Veterinary soft tissue surgeries refer to operations on your pet’s skin, muscles, or other soft tissues. It’s different from orthopedic surgeries, which focus on joints and bones. The most common soft tissue surgeries are routine procedures, such as spay and neuter procedures. It may also be necessary for various medical reasons, including:

• Lump or Growth. Not all bumps are cancerous. An accurate diagnosis of the mass is necessary to determine if it is. Surgery is generally the mainstay treatment for abnormal growth. A wide and deep excision helps remove the tumor tissue altogether. The treatment plan depends on the type of tumor and how severe it is. Like in most medical issues, early detection is vital in giving your animal companion a better chance at living a long, happy life.

• Non-Healing Wounds. Whether the wound in your pet is due to an animal bite, motor vehicle accident, or surgical complication, time is of the essence. In general, the sooner treatment starts, the better the prognosis will be. Sadly, there are some cases when traumatic wounds can become severely contaminated. If the injury is compromised and has progressed into a large, chronic wound, surgery may be necessary. The surgical technique will depend on the type of wound your pet has. Debridement is generally the focus on chronic wound management. The goal is to prime the surface of the chronic wound for healing. Thanks to new technology, there are now more ways to speed up chronic wound healing.

• Collapsing Trachea. This disease affects a pet’s windpipe and lower airways. It occurs when the cartilage rings found on the tracheal wall slack and sag or lose their strength and rigidity. When this happens, the rings flatten upon drawing air. This chronic, irreversible condition makes it difficult for a pet to get air to its lungs. Tracheal collapse commonly affects toy dogs. A sign of tracheal collapse is a persistent dry cough. The harsh cough may get worse at night, when your pet is excited, or when there’s pressure on their trachea. Other signs include breathing difficulties and wheezing noises when breathing inward.

• Chronic Ear Infections. Most ear infections respond well to medical therapy. But some cases are chronically infected, causing stenosis. It’s the narrowing of your pet’s ear canal, affecting hearing. Cocker Spaniel and other dog breeds tend to be more at risk of this condition. If the ear canal becomes totally stenotic, medical management may no longer work. A surgical solution for chronic ear infections is total ear canal ablation. The procedure involves removing all diseased tissue.

There are many conditions present at birth that can also be addressed with soft tissue surgeries. These malformations include vascular ring anomalies, ectopic ureters, and hypospadias, to name a few. Other soft tissue surgeries include neurosurgeries and abdominal, reproductive, thoracic, and head and neck surgeries.

Does your pet need soft tissue surgery? Look no further and contact Rocky Ridge Animal Clinic today. Call our office in Birmingham, Alabama, to request an appointment.