Not Just Any Laser Therapy Device
Dr Natalka Kohut, owner of Natural Stride is part of an expanding band of Veterinary Biomechanical Professional therapists to chose our Vets1laser therapy machine to add photobiomodulation therapy to patient treatment options. Dr Kohut’s stand-out committment to provide safe and effective therapy options is wonderful news for veterinary patients in Belmont, Victoria.
We are delighted to count Dr Joanna Schirrman, owner of ‘Animals In Motion’ as one of our new Vets1laser customers. Dr Joanna is a very experienced & passionate multi-talented veterinarian who now offers photobiomodulation/medical laser therapy to her patients.
Our heartfelt thanks to Dr Shane Sullivan of Vet Stars Ingleburn NSW for taking the time to submit a product review to Vet Practice about our Vets1Laser therapy machine. As Vets ourselves and as a family owned business, we are very respectful of all our colleagues’ time so this review and the personal time Dr Shane set aside to organise this submission is deeply deeply appreciated by us.
Click HERE to read the Review
Drs Aine and Mark
A Big shout out to all at the August Biomechanical Practitioners’ Refresher Course 2024. Our vet team had a great time speaking with all the dedicated attendees.
Dr Aine was also very grateful for the attention and support given at what was her first full length formal Conference lecture. It was wonderful (and a relief!) to experience so many science brains engaged and buzzing both during and after the lecture.
If you did attend the Biomechanics Conference, we will be sending Dr Kate a copy of our Vets1laser Spring Newsletter so that answers to additional questions asked after the lecture can also be shared with the attendees.
Again, many thanks for a great day out.
Drs Aine and Mark
We are honoured that yet again our Veterinary Colleagues, this time the amazing team at Wauchope Veterinary Clinic, have chosen to switch to our Vets1laser laser therapy machine to continue on their veterinary medical laser journey. Wauchope Vet Clinic’s dedicated staff will now be able to add another point of difference-in this instance Laser/PBM therapy-to the already excellent care and range of services they provide to companion animals in the Wauchope/Port Macquarie area.
A huge thanks to all the amazing team, led by Simon and Dr Katie, at Sugarloaf Animal Hospital, West Wallsend of their time and collegiality during our training and installation on Wednesday. It was lovely to deliver a training lecture amongst such an engaged, curious and committed Veterinary team. We look forward to hearing of some wonderful treatment outcomes using the Vets1laser. Thanks to the dedication of this caring Sugarloaf Vet team, Companion and Pocket Pet owners of the West Wallsend and Newcastle area are able to easily access the opportunity to add in a new safe, drug-free, medical therapy to assist their beloved pet on the road to recovery from any illness, great or small.
A big welcome to the amazing Dr Mae Hingee of ‘Hoppy Housecalls’ Canberra, who has chosen our Vets1laser medical therapy machine with which to continue her photobiomodulation journey. We are delighted to have such a knowledgeable and dedicated vet as Dr Mae chose our Vets1laser company for her medical Laser/PBM therapy needs. The rabbit owners of Canberra are indeed very lucky to have such a dedicated rabbit Vet amongst them and will no doubt soon see firsthand, the wonderful drug-free medical benefits that Dr Hingee’s therapy machine will deliver for their own pets.
What happens when the animal patient won’t tolerate the safety googles or are just too tiny for even the cat googles?
Covering their eyes with your hand is not a valid Plan B as depending on the power used, enough light to damage their eyes can still pass through your hand.
Dr Aine has done some experiments with safety physicists to narrow down what common materials might be used to reduce the ocular risk to the veterinary patient. The results of that work will be available next week to our Vets1laser clients on our website in the library section under Treatment Tips so make sure to look out for the new treatment tip post.
GLOPP or Geriatric Onset Laryngeal Paralysis Polyneuropathy is a distressing and progressive disease which does however respond to rehabilitation interventions. Laser/PBM therapy is an ideal rehab adjunct treatment. PBMt will reduce inflammation, swelling and promote tissue repair, analgesia and improve muscle function.
A Warm Welcome and Congratulations.
Welcome to our newest Vets1Laser users : Bomaderry Veterinary Hospital & Four Paws Rebab Centre. The dedicated Veterinary and Rehab Centre staff offer an extra-ordinary range of veterinary services for their local area. We were delighted and honoured when their team, already seasoned laser therapists, chose our Vets1laser machines to facilitate their team’s onward journey with all things veterinary laser/pbmt
Congratulations also to Dr David for celebrating his 2nd anniversary of using our Vets1laser machine at his own practice, by purchasing an additional machine to deal with the increased demand from his successful implementation of Laser/PBM therapy into his veterinary practice
When it comes to Laser/pbm therapy-All That Glitters is Not Good.
Top marks to the team at waterwalkies and their detailed commitment to creating a Laser Safety Zone for their treatment sessions. It has been a joy to train this team of focused professionals to implement laser/pbm therapy into their treatment sessions. You don’t have to know much about laser safety to see the quantum safety differences in waterwalkies setup compared to so many other laser therapy images posted on various social media. https://lnkd.in/dPUvXcrm
Yes, there is an Optimal Time: Mornings.
However, that doesn’t mean that Laser/PBM therapy sessions scheduled for other times of the day won’t work. You will get efficacy from PBM applied any time of the day so continue to schedule appointment times as it suits you and the client.
However, if you have the luxury of booking treatment sessions in a Morning slot, then do so in preference for two particular reasons.
1)Morning sessions are preferred if this is the First time the animal is having laser. This is simply so as to have the full working day to find out if this particular patient gets a strong ergogenic response to the treatment.
If so then that animal will be a bundle of energy and sleep will be the last thing on their mind. This means the pet and the owner might very well have a sleepless night if the pet decides come bedtime, that it is still time to play and play and not sleep.
Therefore on the occasions that you can’t schedule a morning appointment, be sure to cheerfully alert the client that the pet could be active for longer than normal. Most clients if prewarned are then fine if they are up all night with a super active happy pet.
This ergogenic effect doesn’t always occur, some animals in fact are the opposite and want to sleep around the clock. Again clients should be pre-warned that this can happen so that they don’t panic after hours at a pet who just wants to stay curled up in bed after a laser treatment.
2) Mitochondria are ‘Morning’ Workers.
Mitochondria are the main targets for Red-NIR wavelengths so it makes sense to treat when the target is most responsive. Some studies indicate that early morning, or at a minimum within 8 hours of awakening, is the time when mitochondria have spare capacity and are most sensitive to having improvements in the function of cytochrome C complex and ATP production.
At the start of the day, ATP levels are high which results in a homeostatic reduction in complex activity as demand is low, with mitochondria only needed to top up the system which has not been drained by previous activity. Later when respiration increases, complex activity is elevated as ATP levels declined due to consumption. Mitochondria later in the day have reduced spare capacity to respond as daily activity has increased their workload.
So where possible-Choose Morning Treatment Times.
Spare the Scapel & the Scar. Instead, Leave it to Laser/PBM to atraumatically resolve those tricky presentations that are normally slow to respond to traditional treatments. The case attached is from before and post 6 Laser/PBM treatment sessions.
Our thanks to Dr Shane Sullivan for the use of these images.
Our current advice is to wait 8-10 days after the last PBM therapy session before running a glucose curve test.PBM can have beneficial and stabilizing effects on blood glucose levels-which is wonderful news especially as hypoglycemia was not a risk. However, the effect of the stabilization could interfere with the accuracy of a Glucose Curve blood test interpretation for up to 7 days after a laser therapy session.
We therefore advise, where possible, to wait 8-10 days.
If this is not possible, then remember to factor in any interference that a PBM therapy session might have had on your blood draw results
Thyroid Testing & PMBT.
When it comes to the harvesting of a Thyroid Blood Screening Test, make sure you are aware of ALL the interfering factors that can give you a non-representative result for that patient. One of those factors may well be the concurrent use of PBMT in the days peri-harvesting the blood screen.
Photobiomodulation/Class 4 lasers can have impacts on a diseased thyroid gland. Whilst we have been taught to avoid the actual thyroid gland itself as one of the normal rules of laser/PBM therapy; more recent articles now suggest that PBMT does not cause morphological changes on the healthy thyroid gland.
However, in the diseased* thyroid gland, PBM therapy can have an actual beneficial effect. In one study in humans, the use of PBMT caused a reduction in the daily dose of thyroid medication. Given that PBMT targets and modulates inflammation and given so many thyroidal diseases are inflammatory or immune-mediated in nature, it makes sense that PBMT would be of benefit, not of detriment, for many of these presentations.
However, the curve ball is that if your patient is on PBM therapy for any reason; be alert that the therapy could alter serum thyroid levels enough that a marginal hypothyroid case might be masked.
If you do run a thyroid screen test, factor in any interference in your serum blood level result.
*Clarification: Never use the laser anywhere near any neoplastic lesion especially if it is a tumour in the thyroid gland i.e. cats.
Dairy Vets: Did you know that Laser/PBM therapy attenuates Mastitis and hence beautifully compliments the Global Drive to restore mammary health in Food Production Animals without the use of antibiotics? Previous publications showed that PBMT aided restoration of mammary health without the need to recourse to antibiotic use. PBMT lowered the incidence of subclinical mastitis.
PBMT also aids in preventing an increase in the size of teat hyperkeratosis lesions in cows.
In Lab animals, PBMT reduced polymorphonuclear cells in the mammary alveolus and reduced myeloperoxidase activity, which is a marker for mastitis.
A 2024 paper on Bovine sub-clinical mastitis, reported a decrease in the bacteria count, no changes in the milk composition, and all without generating residues in the milk.
The benefits to the animal are a reduction in pain by an increase both in blood supply and lymphatic drainage, a reduction in oedema, and an increased milk let-down.
The important benefit of this tool in the management of mastitis for the farmer is that one avoids the bad economics of long withdrawal times and unavoidable culling.
The reduction in the Somatic Cell Count and improved milk quality is of economic benefit to farmers both in an immediate sense regarding sustained high-quality milk sales etc but also on the potential future sale value of the progeny of animals coming from a persistently low SCC herd.
PBMT is also used as an adjunct treatment for hoof ailments and general skin lesions etc
If you are interested in attenuating the pain and loss of production by using a gentle, but powerful treatment, that additionally has Zero withholding times, contact our Vets at Vets1laser to discuss your interest.
Laser Spotlight on Hot-spots/Pyotraumatic /Acute Moist Dermatitis.
Image courtesy of Dr Amy Schnedeker.
The opinions expressed here below are solely those of Vets1laser.com and not attributable to any other individual.
The ever-increasing emphasis on the need to minimize antibiotics use to guard against disturbance of the balance of the skin microbiome-let alone with the global class actions now being brought against manufacturers of certain classes of antimicrobials for humans- means owners are becoming far less likely to comply with administering any antibiotics to their pets. Therefore, we as vets need to do as much as we can initially with these cases in the clinic so as to set the owner and the pet up for success at home.
I am always a big believer in good old-fashioned ‘elbow-grease’: of getting in and shaving and debriding and cleaning up these ‘hot-spot’ areas before starting any pharmacy. Too many dogs present as repeat sufferers that had no prevention nor proper decontamination done on earlier episodes, leaving their owners expecting their pet would go home on some heavy-duty medications for a protracted period. Not surprising, when the previous treatment focus had been solely on pharmacy.
In addition to the gentle debridement, given more and more Companion Pet Clinics now having Class 4 lasers in their treatment rooms, time to consider using this therapy machine on these skin presentations.
Use the ‘Off-Contact approach’ but don’t just treat the ‘angry’ area. Additionally, treat the peripheral tissue to assist in resolution of inflammation. Treating beyond the lesion boundaries decreases the levels of inflammatory tissue markers swamping the lesion and helps prevent the local nociceptors from firing furiously; which would then have only worsened both the self-inflected trauma and the overall visual presentation.
I was having this discussion with a very eminent respected Emeritus professor of Dermatology who quite correctly made the additional valid point of needing with Golden Ret breeds (GRB)to ‘remember that the AMD in the golden retriever, particularly on the face/neck/head, may not be pyotraumatic but rather a manifestation of superficial bacterial pyoderma. This is a very valid point about specific breeds and the bacterial aspect as some presentations may or may not need antibiosis.
However, it is precisely because of the bacterial component of the disease complex that makes me even more determined to encourage vets who have Red/NIR wavelength machines, regardless of the maker or brand, to expand the vet’s mindset to start using their Class 4 laser machines on cases like Hot spots, etc. not just on pain and joint issues.
It’s important to remember that different wavelengths have different effects on bacteria, viruses, etc. Some wavelengths will indiscriminately sterilize the entire treatment area; a result that one doesn’t always desire. Class 4 Red /NIR machines don’t sterilize a site, these wavelengths don’t directly kill bacteria as the main target is mitochondria, which bacteria don’t contain. Therefore, one is less concerned about wiping out the microbiome with these wavelengths, whilst still getting an antibacterial effect due to improved intrinsic signaling.
In applying Laser/PBMT to these presentations, dependance on the client’s home compliance effort is reduced, the treatment will assist with a reduction in pain and self-trauma and hence a speedier recovery for the patient, so a win-win for all.
The more presentations that are highlighted as valid for non-drug treatment options, the more we can move away from blanket destruction of the microbiome by polypharmacy and instead, support the body to recalibrate the issue back to a healthier balance.
PBMT won’t replace antibiotic therapy where it is needed, but it will eliminate a host of cases where antibiotics might have been unnecessarily dispensed.
The on-contact technique does not mean you need to ‘dent’ the patient with the pressure you apply.
We have personally applied 1000s of laser sessions to pets with the Vets1laser heads shown, all with tremendous overall success and yet have never ever needed to apply more than the lightest of contact to achieve treatment success.
PBMT is a photochemical process, it is not a physical massage and it is not a physically uncomfortable therapy.
The technique is done at a specific rate: not super fast and not hovering over the one site. If you have not been taught about speed, direction and grid lines, then ask your own laser company to improve their training to you.
If your patients are resenting the laser when you are using it, then most likely it is operator technique i.e You that is at fault.
Too often we see these sad videos of laser headpieces- from a variety of laser companies being applied to the pet’s body with what amounts to brute force.
To apply laser, one is not ploughing through the animal’s muscles making deep furrows.
Aside from the fact the animal is not an equal player in such a process, unable to call stop if the force applied is too great-there is simply no need for such force to be applied through the end of a good laser therapy head.
If you do have to apply such force for your laser machine head, rethink what you are using.
As like most situations in Vet Med; Its Rarely about Brute Force and Always about Technique
To see an example gentle low stress on contact technique-watch Dr Mark in this video :https://vimeo.com/435250700?share=copy
To see a correct off-contact technique, see Part 1 of our ‘Glide’ Blog Posts