Dear Dr. Forsythe: I recently adopted a cat and she had stitches from getting fixed. But the last time my dog went into our vet and had an operation, he used metal staples on the wound. Is one better than the other?
Just Wondering
Dear Wondering: Both suture and staples work very well and are used very successfully to close wounds in pets. Many veterinarians use several layers of dissolvable sutures to close incisions, and then the outermost “skin” layer is the one that is removed about two weeks after the surgery is done. Dogs, which have thicker skin, often benefit from metal staples on the outermost layer. These are quick to place, get good apposition of the skin, and are sometimes less irritating and itchy during the healing process than sutures. Staples don’t tend to work quite as well in cats, since their skin is softer and suppler, so the staples are a little harder to place and tend to fall out. But the choice of which suture type to use or whether staples are a better choice depends on many factors and is up to the doctor doing the procedure. Hope your new kitty enjoys the new home!
Dr. F
Dear Dr. Forsythe: I had to bring my dog back to my vet a few days after she had a mass taken off because her wound opened back up. I was incensed that they charged me for fixing it again (thank you very much) because I hadn’t kept the cone on her every minute of the day so she was able to gnaw on it a little. What was I supposed to do? I paid the bill, but I still think they should have sewed up well enough in the first place so it would never have opened up. Isn’t it obvious that pets are going to lick a little? Isn’t there any guarantee on something like this? It cost enough the first time, it seems too much to pay twice.
Broke because of the cat
Dear Broke: Reading the question I’d like to remind you that you are the “owner” of the pet, so I do think it would be nice for you to accept at least a little “ownership” of this problem. It really depends on whether you were instructed to keep an E collar on when you picked your dog up after the surgery. If nobody told you anything about the possibility of the wound opening up if it got licked or scratched, I think you have a right to be concerned – since it is our job to educate you about the healing and recovery process. However, if you did receive a “cone” and were told to keep it on to avoid problems with the incision opening, and you didn’t keep the cone on, it seems fair that you would have to pay something for the doctor to repair the stitches again. Most veterinarians and staff I know are pretty careful about letting clients know that they need to keep the “cone” on their pet until the stitches are ready to come out about 10 days after the surgery. But once the dog or cat leaves the hospital, it is up to the owner to comply and keep that collar on and watch carefully that the pet does not chew out or claw out the healing wound. If there was a way for vets to sew wounds closed in an ultra turbo super reinforced way that would allow the elimination of the dreaded “cone” don’t you think we would have all learned that technique by now? It seems like it may be time to talk with your veterinarian about expectations before you leave the office next time – and ask for a quote of charges before you leave the pet if you feel you’ve been “bamboozled” with charges.
Dr. F
Dear Dr. Forsythe: My daughter and I found a bunny on the side of the road and put up signs to see if anyone had lost it. A couple days later we received a call from two teenagers that it was their bunny but they let it go because their mother didn’t want them to have it anymore. Apparently their mother thought it would be OK “in nature” or “a hawk would eat it” they said. I was amazed and asked for their mother’s number so I could talk to her, but they refused. I also asked them where they lived but they wouldn’t tell me. Needless to say, I was so disappointed at this pair of kids who clearly have a parent using poor judgment and modeling poor behavior with pets. We have decided to keep the bunny and give it a good home. If we decide we can’t keep it or if it doesn’t work with our other pets, we may give it to the Marin Humane Society, but I was shocked at these kids, and even more surprised that they decided to call and check in on “their bunny.”
Jenny,
Novato
Dear Jenny: I wish you had caller ID, that way you could have really had a way to contact the mother and had “some words” with her. Thanks for your caring for the creature. You know, a great figure skating coach once said, “You can’t teach guts.” That is true, and it might also be said, “You can’t teach common sense.” It sounds like you have common sense and kindness. Your good judgment and insight more than makes up for the “dumb bunny” raising those kids that called you.
Dr. F
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