Dakota seemed to be bouncier and perkier this morning. As the morning has worn on, he has acted like his wound area is painful. I’ve been able to gently palpate around the incision without getting any response at all from him, but late this morning he has let me know he doesn’t like it. He was not terribly interested in either supper last night or breakfast today.
The bruising grew overnight, in a big way. I have no idea if this is ok or if he needs to be seen. Has anyone else had bruising like this?
Before bed last night, D urinated again and also dropped a landmine in the yard. I was expecting days of constipation, so this was a nice bonus. So that end seems to be working fine. Hopefully more on the bruising later…
We’re not vets, but that looks a lot worse than it is. The incision looks like it’s healing wonderfully! Bruising is common, and Dakota’s doesn’t look very dark.
If that just came up last night & increased in size, you might want to check with your vet to be sure he doesn’t have a hematoma.
Io had bruising that became more livid like Dakota’s as it developed and then gradually faded. When most of it had gone he had ‘stripes’ left along his ribs which made him like he had a bone tshirt on-most odd! We didn’t go near his incision and thankfully he left it alone as well. He does have a little lick at the bit that was originally under his leg but I think that’s just housekeeping 🙂 Dakota’s incision looks nice and clean and tidy!
Sorry, I may have misread your post. Just to clarify, if it’s boggy & increasingly swollen, I’d be concerned. If it’s flat & just ecchymotic, it’s probably just from normal tissue insult. Do you have access to a cold laser? After Isabelle’s recent surgery, she had a ton of painful ecchymosis. It resolved in 2 days w/laser.
I emailed a photo of this to Dakota’s oncology/surgical team (he has a team; I don’t have a team) and they agreed that it looks ok. It’s a big bruise, but there is no hardening, no seepage, no odor. I have started icing it and he tolerates that just fine. If it becomes more painful than it was yesterday, I’ll take him in for a look.
I’ve just caught up on Dakota and his progress, Shari.
That is one colourful bruise, I must say. I can’t remember much of Catie’s (she lost her right foreleg a year ago January) and if I’m being honest, most of the wound inspection in the early days of her recovery was done by my husband and not by me. If anything in his recovery is creating anxiety for you, never be afraid to contact your vet. Good for you for emailing the photo.
Glad to hear all of Dakota’s plumbing is working (we rejoiced over those initial potty eliminations too – I DO remember those 🙂 ).
Sending healing, positive wishes for you and Dakota.
You are a kind soul for taking Dakota into your heart and home. I would have done the same but many people would not have. I landed on your site as I’m sitting at home looking at my dog’s 14″ incision from surgery to remove a lung tumor. I am concerned about the red discoloration but after doing some research online it seems like the bruising is natural and not a big problem unless there are other things going on (discharge from the incision site, odor, etc) but I called the vet just in case. Our dog Chewy is a rescue – he spent his first 6 years in shelters. When ouir last dog was hit by a car, he left a very large empty space in our house which we filled with Chewy. Chewy is an 11 year old momma’s boy and we agonized over this surgery. We hope the next two weeks of discomfort allow him to live the next several years as the happy, healthy guy he turned into after moving in with us.
Thanks for your post and Chewy and I wish all the best to Dakota and you.