I had visitors and never got a chance to take her 10-12 days ago when I was supposed to. I feel horrible the skin and hair have grown around them - which will make it more painful to remove. Should I take her now or just let them be ???
2007-03-16 17:42:24 · 17 answers · asked by expat g 2 in Pets ➔ Cats
Many complications can arise from sutures remaining in the tissue too long. One of which is an abcess. It is never better to wait "longer".
Because the fur and skin has grown over them, you are not qualified to take them out. I also doubt if your cat would tolerate the pain that it will cause. It will take two people. Unless of course you don't mind war wounds and a truamatized cat.
Suture removal is not all that expensive and a vet can remove them quickly with a little local anethesia and an assistant. While doing so will be able to detect any infection or ulceration.
You are very fortunate if your cat has not started to tear at them herself. They tend to draw as the healing process takes place and they are irritating.
Please take your cat immediately and have her attended to.
2007-03-16 17:56:05 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
If the vet asked you to return to have them out then you need to go as soon as you can, yes, it will be more painful to remove but they'll hurt even worse if you just leave them. My little guy's foster parents didn't get his removed on time and the new vet I took him to noticed, he was very glad I came in when I did. (I wondered why he didn't like his belly touched--his stitches from his hernia surgery were still in, done 3 weeks before I adopted him)
2007-03-17 08:49:01 · answer #2 · answered by carebearny1999 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
take her to a vet & get them out. they will infect & cause your cat a lot of pain, if they haven't already. what in the name of all the gods were you thinking putting a social call before your cats welfare??? your visitors could easily have come back at a better time. it's called "responsibility". it's a thing you must shoulder when you take on somthing that depends on you. get your cat sorted before you kill her.
2007-03-17 06:46:49 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
You are definatly going to want to take her in to get them removed. She could get an infection around them otherwise. Thus costing you even more money and her more pain. You will need to call your vet and he or she can give you more info. Im surprised they havent called you yet. My vet always follows up if we have missed our appointment. You may also want to look for a new vet if this one isnt following up.
2007-03-17 00:47:21 · answer #4 · answered by sassy_girl54153 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Call the Vet and ask if the stitches were wire or the dissolving kind... if they were wire then they need removed.
2007-03-17 06:59:14 · answer #5 · answered by hotsnakes2 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most - if done with the latest stitching threads - dissolve on their own. If that is not the case you can safely do it yourself if not fearful of doing so. A pair of fingernail clippers to carefully cut the knots free and you can take the threading out with your fingers. Trust me it tickles and doesn't hurt them.
However if you choose to take the animal into your vet they do not charge extra as they collected that when you had your cat spayed in the first place. But if you leave them in too long and don't remove them - if your cat happens to catch the stitching on something and gets hung-up - this could possibly rip the animal back open when the animal breaks itself free. Then you will have an emergency on your hands.
2007-03-17 00:50:43 · answer #6 · answered by ThatsThinkingWithUR Dipstick 3 · 0⤊ 5⤋
Unless the sutures are absorbable, they do need to be removed. If the skin has grown around them, you may be looking at a "mini" surgery to get those sutures out.
2007-03-17 00:51:44 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
It's never too late to remove stitches. In fact, it's actually safer to remove them late. That way, you know that it is completely healed.
Stitch removal can be a very costly process, even with insurance. So you might just want to remove them yourself. To do so, any household scissor would help, and some tweezers.
Cats are also generally very rowdy. So, you might want to give it a hard piece of leather to chew on as you "operate." It doesn't hurt the cat at all, though it might frighten it.
2007-03-17 00:46:45 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 5⤋
you can either take her in to have them removed, or do it yourself. have someone hold her on their lap. put some mineral oil or olive oil on the incision, move the hair away so you can see the sutures...gently lift the knotted part away from the body with tweezers, and clip the suture with small sewing scissors or nail clippers...pull the suture out (holding the knot) with the tweezers. there could be a small amout of bleeding if there are scabs...just dab it with a papertowel, or kleenex. hope this was helpful.
EDITS: i'm assuming these are not absorbable/dissolving stitches because you said you missed the day they were to be removed...take your cat in if you freaking out about this...i've never known a vet who charged for suture removal from a spay surgery.
2007-03-17 00:57:33 · answer #9 · answered by pirate00girl 6 · 0⤊ 4⤋
Just make sure that they are removed how ever you want to do it, they can NOT stay in. but also make sure next time you ge SELF ABSORBING stitches so that you won't have this problem. The vet uses regular stitches because he wants you to brig them back in and spend more money.
2007-03-17 00:49:47 · answer #10 · answered by basicalyblunt 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋