Surgical Incisions

Question
How long does it take for an incision like this to heal?
He's a little over 2 years old. He had to have his genitals removed because he couldn't urinate. He was forming crystals in his urethra. The sutures were removed by the vet after a week, but the wound started to open a little soon after he came home. It doesn't seem to be infected and we put the cone on him so he won't lick it. He doesn't seem to be in any pain. He goes back to the vet in a couple weeks for a check-up. He really hates wearing the cone, so I'm just wondering how we can make sure it heals properly, and about how long it will take until we can take it off him.

Answer
It's going to take the usual 10 days plus for it to heal totally. These kinds of surgeries are pretty big deals so you really, really need to keep the cone on for the first week or so. After that he can go days without it IF he isn't licking etc. Rule of thumb is that you can see him, you can leave it off. If he is in another room or you are going to work or the store, leave it on him.

You do NOT want him licking this or getting his sutures out or irritating it with that raspy tongue.

That is how you make sure it heals properly.