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As a veterinarian, who cares primarily for companion pets like dogs and cats, diagnosing and assessing the patient’s health condition is essential to healing. This next step is what the pet owner cares most about and that is to answer the questions – “what does this diagnosis mean? and what do you recommend we do?”

My recommendations and plans for treatment often include medication and when necessary surgery. In some painful conditions, for example with arthritic aging patients -dogs or cats, multiple medications may be utilized along with other recommendations like weight loss and exercise to alleviate the animals discomfort and improve their quality of life. With or without surgery this approach to using a series or combination of recommendations – medications and therapies is known as a ‘multi-modal’ approach to healing and pain management. This approach is beneficial because we can often lower the dose (and lower the risk of side effects) by not being overly dependent on one drug or another.

One therapy which in the past 10 years has become an often used and in many cases essential addition to our multimodal healing and patient care plans is the use of near infrared laser light. The use of light at specific wavelengths in medical therapy is known as Photobiomodulation. All veterinary patients (not just dogs and cats) including zoo animals, horses, pet birds and reptiles as well can and do benefit from the power of laser light therapy.

Photobiomodulation is the word used to describe the therapeutic use of specific wavelengths of light to aid body tissues in the processes of pain reduction, improving blood flow, fighting infections, and in general overall healing and return to more normal functions. For over 50 years laser light has been researched and used in human and veterinary medicine. Human and animal cells all have the ability to absorb light energy and use that light for ‘fuel’ or energy to foster the function and activity of those cells. Immune system cells use the light energy to work faster and more efficiently to fight infections. Wounded skin and blood vessel cells use the light to ‘knit’ damaged tissue back together faster. The body wants to be healed and healthy so when given energy in the form of laser light both animal and human tissue will use that light to reduce pain, improve blood flow, and heal wounds. Healthy tissue is unaffected-unharmed in any way. This is why Photobiomodulation has become such a valued addition to veterinary patient care.

To learn more about Photobiomodulation therapy and learn if it could benefit your pet contact our office in Elkland, PA by calling 814-258-5719 or email us at info@pvvc.net.

On our next broadcast of Creature Care we will talk about Regenerative Therapy- using laser light together with the patient’s own platelets and stem cells to help and heal.