Very active dogs may benefit from cold laser treatment.
Cold laser treatment, providing activity-related pain relief and speeding healing in working animals like horses and sled dogs, has proven effective enough that it's also used in less-active dogs and cats. Cold laser therapy enhances both traditional and alternative canine medical treatments.
History
Introduced in 1960 and tested throughout the 1970s, cold or low-level lasers first treated wounds. The more sophisticated technology of the 1990s made cold laser treatment useful for other conditions.
Uses
Cold lasers most commonly treat canine arthritis, strained or sprained muscles and ligaments, and other muscle or skeletal injuries, according to Integrative Pet Care.
How It Works
Cold laser therapy targets tissues on and beneath the skin with red or infrared beams of concentrated light. These low-level lasers stimulate collagen production and repair damaged blood vessels, to speed healing and create stronger new tissue.
Other Benefits
Exposure to the cold laser beams will increase your dog's production of endorphins, his body's natural pain-relieving hormones. This might allow you to decrease his other pain medication.
Warning
Dogs that are pregnant or suffering from malignant tumors aren't acceptable candidates for cold laser treatment. The treatment stimulates growth of all cells it reaches, including fetal and cancerous ones.
Tags: laser treatment, cold laser treatment, Cold laser therapy, laser therapy, low-level lasers