You might see something unusual popping out of your dog’s body. Seeing it you will be worried that your dog has developed some serious health problem. Although to know if the lump is a sign of some kind of serious health problem or just a harmless skin tag, you need to inspect it closely.

Here in this article, I will try to cover up all of your doubts about skin tags and also the cost and methods of treatments.

What is Skin Tags?

Skin tags are made up of fibrous tissues that appear as a single lump or multiple lumps. It is soft to touch and looks like warts but you need to know what it is as warts are contagious and caused by a virus but skin tags are not.

The skin tags in dogs look just like that in human beings. While warts have the tendency to go away by itself, skin tags have to be removed. While if you are still not sure if it is warts or skin tags, take your dog to a vet for confirmation.

There are mostly two types of skin tags:

  • Fibroadnexal or collagenous hamartoma: It is a most common type and also can be easily identified as it does not have any hair around or on it. It is mostly found where the pressure is more like feet and abdomen.
  • Follicular hamartoma: It is not common and is not seen in many dogs. It is a skin tag with thick hair that mostly found in clusters.

Skin Tags Removal Cost

The cost of removing skin tags depends on various factors that also includes the methods of removing that your vet choose. In most cases, your vet will recommend you to leave the tags as it is unless it is infected, is growing large or if it is irritating your dog.

The factors that affect the cost of removing skin tags include the vet you use if a biopsy is required, the number of tags to remove, your location, and if anesthesia is required for the procedure.

However, the cost depends on the types of treatment that the vet processed.

Ligation

It is one of the easy and simple forms of treatment. The vet will just tie a thin, clean thread around the tag. It will be tight enough to stop the blood flow. After a few days, due to low oxygen and blood, it will die and fall of the body.

The cost of performing a ligation is around $70 USD.

Cryosurgery

In this form of treatment, the vet will use liquid nitrogen to freeze the tag and it will fall off the body after some time. Although this form of treatment cannot be used if the skin tag is on the face. If that is the case, the vet will suggest other methods of treatment.

The cost will be around $150 USD.

Cauterization

It is a method where a laser pen is used to burn the skin tag off the body of your dog. In this form of treatment, your dog is required to go under the local anesthesia which will decrease the pain of heat radiating from the device.

Laser pen methods
Laser pen methods.
Image Source: DogsAholic

It will cost somewhere between $250 to $400 USD. If extra lab test has to be performed to ensure the tags are not cancerous, it might cost more.

Surgery

Surgery is not usually performed but if the size is big and if other methods are not effective than surgery is the last option. The vet will cut the growth and if needed, they will send for the biopsy report.

The surgery method usually cost more than others as most of the time the vet has to do the health test of the dog before they go under anesthesia. After performing surgery, the tissue has to be sent to the lab to ensure the mass was not cancerous. Your dog will need e-collar to prevent any chewing in the area. This rough estimate will be around $600-$800 USD.

Conclusion

Your dog’s health should be your primary concern, so do not try to remove tags at home as it may only infect the area more. Always consult a vet before removing any tags from your dog’s body as most are harmless and need not be removed.

It will also save your money and your time too. However, if your dog is feeling uncomfortable, irritation, itchiness then removing the tags from its body is the best idea.

Visit Doglime for more information about the dog’s health.

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