As technology and medicine advances in the human world, there are also advances being made in the animal world. Every year, people are more interested in safer and less invasive treatments for their pets. Many are looking to holistic remedies for conditions that previously required a prescription. This could be acupuncture, making special teas, or even laser therapy.
So what exactly is laser therapy for dogs?
If you’ve never heard of it before, it’s actually a quite simple concept. When your pet’s body is injured, it takes a certain amount of energy and time to heal. By using a deep penetrating light, a chemical reaction known as photobiostimulation occurs. Photobiostimulation is a process that helps relieve your pet’s pain by releasing endorphins. Those endorphins then stimulate the injured cells to heal quicker.
Laser therapy for dogs provides pain relief by reducing inflammation. Similar to taking an ibuprofen, we know that when swelling goes down, healing is less painful. By using the laser, the inflammation is reduced by vasodilation which simply means opening up the blood vessels. Laser therapy also kick starts the lymphatic drainage system, pulling fluid away from the swollen parts of the body. Another way laser therapy reduces pain is by causing nerve cells that block pain signals to jump into action. Finally, the addition of endorphins helps with pain relief since they are pain killing compounds.
What are Benefits of Dog Laser Therapy in Marinette, WI?
Benefits of laser therapy include increased metabolic activity, faster wound healing, improved nerve function, accelerated tissue repair and cell growth, and reduced fibrous tissue formation. Some of the reasons vets in Marinette, WI are using laser therapy are to treat ulcerations, open wounds, back pain, neuromuscular disease, ear infections, post-surgical tissue drama, muscle, ligament, and tendon injuries, arthritis, degenerative joint disease, and many others.
As your pet ages, their body begins to slow and their healing process follows suit. By using laser therapy in senior pets, you’re helping them relieve pain in a non-invasive way. You don’t want to have to give your 18 year old cat a pill every day that she hates or have to use anesthesia on a 14 year old dog. Those can often times cause more harm than what you were trying to heal.
What is the Recommended Number of Treatments for Dog Laser Therapy?
How many treatments that your vet recommends will depend on the situation. If it’s for an ulceration or an injury, it could be one quick 5 minute session. If your dog has chronic back pain or arthritis, you may be doing six sessions in a series. The treatments are cumulative, but if you’re going in for an older pet, you may end up continuing treatment regularly. Sessions in Marinette, WI typically last between 3-8 minutes, so they are quick and easy.
During the treatment, your pet will be provided protective eyewear. Laser therapy for dogs also cannot be used on pregnant pets, over tumors, across growth plates of immature animals or over the thyroid gland. Black pets will have different results so their session time will be adjusted by the vet.
A few years back, laser therapy for dogs was only used by certain vets in Marinette, WI who truly saw the technology for what it was. Now, it’s becoming so mainstream you probably wouldn’t even call it a specialized, holistic treatment. In the coming years there will be many such treatments. It’s important to always keep an open mind and be willing to try something less invasive for your pet. As laser therapy has proved, there can always be a new and innovative solution that truly works.
If you have any questions about laser therapy for dogs, call your Town & Country Veterinary Clinic veterinarian at (715) 735-9511 for more information!