Laser therapy...post surgical

[campn4walleye]

Today Duncan had his knee surgery. Before we left, the vet handed us info regarding laser therapy. He didn't say we should do it, he just said to think about it.

I contacted our usual vet and they are not familiar with it. They have heard of it but are of the opinion that larger facilities are not using it. They wonder why small facilities are. Is this valid treatment or just a fad for $$?

Has anyone had experience with this? Dr Doug...do have an opinion?


On another note, we got Duncan a thunder shirt. I thought it might keep a bit more calm during his recovery. Not to wear full time, but at times when he might get agitated. Do you think this might help? I really worry about his pain level.

Thanks for any input.

[campn4walleye]

We picked up Duncan today and he's a trooper! He's already toe touching but we are keeping him off it unless he's going potty. He has a fentanyl patch on for the next 5 days to help control the pain. Also in 5 days he starts rehab exercises. I hope I'm up to it.

The vet is still educating the clinic on the laser therapy. He routinely does it as an included part of the ACL pkg but has not used it on luxation surgeries. He said that in Duncan's case it's too late to do the post surgical portion but he would start treatments when he gets his stitches out in 10 days. He was surprised that Duncan has no arthritis or tibial rotation considering the length of time it's been out of place. His ACL patients seem to recover quicker with less pain with laser treatment. He is now considering adding a pkg into his luxation care as well.

Thank you so much for your well wishes and good thoughts.

[xteacher]

A lot of the vets in my area (ATL) offer this therapy, although I've never tried it on any of my dogs (too expensive for my budget). A lot of people swear by it.

[Murphsmom]

If you have access to a certified veterinary rehab specialist, I can certainly recommend that for Duncan. We did eight weeks of rehab along with some laser when Murphy was recovering from his total hip replacement following a rear leg amputation (he was hit by a car two and a half years ago). It was amazing how well he did with it.

[campn4walleye]

I've been reading everything I could find. There sounds to be many positives and no negatives. I HAVE to try the treatment. He does have a bit of arthritis but it's the post op healing/recovery we want to initiate.

My job is to make his life comfortable and loved.

On a side note, I read a couple of reviews of this vet. He got one poor review because he kept a dog over night and charged quite a bit.

In my opinion of him so far: excellent! He doesn't treat Duncan as just a number. He looks in his eyes and cares about his feelings. (Our vet doesn't do that)! This vet gives me a good feeling. I like him.

[kmbernstein]

Laser therapy has been around for years. It was originally for humans, in rehab especially, but, as is typical for human medicine, it fell out of favor. When I had my knee replaced in 2010, they did not have it at the rehab facility. After rehab, I would go back to the office and laser my knee. It did help with inflammation and swelling. Therapist was really impressed. By the time I had my other knee replaced in 2011, the rehab facility was again using a therapeutic laser. My insurance did pay for it. On the canine front, I have personally used a laser on dogs (and cats) for over a decade, in specialty practices of surgery, pain management and rehabilitation. I have seen major positive results, both with chronic and acute pain. I have uses it on my dog often. If you can do it, even a couple of times, I think it would be very beneficial. Many smaller practices in our area have seen the benefits from the specialty practices and are following suit. I know of a large number of larger facilities that have used it for some time, so I am unsure why your vet made the comments they did. It could just be your specific area. It is definitely not a fad. Most clinics do have packages to help keep the cost down.

[Randu]

Our yellow lab had both rear knees worked on for torn meniscus and arthritis in 2013 when she was 11. She was having hard time getting up and walking last fall (2014 and 12 years old) and we did the laser treatments. $175.00 for 6 treatments of 20 minutes per leg back in September and we seen improvement after the 2nd treatment. Did 1 maintenance treatment every 3 weeks @15.00 each until December when she turned 13 and was doing very well. Got to end of February she was having issues again. This time vet went with Tramadol and Metacam. Dog improved again and is doing ok for her age on the medicine and is actually wandering the yard more. Spring and warmer temperatures may also have something to do with the improvement.

My take away is that the laser worked but maybe should have continued more of the 3 week treatments. Might have had better results after surgery or on younger dog. Any option that is not drugs is worth looking into. I think age and arthritis worked against us. Randu

[Nutinelse2do]

On a non canine note... Laser therapy has been used in European Countries, and by Olympic, and very highly paid athletes in the US for many years. It is not paid for on humans because it is considered " an experimental procedure " here by insurance Companies.

I have a bum shoulder and was told I need major surgery to fix it. Along with the shoulder, the problem was making all the muscles in my neck on the right side very sore, to the point where I couldn't turn my head at all. I had the LLLT done once, and it completely healed my neck muscle within days.

After my hand surgery, my Dr recommended I have it done on my hand also.

The new thing now for the rich and famous is the Stem Cell injections which range in the neighborhood of $5k per injection.

Read here about the laser. Laser Therapy For CaninesThere are several different kinds. Talk to your vet to see which one he ( she ) recommends.

If money is not an option, I would definitely have it done on your pup. Usually they will do package deals to bring it down to $35-$50 a session.

[campn4walleye]

Thanks so much for the quick reply. We pick up our baby tomorrow and I'm trying to be informed so that I can make an educated decision. It sounds like it would be an on-going therapy for a few weeks.

[dturm]

Dr. Hall got a therapeutic laser after I retired. I went to the training sessions and have used it on my mildly arthritic hand and got some relief. The theory behind it is sound and could help speed healing and moderate pain and inflammation.

This is a new therapy mode that is basically a medical device that is regulated differently than many medical procedures and medicines, therefore it is looked on by established medicine as yet to be proven.

It's not just a money making scheme, but whether the benefits are worth the costs is still a little bit of an unknown.

Doug, DVM