# How long before internal stitches are fully disolved?



## *Amber* (Oct 22, 2010)

My Staffie girl was spayed on the 15th of October and while the outside looks all fine now, she still has the lumpy bits inside where the scar tissue is, and at the bottom of her scar, there is a sharp bit that sticks up and I can move it about a bit. Millie is wearing an Elizabethan collar for a different reason (to stop her pawing at her Demodex mange which was triggered by her spay!) If I take her collar off though, she really nibbles vigorously at her tummy and does damage to her skin in a very short amount of time, so it must really be irritating her, so really her collar prevents her self harming in 2 ways! I did get my vet to feel a few weeks back, and she assured me it was just internal stitches and they can take a while to dissolve, but does anyone know how long please? Thank you.


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## Lizz1155 (Jun 16, 2013)

In humans internal stitching takes 2-3 months to be fully dissolved. I would think it should be similar in dogs - but I'm not absolutely sure. During the dissolving process you may notice small threads sticking through the scarred area - it's normal and most of the time the threads will dislodge easily.


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## Kittenfostermummy (Jul 25, 2011)

Sounds like she has had a bit of a reaction to the sutures internally. My dog had an ex-lap back in November and I can still feel her stitches and it's deffo lumpy. It is settling now though to what it was so hopefully your girls will do the same. As long as there is no swelling lumps that can be reduced in size when pressed and no redness I would say just wait it out. It can take 2+ months for the stitches to dissolve but each dog is different and some will take a lot longer.


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

*Amber* said:


> My Staffie girl was spayed on the 15th of October and while the outside looks all fine now, she still has the lumpy bits inside where the scar tissue is, and at the bottom of her scar, there is a sharp bit that sticks up and I can move it about a bit. Millie is wearing an Elizabethan collar for a different reason (to stop her pawing at her Demodex mange which was triggered by her spay!) If I take her collar off though, she really nibbles vigorously at her tummy and does damage to her skin in a very short amount of time, so it must really be irritating her, so really her collar prevents her self harming in 2 ways! I did get my vet to feel a few weeks back, and she assured me it was just internal stitches and they can take a while to dissolve, but does anyone know how long please? Thank you.


They can take a long while in humans and I assume dogs would be the same, they can be dissolved internally or sometimes they will be rejected and mae their way out.

Some dogs and cats and humans too though can get an allergic reaction to suture material internally and externally so if they are really bothering her and driving her mad so that she wants to lick and gnaw at them then that may be a possibility she has had a reaction to them.


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## *Amber* (Oct 22, 2010)

Thank you for your replies, it's been 2 months, so hopefully not too long now then. There is no redness, I just think it's the internal stitches irritating, bless her.


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## Amy-manycats (Jun 15, 2009)

The knottiest stitches at the ends of Jess' wounds took about 6 month before I couldn't feel them at all. She didn't bother at them at all though.


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## *Amber* (Oct 22, 2010)

6 months!!! I remember my other dogs spay wound being a bit lumpy for a while underneath, but couldn't remember how long for, and she never nibbled at hers. xxx


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