I never used to think much about stitches. I thought them a necessary evil in the war against open wounds and surgical tissue apposition. No longer.

All the restrictions against bathing and grooming after surgery? Throw them out the window…when you’ve got a perfect closure with no visible stitching.

Of all vets, I should love stitches. I sew, knit and boat—so you should know I adore knots of all kinds. (And I love to show them off!) Yet I had to admit (after watching full-time surgeons work) that surgical closures with few external knots were superior in almost every way to the traditional Frankenstine suture line.

It took me a while to become comfortable with the tactical adjustment. I received lessons from a vet surgeon and tried it a few times with middling success; at first, I even managed some zig-zag closures that were embarrassingly unattractive. No longer. Now they’re gorgeously seamless rows of perfection—usually. Big-dent tumors and ugly wounds notwithstanding, subcutaneous (under the skin) suture lines are all the rage in my practice.

Still, there are plenty of times when an exception is in order—wounds that require tension-relieving patterns and a bunch of other miscellaneous procedures (like Lola's pyometra surgery--see today's additional post). But spays and neuters (my bread and butter)? These cases are so much better off without those pesky, prickly things. And they’re just as strong. With fewer infections (usually the result of an uncomfortable pet’s wayward tongue), why go external?

Moreover, subcutaneous sutures take the sting out of the follow-up visit. All I have to do is look at the site, run my finger along its spine and pronounce the case closed. If only all my professional stresses could be solved so simply.