Cryosurgery in St Petersburg FL

Cryosurgery

Skin problems such as skin tags and warts are primarily cosmetic in nature. However, they can become bothersome to our beloved pets. Other owners simply want them removed. Fortunately, this can be done in a simple and completely painless manner thanks to cryosurgery.

Cryosurgery is a surgical technique that uses either liquid nitrogen or nitrous oxide to freeze areas of unwanted tissue so that they can be eliminated by the body and the area heals over with new healthy skin.

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How does veterinary cryosurgery work?

Veterinary cryosurgery works in exactly the same way as human cryotherapy. Your pet’s skin is made up of countless cells, each of which is around 70% water. Cryotherapy focuses on freezing the cells in a specific area, for example on a wart. In doing this, the water in them turns into ice, causing the cells to rupture and tear. In addition to this, further cell and tissue damage occurs when the blood vessels serving the cells also freezes. The cells then die, and the wart falls off. Underneath, fresh skin replaces the old cells and the problem is eliminated.

Your pet’s cryosurgery procedure will be performed using a Cryopen. This unique, handheld device emits a fine jet of nitrous oxide under high pressure, enabling our cryosurgery team to administer freezing with superior precision and control. This prevents surrounding tissues from being accidentally damaged and ensures that only the target is affected by the treatment.

What can veterinary cryosurgery be used to treat?

Veterinary cryosurgery can be used to treat a range of different skin issues in pets. Most commonly, our experienced cryosurgery team has used the technique with success in addressing skin tags, warts, skin tumors, cysts and other problems on the face, nose, eyelids, ears, and feet of the pets in our care.

What are the benefits of cryosurgery?

The main benefit of cryosurgery is that it isn’t really a surgery at all. There are no incisions made into your pet’s body, and this means that there are no wounds that your furbaby will need to recover from. This is important as it can be tricky to care for a post-op pet who doesn’t understand the importance of staying still and getting enough rest.

Another key advantage of cryosurgery is that in the majority of cases, no sedation or anesthesia is needed. This is important for many owners who dislike the thought of their furbaby being given medications of this type unless absolutely necessary. It also means that it is possible to treat older pets, who might otherwise present too much of a surgical risk for such a procedure.

Further benefits of cryosurgery include:

• A fast, straightforward procedure

• Complete accuracy ensuring no healthy skin becomes collateral damage

• No recovery period, your pet can resume her usual daily routine immediately

• You can stay in the room with your pet, keeping her calm and reassured

If your pet has skin problems that you believe could potentially benefit from cryosurgery, our experienced veterinary team would be happy to assess her. Please get in touch with our offices in St Petersburg, FL to schedule an appointment.