A prospective comparison of postoperative morbidity associated with the use of scalpel blades and lasers for onychectomy in cats.

This study compared patient discomfort for 10 d following feline onychectomies performed using a CO2 surgical laser versus a scalpel blade. Both techniques appeared to result in discomfort of a similar duration, although the laser caused significantly less lameness than blade excision during the first 7 d.