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What is Laser Therapy Treatment for Dogs?

What is Laser Therapy Treatment for Dogs?

Laser therapy is an increasingly popular treatment which increases blood flow, decreases inflammation and reduces pain. It is great for sweling, wound healing and pain relief.

It is excellent for dogs who arthritis, IVDD, recovering from surgery or an injury. Laser therapy is provided by a vet or vet physiotherapists who has been trained in laser therapy safely and technique.

What Can Laser Help Treat?

There are two ways in which dog laser therapy can contribute to the management, or healing of, a wide range of conditions.

Firstly, those health issues associated with inflammation can be helped by photobiomodulation treatment, which stimulates cellular processes.

Secondly, some laser devices have a setting - photoablation therapy - which generates a heat from the light energy generated by the laser. This works to destroy tumours, warts, or cysts in a very targeted way.

How Does Laser Work?

The laser focuses on a choosen area and sends infra-red lightwaves. These infra-red light waves penetrate deeply through the skin. Importantly, laser can reach muscles, tendons and ligaments at a deeper level than we can do from the outside (eg. a massage). Infra-red delivered via LEDs can’t reach as deeply into the body, which is why laser therapy is slightly different from red light therapy.

Dog laser therapy works by increasing blood flow, removing waste products and reducing inflammation.

What Dog Conditions Does Laser Help?

Laser helps with the following medical conditions:

  • Osteoarthritis / signs of stiffness
  • Wounds
  • Post-surgery
  • Degenerative joint diseases
  • Musculoskeletal injuries e.g. sprains, strains, tendonitis, or bone fractures
  • Spinal conditions such as IVDD
  • General pain 
  • Hip dysplasia or elbow dysplasia
  • Lick granuloma
  • Dermatological problems
  • Dental issues such as post-extraction, or periodontal disease.

This isn’t a complete list, but it gives an idea of the scope of conditions that lasers can make a positive contribution to healing. Using dog laser therapy on the chest area has even been known to help dogs recover from pneumonia!

Photobiomodulation treatment is also increasingly being recommended as a standard aspect of the treatment programme to help manage Degenerative Myelopathy.

What Happens During a Dog Laser Therapy Session?

Dog laser therapy sessions are short, and usually incorporated into a vet physio session. The vet or vet physio will identify the area that needs treating, and position the laser over that spot. An appropriate‘dose’ will be decided by your vet. This determines how deep the laser will go and for how long the treatment needs to last. 

You may need to help keep your dog still, and hold them calmly while the vet or physiotherapist directs the laser. A session can take as little as five minutes, up to twenty minutes if a larger area needs treatment, or if it’s a chronic condition such as arthritis. 

Hopefully, after the session you should see an improvement in your dog’s overall demeanour and energy levels, as pain and inflammation decreases.

Can I Use a Laser on my Dog at Home?

No. Lasers can only be used by vetcare professionals who’ve been trained in their safe usage. This is because lasers can be dangerous if misused i.e. they can cause severe eye or tissue damage, or overheating/burns.

What are the Different Laser Levels?

There are four levels of laser therapy. The levels are categorised by the power output of the laser device, and what its intended uses are.

Levels 1 and 2 are too weak to make any difference, therefore only Levels 3 and 4 are useful for healing and therapeutic use.

Level 3 is used by veterinary professionals for pain relief, inflammation reduction, and wound healing. There are actually 2 sublevels within Level 3 - Level 3a (Power <5 mW), used in some diagnostic devices, and Level 3b (Power up to 500 mW) used for therapeutic applications.

Level 3b is generally the most commonly used laser level when a dog is being treated by a veterinary professional.

Level 4 is the highest level and that’s why it’s used for arthritis, chronic pain, and condition like hip dysplasia, where deeper laser penetration is needed for results.

Laser Therapy Treatment for Dogs - What Is It and How Does It Help

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