Shaffer Veterinary Services provides extensive laser therapy services for your pets in Crowley, Texas. Laser therapy provides a non-invasive, pain-free, surgery-free, drug-free treatment which is used to treat a variety of conditions and can be performed in conjunction with existing treatment protocols at our Crowley Veterinary Hospital. It is often recommended and can be used alongside both conventional western therapies and acupuncture and traditional Chinese veterinary medicine (TCVM).

Relief and/or improvement can be noticed within hours or can take a few sessions depending on the condition and your pet’s response. Whether your pet is rehabilitating from trauma or injury, healing from wounds, or simply aging, your companion can benefit from this innovative approach to treating pain. Schedule your appointment with Dr. Shaffer to see if laser therapy could be right for your pet.

Indications for Laser Therapy

Because of its potent local anti-inflammatory and pain relieving effects, like acupuncture, laser therapy is most often used for pain management, specifically chronic pain management and arthritis. There are many other clinical applications for laser therapy including the treatment of soft tissue injuries and skin and ear problems. Quite simply, patients who suffer from any combination of pain, inflammation, or slow-healing wounds benefit from laser therapy. The laser can also be used to stimulate acupuncture and trigger points without using a needle. Because of the stimulation of cell growth and regeneration, laser therapy should not be used to treat cancer.

Laser Therapy Can:

• Treat chronic pain conditions including arthritis, degenerative joint disease, hip dysplasia, and elbow dysplasia
• Help decrease or eliminate pain medications that are not being well-tolerated (for instance causing elevations in liver enzymes)
• Promote quality of life by:
  • Providing pain relief
  • Increasing mobility
  • Increasing muscle tone, strength, and endurance
• Treat soft tissue injuries including sprains, strains, and stiffness
• Help reduce inflammation in most inflammatory conditions including IBD, cystitis, rhinitis, and pancreatitis
• Improve performance in working or performance animals by treating exercise induced soreness
• Relieve post-surgery pain (soft tissue and orthopedic), treat inflammation and bruising, help with rehabilitation as part of a physical therapy plan
• Help treat skin problems including hot spots, lick granulomas and infections
• Help treat chronic ear problems including chronic ear infections
• Be used to stimulate acupuncture points (Laser Acupuncture)
• Help accelerate wound healing and reduce scar tissue formation
• Provide palliative care by providing pain relief
• Provide an additional treatment option for patients whose caretakers elect not to pursue western therapies for any reason

Conditions that Laser Therapy can Help to Address:

• Musculoskeletal problems: chronic pain, muscle soreness, back pain, intervertebral disk disease, osteoarthritis, ligamentous injuries, tendonitis, bursitis, sprains, strains, other soft tissue injuries, degenerative joint disease, arthritis, Cruciate tears (Non-surgical, Partial or Post-Op), hip and elbow dysplasia, fractures, hygroma
• Post-Surgical: after soft tissue and orthopedic procedures for pain, bruising, inflammation and accelerated healing and as part of a rehabilitation and physical therapy program
• Neurological disorders: paresis, hind-end weakness, paralysis, nerve injuries
• Gastrointestinal disorders: inflammatory bowel disease, gastric ulcers, constipation, pancreatitis
• Respiratory disorders: rhinitis, sinusitis, tracheobronchitis, feline asthma
• Dermatologic conditions and wound care: atopy, allergic dermatitis, chronic itching/pruritis, chronic recurrent skin infections, feline acne, abscesses, lick granulomas/dermatitis, hot spots, acute and chronic otitis, aural hematomas, bruising, burns, anal sacculitis
• Dental conditions: gingivitis, stomatitis, post-extraction healing
• Urogenital conditions: cystitis, nephritis, feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD)
• Palliative Care: pain relief

Laser Therapy and its Effects on the Body

Laser therapy works by stimulating the body to heal from within. Non-thermal photons of light are administered to the body for about 3 to 8 minutes and absorbed by the injured cells. The cells are then stimulated and respond with a higher rate of metabolism. This results in relief from pain, increased circulation, reduced inflammation, and an acceleration of the healing process.

Numerous studies show that laser therapy has the following physiological effects on the body:

• Pain Relief
• Anti-inflammatory effect
• Accelerated tissue repair and cell growth
• Immune regulation
• Improved circulation and blood flow
• Improved nerve function
• Reduction in scar tissue formation
• Faster wound healing

Laser Safety

Laser therapy is a safe, non-invasive treatment modality that alleviates pain and inflammation. Our staff have training and certificates from the American Institute of Medical Laser Applications (AIMLA). While extremely safe, our laser does pose a risk to unprotected eyes, so we will provide protective eye wear for everyone in the room, including you and your pet.

We provide the glasses for you and “doggles” for your pet and we bet you’ll want to take some pictures! If your pet will not tolerate the “doggles”, Dr. Shaffer can protect their eyes with a towel.