Cryosurgery, or cryotherapy, is a procedure that involves extreme cold being applied to destroy abnormal or diseased tissue. The surgery is not invasive, virtually painless, and is used frequently at our clinic. The procedure has been used to treat a broad range of conditions in both people and animals. Veterinarians have successfully treated dogs, cats, horses, ferrets and even birds with cryosurgery. The results speak volumes, and the risks are minimal, especially when compared to traditional methods of surgery.
Cryosurgery provides a quick and highly effective solution for removing small skin masses and treating distichiasis. The application is done with a handheld device that sprays nitrous oxide directly to the affected area of the skin. The procedure can usually be performed during your normal office visit and follow-up procedures may need to be scheduled every 2-3 weeks for 2-4 additional treatments, depending on the size and location of the lesion.
By freezing tissue, the water inside cells is expanded, breaking the cell. What you will see when cryosurgery is performed on your pet is a swelling and blistered appearance to the lesion 24-48 hours after the treatment. Then the lesion will then shrink & dry up. If has not completely disappeared in 2-3 weeks, we will treat it again. Sometimes, depending on the size of the lesion 2-4 treatments are necessary.
The cost for cryosurgery is also very affordable when compared to traditional surgery, because anesthesia and normal sterile preparation aren’t usually necessary. If you see a suspicious lesion or growth on your pets, please don’t wait to schedule an appointment for an assessment of the growth.
Citations:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryosurgery
http://www.healthline.com/health/cryosurgery
http://www.gopetplan.com/blogpost/ice-ice-baby-petplan-pet-insurance-explains-cryosurgery