When we care for our pet patients at Caring Paws Animal Hospital, we strive to offer the best and latest options in veterinary medicine. Therapeutic laser treatment is a great example of a modern modality that we utilize that can be a really great asset to many treatment plans. Keep reading to learn what laser therapy for pets entails and how it can potentially benefit your furry family member:

The Science 

While laser therapy may sound like something out of the next Star Wars movie, it really isn’t as mysterious as it might come across. Like Star Wars, though, it has been around since the 1970s.

Long utilized in human medicine, laser therapy for pets has become more and more popular over the last decade. This treatment modality utilizes light energy in the form of photons to influence changes in the cells of a certain area of the body.

We use a handheld probe to direct these photons to a selected target area of the body. When the light energy reaches the cells of interest, it stimulates them to form ATP, which is the currency of energy in the body’s cells. 

ATP production allows cells to perform a variety of functions. Benefits of laser therapy on a cellular level include:

• Increased blood flow
• Reduction of inflammation
• Reduction of swelling
• Increased speed of healing
• Decreased pain

Benefits of Laser Therapy for Pets

When you start to consider the many conditions in the body that could benefit from the positive benefits of laser therapy, it quickly becomes apparent how useful this modality can be. 

Laser treatments are quick and non-invasive. Many pets enjoy relaxing during their sessions in which they don’t feel anything but possibly a soft warming sensation. Treatment times may vary depending on the tissue targeted, however most take only minutes.

Many pets will start to feel benefits after just a single treatment (although several treatments are typically necessary, especially for more chronic conditions).

Laser therapy for pets is safe, with very few potential side effects noted, and has been well studied. 

We can utilize therapeutic laser as part of our treatment plan for a wide variety of conditions including:

• Arthritis 
• Soft tissue injuries
• Fractures and other orthopedic injuries
• Healing after surgery
• Hot spots
• Ear infections
• Lick granulomas and skin infections
• Dental disease
• Wound and burn healing

The possibilities are really without limit! Laser therapy for pets is a great tool to have in our arsenal. Our team strives to bring the best veterinary care to our community, and this is just one example of how we do so. If you have any questions about laser therapy for pets or if it’s right for your beloved pet, don’t hesitate to contact us. We would love to help.