What to do when your vet missed some stitches...
Hey Everyone,
So Buddy got his stitches removed on the 5th, and since then we have noticed that there are maybe two stitches that the vet missed. We really didn't notice until he got a bath yesterday. We called the vet and they said that we can bring him back, or remove them ourselves. The stitches seem kind of hard to get to, and Buddy isn't exactly known for his ability to stay still on demand.... The vet that neutered Buddy is about an hours drive away dependng on traffic. We ended up chosing them because of the price and a referral from our breeder. Frankly money is tight and gas isn't cheap. We don't feel comfortable removing the stitches ourselves, and our local vet wants to charge $50+ to have them removed. I think the local vet is bitter because we didn't have them perform the neuter. I also contacted our breeder and she offered to remove them, but she is 1hr 30min away!
Has this happened to anyone else? The skin is starting to grow over the stitches, so we are desperately trying to get this taken care of before it gets worse.
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Beth on
-
The original vet should be removing them at no charge. I know it's a bit of a drive, but that's probably the option I'd pick. A different vet will likely charge because he didn't do the original surgery, which covers the cost of suture removal.
-
Permalink Reply by Natalie, Lance &Tucker on
-
I agree with Beth. I would call the orginal vet and see if you could get him in as soon as possible. Let us know how it goes. :)
-
Permalink Reply by Betts on
-
Stitches are really easy to remove. If two or three of you work together, you should be able to do it. You'll need a manicure scissors and a tweezers with a tiny or needlenose end. Even if the skin is growing over them, you should be able to find the knot. Slide the tweezers under the knot and lift gently, When you see just the slightest bit of daylight, clip the stitch with the manicure scissors. Then, grab the knot with your tweezers and gently pull. Even if Buddy wiggles, you should be able to do this. I've removed lots of stitches from kids and they're wigglers too. Even if you couldn't get the stitches out, it probably wouldn't cause a problem. His body would eventually "spit" the stitch out.
-
Permalink Reply by Kevin and Buddy! on
-
We found a local vet to do it. The price beats paying the cost of gas to drive to the original vet and they can see Buddy in a few hours.
-
-
Yay!!!
-
Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
-
YAY...I would still let the vet who did this know...that's not OK!
-
-
Yeah we told them.
Kevin told me that Buddy was not a very good boy when they were taking the stitches out. It took three people to hold him down.... I am guessing that's why they missed a couple of them. In my mind they would have a count of how many they put in him and make sure they got that many out, but i am not a vet :)
-
-
I'm sure it happens and any vet can miss them. I take out my own so I can't compare it. My vets also use disolvable stitches and glue so I haven't had to deal with this lately!
-
Permalink Reply by Monica, Orion, and Laika on
-
At our clinic we (the techs) take out stitches, not the vets. So someone who may not have seen the neutering peoceedure may have been taking them out and perhaps that's why they missed them. Though I feel like you'd have to not be paying attention to miss two stitches... When I got Orion neutered I just had them use glue and disolvable stiches so I didn't have to worry about removing them.
-
-
All the stitches are out. Apparently he didn't put up a struggle at the new vet today. They had to put some liquid stiches on a small part since it hadn't closed up completely, and it was free of charge! We will probably start taking Buddy to this new vet, since we haven't had too good of an experience at our other vet.
The best part is they are a 5min walk away from our house, too bad we are moving in a few months!
-
-
glad all went well...sometimes vets are kinder than others also!
-
-
Glad to hear Buddy has all the stitches out now! How nice of them not to charge you! Aww, that would have been nice to have been able to walk Buddy to the vet.
Rescue Store
Stay Connected
FDA Recall
Canadian Food Inspection Agency Recall
Groups
We support...
Badge
© 2024 Created by Sam Tsang.
Powered by
