We have taken on a mixed breed rescue, so as a multi dog household decided to have her spayed. We arranged her op with an assurance that the consulted partner of the practice would do the operation. Two nights after the operation she managed to remove her 'collar' and re opened the surgical site. When I took her back to the vets, a newly qualified vet saw her, and said 'it's usual to do one long stitch'! Now I can't believe that an older vet would stitch like that, and I know for a fact that he did redo the stitching, as individual stitches. My question is would anyone pay the re stitch bill? We're a 8 dog, 8 horse household, vets get plenty of routine stuff. Or would you challenge it?

My bitches have always had multple dissolvable stitches

Tbh I've not had many bitches spayed, but have always had multiple stitches in spay's, and all other op's.

I would accept the re stitch as my responsibility. Whether there was one stitch or multiple stitches, the dog was under your care and your responsibility.  Sorry.

You'ere not going to like this, but a restitch because the bitch had been allowed to get to her wound isn't the vet's fault, so not their responsibility to cover the cost of repair.

Regarding the surgery itself, there are many methods of stitching wounds, whether that's individual external stitches, one long sub-cut stitch and tissue glue, or whatever, and each vet will have their preference - none is more 'right' than any other.

Darned annoying indeed, but if this happened with mine, I'd accept the cost of restitching - however it's done!!  As I recall, spay stitches with mine, were always separate stitches.  As long as it holds how it's done never bothered me.

When my girl was done due to pyrometria all the stitching was done with disovuble internal stitches apart from the last four and this was for a emergency operation the surgery line was almost invisible you had to look to find it.  She showed at crufts three weeks later vet having slicked all belly hair apart from a clickers width back and took a bit of hair from het inside leg.

Vet also shows border collies and takes great care with show dogs only to remove only the minimum of hair