After your dog or cat undergoes surgery, the recovery period begins. A big factor of your pet’s recovery is caring for their incision. When you pick up your pet from the veterinarian’s office, ask your vet or veterinary staff to show you your pet’s incision. This will give you a baseline for what the incision looks like and help you to identify when something looks unusual. Take a picture of the incision on day one and each day after to track the healing process. The veterinary team will give you discharge instructions to follow, such as restricting your pet’s activity, when to return for rechecks, and when or if the sutures (aka stitches; many vets use these words interchangeably) need to be removed. Depending on the incision type and location, your veterinarian may have used a single type of suture or a combination of products to close your pet’s skin incision, including absorbable sutures, nonabsorbable sutures, staples, or tissue glue. Be sure to ask which type your vet used so you can know what to expect and look for during recovery. Types of Sutures Internal Stitches (Absorbable) Internal stitches are placed underneath the skin. They are (generally speaking) absorbable, meaning that over time, the stitches will break down on their own and dissolve. Unless complications occur, internal stitches do not need to be removed. If your dog has only internal stitches and you notice visible stitches or any openings in the skin, reach out to your veterinarian for care recommendations. External Stitches External stitches are placed on the outside of the skin. These stitches will need to be removed after the skin heals, typically 10-14 days after surgery. A veterinary professional will assess the incision to ensure that it’s fully healed before the external stitches are removed. Staples Surgical staples are generally made from surgical steel and placed as the outermost layer in a surgical incision. Staples are a fast and secure way to close a portion of an incision. They are removed once healing is complete, typically 10-14 days after surgery. Removal requires a special staple-removal clamp. Removal of surgical staples is just as easy and pain-free as the removal of sutures. Staples on a pet’s abdomen after surgery (Photo credit: Sandra Mitchell, DVM) Glue Tissue glue, sometimes called liquid stitches, may be used on its own to close a very small incision or as an additional measure to help close a larger incision. Glue does not need to be removed.