Bringing home a dog needs extra commitment, effort, and money. You want your pets to live the best quality of life possible as they can. When they feel pain, relieving it and making them comfortable is what matters most than anything else.
Laser therapy is a vet procedure, surprisingly getting popular these days since vet experts found its advantages in recent years. However, take note that your vet plays a vital role in every procedure your dog goes through. Make sure that they’re highly trained, like Miller Clark Animal Hospital. Visit them here to know more about their comprehensive care services.
So, how does laser therapy help improve your pets’ health?
What Is Laser Therapy for Dogs?
LASER is actually an acronym, which means light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. Laser therapy is a non-invasive, non-toxic, non-pollutant medical treatment that uses a strong light beam to burn, cut, or destroy tissues. Also referred to as “cold laser therapy,” both humans and animals can benefit from this procedure to treat and manage multiple diseases.
Experts studied and identified its mechanisms of action as an effective remedy for reducing pain and inflammation and healing of tissues. Unlike other surgical lasers that use higher frequencies to penetrate and reach deeper tissues, laser therapy doesn’t require vet surgeons to cut into your dogs. Instead, they simply shine a low-frequency laser beam over the skin or fur’s surface to treat the tissue underneath. Learn more about pet laser therapy here.
Benefits of Laser Therapy for Dogs
Each laser treatment increases circulation, drawing oxygen, water, and nutrients to the damaged area. Studies found these benefits of laser therapy for dogs:
- Decreases pain (acute and chronic)
- Helps reduce inflammation
- Helps promote muscle regeneration
- Improves circulation
- Accelerates wound healing
- Helps manage other conditions (tendon and ligament injuries, edema, lick granulomas, canine mammary tumors, osteoarthritis, otitis, dermatitis, decubital ulcers)
What to Expect on a Dog’s Laser Therapy?
Depending on your dog’s condition, they may need more sessions than the others. For example, arthritis sessions take longer that may last for about five minutes per joint, while wound healing or management takes a shorter period, at one minute to three minutes. Many arthritis patients may start from one or two sessions per week for a month then can visit the vet as needed in the following months.
Since laser therapy is non-invasive, dog owners should not worry about side effects. In fact, there is no associated pain with the procedure, and dogs often relax during the process. In some cases, they may fall asleep during their sessions.
For senior dogs, consider taking them to the vet for laser therapy if they start showing these behaviors:
- Abnormal sitting or lying posture
- Restlessness
- Difficulty getting into car or downstairs
- Whining, groaning, or other vocalizations
- Limping or unable to get up or lie down
- Circling multiple times before lying down
- Lack of grooming
- Won’t wag their tail
- Licking or biting area
- Lack of appetite
- Trembling
Choosing the Right Vet Clinic for Your Dog
Not all vet clinics offer laser treatment, but only equipped ones like Miller Clark Animal Hospital. Ask your family and friends for recommendations. Online is also an excellent place to find a reputable vet clinic but make sure to ask for licenses and read testimonials and reviews from their previous clients.
Since different pets and owners have different needs, consider visiting a few of your picks and observing if the facility is clean. Ask if they have veterinary surgical specialists, their other services, office hours, and how they cover emergencies. Veterinarians are like other people with various personalities, so find out if their attitude and philosophy match yours.
