alone if there's no redness/swelling/pain. These are 3 months old. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest GreysAndMoreGreys Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 They look like 2 different kinds of stitches Far left one looks to be blue, seems like that would be a more outward stitch While the other two are more clear. If your not comfortable trying to snip them out then I would suggest a trip to the vet. They have special scissors to snip them right out. Would take all of about 2 seconds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreyAcresMom Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 Just cut them. It is not a big deal and will cause no pain. Better than him trying to remove them. Is this your first? You will be surprised how much medical you will be doing on your own.. IMHO they are some of the klutziest athletes that have ever lived!! Quote Sheila and COwww.greyacres.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest GrayceNDanger Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 Just cut them. It is not a big deal and will cause no pain. Better than him trying to remove them. Is this your first? You will be surprised how much medical you will be doing on your own.. IMHO they are some of the klutziest athletes that have ever lived!! How do I go about cutting the one embedded in the skin? I can cut the big noticeable ones...but the 3rd one circled is embedded. First greyhound yes- First dog no. Ill see what I can do tonight after work on my own...without butchering him. I may be able to remove the first 2 but dont think I can do the third...may require a trip to the clinic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hannah Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 When Holly had her dew claws off her stitches popped through just like the ones in your photo. I think they itched because she nitted them, that's how I first had my attention drawn to them. of course we were on a weekend break and several hundred miles from our vet so I pulled the first one out with my fingers and carefully dropped it in an envelope for safe-keeping (I finally found a use for hotel stationary ) Took her in to see my vet when we got home and he gently squeezed and manipulated the area and using tweezers extracted a few other pieces. he said it was disolvable stitching that hadn't and unless it started to bleed or get infected there was no problems. I think I pulled out one more piece a few days after the vet visit but that was it, unless Holly nibbled them out herself (and probably ate them). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Liz_in_PA Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 I have the same thing going on with Bonnie. On the advice of others here, I've been gently rubbing the scar with bag balm to loosen it and help with itching. I need to cut out the stitches now, but I've been ignoring them because she has been ignoring them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houndless Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 No biggie. For the ones that have broken the surface I'd just clip them back as far as possible. As for the one that is still under the skin, it will probably work it's way out in the coming months. I myself have had 6 open abdominal surgeries and with 5 of them I "spit stitches". I even had dissolvable ones come to the surface. I'd just be sure not to pull on them and keep the area clean. Of course if it begins to look infected take him to the vet. As for clipping them, I've even used fingernail clippers. Sometimes the sutures are a tough material that will slip in a pair of scissors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jiffer Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 This happened to Uber too when he cut his leg open on our screen door. I simply cut the knots and pulled them out with tweezers. I've heard that it requires a certain amount of "liquid" around the dissolvables in order for them to even start to dissolve and also in some cases, they just don't. In Uber's case, his cut wasn't healing so they had to come out. Once I removed them it healed up in just a couple days. Quote Jennifer and Beamish (an unnamed Irish-born Racer) DOB: October 30, 2011 Forever and always missing my "Vowels", Icarus, Atlas, Orion, Uber, and Miss Echo, and Mojito. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuvAPuppy Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 agree. if his injury was deep, it was probably a multi-layered closure and some of those are internal sutures that are supposed to dissolve. Knots, while necessary, don't always dissolve. Misty's spay knot didn't. she just kept licking at it until she got hold of it and popped it out herself. the little hole healed then in less than 24 hrs I swear! I'd get hold of the visible threads with tweezers and see if you can gently tug them out. if not, they'll likely work their way out on their own. the wound is very well healed so he'd be of virtually no risk of dehiscence. Quote Angie, Pewter, and Storm-puppy Forever missing Misty-Mousie (9/9/99 - 10/5/15)Fort Wayne, Indiana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest GrayceNDanger Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 ok here we go!! attempting to remove the sutures wish me luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Energy11 Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 ok here we go!! attempting to remove the sutures wish me luck. GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Flysmom Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 Good luck! You will be proud of yourself once you have the out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kydie Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 You can do it, just be calm, nothin' to it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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