How Laser Therapy Works
Here at Pine Creek Animal Hospital, we offer laser therapy for pets.
If your pet has an injury or pain in some part of its body, we can target the injured area with laser therapy. The laser stimulates cells to increase their growth and repair. The treatment aids your pet’s recovery by increasing blood circulation, decreasing swelling, and reducing pain.
Pain Treatment Without Drugs
Laser therapy can treat various conditions, and we can administer it along with existing treatment procedures. It is a non-invasive therapy that requires no surgery and no drugs.
Benefits of Laser Therapy
Laser therapy research has shown it to be effective with many different issues. Some of those issues include:
General pain management
Post-surgery pain (spays, neuters, and other surgeries)
Skin problems (hot spots, infections)
Dental procedures
Repaired fractures and wounds
Ear infections
Speeding up the healing of infections
Treatment for Conditions
Since this therapy speeds up your animal’s natural healing process, the number of uses for it is almost unlimited. Here are some of the conditions we can use this therapy to speed recovery and reduce pain:
Chronic arthritis
Surgical incisions
Tendon and ligament injuries
Traumatic injuries
Risks
There are no risks associated with laser therapy. It’s a 100% safe and pain-free procedure for your pet when used by a trained veterinarian. However, there are some specific conditions where we would not use laser therapy. For instance:
- If your pet has a cancerous tumor. When cancer has spread to other areas, we do not use laser therapy because of the risk of possibly affecting cancer cells which could accelerate their growth.
- If your pet is currently pregnant, it also shouldn’t be used.
Home Laser Treatment
Some types of low-level lasers are advertised and sold for use at home. However, we do not recommend them. Firstly, if a laser is so weak that it is safe for home use, it probably will not do much good. Secondly, therapeutic lasers can cause burning of the retinas and burn the treated tissues if misused.
What to Expect
Because laser therapy does not cause any pain, we will not need to sedate or restrain your pet. The experience usually is quite pleasant and comforting for them.
Each treatment lasts roughly 5-10 minutes, but the length and frequency of treatments vary with your pet’s condition.
Most patients need multiple treatments to see the most benefit. Because of this, we recommend a multi-visit treatment plan. Your veterinarian will recommend a treatment plan specific to your pet’s condition.
Summary
Laser therapy is a fantastic and innovative procedure. It is a safe and effective way to help your pet feel better and heal faster. Also, we can use it in combination with other types of treatment very effectively. If you have any questions, please contact us so we can set up an appointment.
Sincerely,
Ashley Tuma, D.V.M.
Pine Creek Animal Hospital
