Most skin lump removals are day surgery with a straightforward two week recovery: cone, quiet time, sutures out around day 10 to 14. Bigger resections and internal surgery add drains, dressings or hospital days. The true finish line is the histopathology report a week or so later, which says whether the surgery achieved what it set out to.
| Stage | What is happening | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Day 0 | Day surgery for most | Home the same evening with pain relief; groggy is normal |
| Days 1 to 14 | Wound healing | Cone on, no swimming or rough play; watch for swelling or discharge |
| Day 7 to 10 | Histopathology returns | The report that says benign or malignant, and whether margins are clean |
| Day 10 to 14 | Sutures out | Drains, if placed, usually come out earlier |
| Ongoing | Surveillance | Malignancies need scheduled rechecks; new lumps get the same needle rule |
An opened incision (vets call it dehiscence) is the most common post-op scare, and it happens after any surgery: lump removal, desexing, cruciate or fracture repair. The first job is to work out which side of the line you are on.
If in doubt, ring the after hours number on your discharge sheet. Describing it, or sending a photo, is usually enough for them to tell you whether it can wait.
Licking and chewing, too much activity too early, infection, skin closed under tension (common after a large lump removal), stitches taken out a little early, and slow healing in older, overweight or unwell dogs and those on steroids. A wound that opens after the sutures were removed at the 10 to 14 day mark is nearly always one of the last three, and an older dog's skin simply takes longer to knit.
Normal: a pink or mildly red seam, some bruising, a little clear or pink ooze in the first day or two, mild swelling that is going down. Infected: redness spreading outward, heat, thick yellow, green or smelly discharge, swelling that is getting worse, and a dog that is off its food or lethargic. Infection needs the vet the same day, not a wait and see.
Depending on the size and cause, the vet will clean and dress it, start antibiotics, re-stitch or staple under sedation, or deliberately leave a small wound open to heal from the inside, which is often the right call rather than a cop out. A small gap is usually a consultation and a dressing; sedation and re-suturing costs more; a large or infected breakdown after orthopaedic surgery can mean a second procedure.
Whether you are charged depends on why it opened. If your dog chewed the stitches out or was running around, expect to pay. If the wound failed with the cone on and strict rest, many clinics will repair it for free or at cost, especially in the first week or two. Ask plainly and without accusation: "We followed the discharge instructions and the wound still opened, is this something you cover?" Most vets would rather fix it on good terms than lose a client, and going back to the operating vet is the right first move because they know exactly what is under the skin.
One breakdown is bad luck. A wound that has opened twice, or will not close after a TPLO, fracture repair or large tumour resection, can mean infection around an implant, dead tissue in the wound bed, or a closure that needs a different technique such as a skin flap. That is the point where a specialist surgeon's read on the case is worth having before a third attempt, and you can send the records and photos through the form on this page.
A dirty margin report is deflating, not defeat. The options are a second wider surgery, radiation in selected tumours, or active surveillance, and the right choice depends on the tumour type and the map of what remains. It is also the single most common moment owners seek an independent opinion, and a good one: the next decision is more consequential than the first.
Send the case, hear back from a surgeon with what they can do and what it costs, and only pay if you go ahead.
Send what your vet said and quoted. A veterinary surgeon reads it and comes back to you with what they can do and what it would cost, before you pay anything. A written second opinion is from $250.
Big resections close under tension and can look alarming: bruising, ooze for a day and a tight seam are common. Spreading redness, breakdown of the wound edges, or a suddenly swollen limb below a wound are the actual alarm signs.
Typically every three months for the first year, then spacing out, adjusted by tumour type. The point of the schedule is catching recurrence while it is still a small problem.
Usually not tonight, provided the gap is small, nothing is poking through, the dog is bright and it is not over the belly after abdominal surgery. Cone on, confine, cover loosely if it is oozing, photo it, and see your vet in the morning. Any gaping, visible tissue or a dog that is flat means an emergency clinic now.
It is not normal, but it is not rare. The skin seam is still weak at 10 to 14 days, so a wound that was under tension, was licked, or belongs to an older or overweight dog can split along the line once the sutures are gone. It still needs a vet visit: some are closed again, some are left to heal open with dressings, and the vet needs to check there is no infection underneath.
Often yes if the dog got to it or was too active, often no or at cost if you followed the instructions and the closure simply failed. Policies vary by clinic, so ask directly and calmly when you book the recheck. If it is the second or third breakdown after a major surgery, that is the time to get an independent surgeon's view rather than paying for the same repair again.