Laser therapy is extensively used by the vets for home pets, competition and stock animals. Laser devices are portable and easily applied at home and clinics. Treatment is well-received by animals, and excellent results can be achieved in the variety of acute and chronic ailments.
Laser therapy proven to be especially effective in anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving and healing. Added to its non-invasive drug-free nature, it opens a host of potential applications and few contraindications. It is also usable over pins and plates so excellent for post-op healing and an aid to bone repair.
There are well over 1000 laser therapy animal studies (most using Class 3B lasers). Much of the animal research is experimental, informing treatment protocols which are then refined by practical experience.
For small pets
How laser can help 
Laser therapy within small animal practices has a wide range of useful applications. Whether it's reducing inflammation in joints, bringing chronic non-healing wounds to resolution or optimising recovery in acute cases of injury to skin, muscle, tendon or ligament, the treatment is quick and the benefits of low level laser rapidly become obvious.
It is an excellent tool for post-surgical healing. Usable over pins and plates with research showing its positive effects on the re-growth of both bone and nerve as well as soft tissue.
Non-invasive, drug-free and affording pain relief, laser therapy is well-accepted by patients. Animals often visibly relax during treatment - a result of both reduced pain through nociceptor modulation and the therapy's demonstrated ability to increase endorphin release. This combination is particularly effective for tackling anxiety related behaviours such as lick granuloma and feather plucking.
Laser is also used for trigger point stimulation and laser acupuncture offering an effective alternative to needling and making acupuncture a practical option in this field.
Equine
Taking Laser to the Field
Thanks in part to the many equine therapists working alongside veterinary practices, the benefits of laser therapy are no longer exclusive to top racing yards and competition stables which particularly value the shorter lay-off recovery times from optimised healing.The therapy can be used in conjunction with conventional veterinary practices, or effectively alongside other complementary therapies and being drug-free it is uniquely helpful where the use of drugs are contraindicated, where an animal is drug-resistant or indeed during competition events when it remains safe, effective and legal.
Quick, painless and non-invasive, laser can achieve excellent results, particularly in pain-relief, wound healing and soft-tissue repair, both acute or chronic. In fact, the generic nature of the physiological effects, which have been extensively researched, means that laser therapy is successfully used in the treatment of a wide range of conditions including the examples below.
Laser is also able to stimulate acupuncture and trigger points without the use of needles enabling trigger point work and laser acupuncture for non-veterinary animal acupuncturists.
How Laser Therapy Helps
Laser therapy optimises healing for shorter lay-off recovery times from a range of conditions and injuries. Quick, painless and non-invasive, low level laser therapy can deliver remarkable results in pain-relief, wound healing and soft-tissue repair. Both acute and chronic conditions can be treated effectively with rapid healing of good tissue quality with limited scarring.
Low level laser treatment optimises natural healing by modulating relevant cell activity with light of controlled wavelengths and energy density. There is a wealth of research on the physiological effects of low level laser therapy using Class 3B lasers and we receive particularly good feedback on the treatment of horses.
The anti-inflammatory effects of laser are often relied upon when drugs are contra-indicated but increasingly the value of considering laser first is becoming apparent to more practitioners. With laser, inflammation is reduced as part of the optimised natural healing process so it addresses the problem rather than the symptoms as NSAIDs tend to do. From muscle spasms and bowed tendons to mud fever and capped hock there is a laser therapy protocol to help.