Canine Cruciate Injury helped with LLLT

I’ve always been fascinated with the way cold laser works so effectively on animals. In some instances much better and faster than in humans. More than likely it’s down to their diet, exercise and the lack of stress in their lives.

Anyway, here’s an encouraging case study about a 6 ½ year old Doberman, Dexter.

Mary Chase Hopkins, a laser therapist from London was approached by a colleague requesting treatment for her dog. Here she picks up the story.

Their 6 ½ year old Doberman, Dexter, had just been diagnosed with a cruciate ligament injury and was in pain and unable to put any weight on his right rear leg. The vet had suggested surgery to insert a plate and pins which after 5 months recuperation should give him back around 80% of his mobility. They weren’t happy with that and in searching for other options discovered cold laser and contacted me.

After the first session, Dexter had an immediate healing reaction, with some increased swelling, heat and tenderness. This ‘inflammatory response’ is a normal reaction when stimulating the body’s healing processes. A week later I saw Dexter for his second treatment and observed that his gait was noticeably easier and his owner said that he had been sleeping easier, too.

Yolanda, Dexter’s owner, is also a health professional and decided to invest in a cold laser herself. She continued his treatment periodically and is happy to report that after 5 months Dexter is fully recovered, with 100% mobility. He’s back playing and chasing squirrels and is himself again.

Yolanda says: "I’m certain that the cold laser treatment made a significant contribution to his recovery and am very grateful to Mary for introducing us to this life-saving therapy."

There are a number of veterinary surgeries who now regularly use cold laser to treat animals. It is particularly widely used within the equine community. However, many remain sceptical or ignorant of this modality. The UK Institute for Therapeutic Laser exists to raise awareness of the benefits of cold laser both in the human and animal healing fields.