Removing stitches... do you DIY or get the vet??

PapaFrita

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 August 2005
Messages
25,923
Location
Argggggentina at the moment
pilar-larcade.com
PF was caslicked a couple of weeks ago. The call out fee was almost as much as the procedure, but hey ho, it had to be done and yard is miiiles out of the way. However, I thought it was a bit rich of the vet to tell me to call her out again to remove the stitches, so I did it myself yesterday. No hassle no fuss and FREE.
Now, I'm quite surprised she told me to call her out since this same vet is happy to tell me over the phone (after I emailed a pic of PF's cut leg) what IM antibiotics to get and to give them to her myself. My vet in the UK was happy to let me take stitches out. What are your vets like?
 
My vet is happy for me to take out both stiches and staples.
He doesn't see the need to drag him out for something so simple
smile.gif
 
Few years ago my mare had a kick right on the vulva which left a thumb size piece of tissue dangling. Vet sedated and stitched, it healed dead quick and was told to carefully remove them after a week, no problems
 
Vet was happy for me to remove my dog's stitches. I actually took one out a bit early because it was annoying him so much.
 
I honestly don't think my vet would even come out to do such an insignificant thing. He doesn't really tolerate people who can't perform simple tasks; mind you over here things are so different to in the UK and vets don't seem to be quite so money-grabbing; either that or they have higher expectations of horse owners than UK vets.
 
Our boys went through a very accident-prone stage and had lots of staples. OH would remove them if they started to come out, he told told the vet he was doing this with a pair of very small pliers, so they sent him some proper veterinary staple removers in a jiffy bag in the post!

Luckily (hastily touches some wood!) we haven't actually had to use them since!
 
As an ex-veterinary nurse,and 'sensible' (vets terms not mine) owner, both my vets (equine and small animal) are very happy for me to remove stitches myself.
 
Our lovely vet who has now retired expected us to do any number of 'routine' things and if we rang for advice would say have yout got any what ever it was in the home vet kit.
smile.gif
 
I would be more than happy to do it, as long as someone could show me how - I presume it would be quite simple, but would want to check first.
 
Do it yourself. I've removed staples - but did buy the proper tool to do it. I also removed the stiches out of my friends head.
 
Top