Our family Labrador not to need stitches tomorrow would be Christmas come early for me, as I'm not keen on him having an anaesthetic at the grand old age of 13 1/2 as apparently although the risks are low, they are 7 times higher for a dog over 12. We got him a lovely jacket to wear in the cold weather (three attempts to find one he liked that fitted!), as he hates to come indoors and much prefers his lovely kennel with carpets and padding and the jacket cut into his chest - something the vet had only seen once before. It was abrasions, but after he started on antibiotics the skin broke into a cut.