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To Vet
Novations:
At the Mono
Veterinary Clinic , we have had the RJ
Therapeutic Laser for about 7 months. It is easy to use, just select
your
preset and point and shoot. We are able to tell if there is too much
energy as
the patient begins to fidget, so we simply adjust the settings. The RJ
Therapeutic Laser does have a customizable preset menu, which will
probably
utilize more based on our experience with the treatment.
Currently we
use the therapeutic laser regularly on
stifle injuries. We treat the area 3 times per week until the dog is
about 90%
sound, then we treat 2 times per week until completely healed.
Follow-up
treatment protocols are currently treat when necessary, so at the first
sight
of an issue, the owners come back for a ‘touch-up’
treatment (normally once or
twice per month). We have used the same protocols for other
degenerative
arthropathies (elbow hip).
Our treatments
are priced at $20 per treatment area,
therefore, both stifles would be $40. Even with this low pricing model,
the
therapeutic laser has been a good new source of revenue for our clinic.
For our
treatments, we tend to use mostly the acute
treatment times (5min) which are shorter, and rarely use the chronic
treatment
times. If there is no response to a treatment we go up a level at the
next
treatment, if the patient seems uncomfortable during treatment we
scale
it back. We always advise owners to monitor their pet after a treatment
so that
we can fine tune the procedure. Sometimes less energy/power is better,
so we
are not encouraging pain!
Using the UV
probe, we have had great success with
treating hot spots. Two treatments in 24 hour period and then we
monitor the
condition. The same success has been seen on a perivulvar dermatitis.
If,
however, the skin lesions are extensive we tend to suggest antibiotics
in
combination with laser for faster results. We also tried it on lick
granuloma
(one month old) on a treatment protocol of 3 treatments at 4-5 day
interval
with complete healing of the area and elimination of the behavior.
There are some
other conditions such as anal
furunculosis and otitis where we have not had significant results,
although
other clinics have had some success with treating these conditions with
therapeutic laser. We are still learning about how to use the
therapeutic laser
effectively and will continue to educate ourselves on utilizing the
most
effective treatment protocols for each specific condition.
The animals we
treat are all very cooperative; they
are very relaxed while being treated. At first they may be a little
anxious but
then quickly settle during the treatment. Five minutes may seem like a
long time
during the treatment, but it is a great chance to visit the client and
get a
better picture of what really goes on at home!
Dr. Gundrun
Thomas
Mono
Veterinary Clinic
Orangeville, ON
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