AN EXCITING NEW TREATMENT – MULTIRADIANCE LASER THERAPY

At Kingsley Vet Hospital we are always looking for better and more effective treatments for our patients. From new and improved surgeries and equipment to the latest drugs and foods, we are always open to different therapies provided there is sound scientific evidence supporting them. Our mission is to do whatever we can to improve the health and lives of our patients and to work closely with their owners to achieve this goal.

Multi-radiance laser therapy is a therapy that we have recently investigated, and have purchased two laser handpieces as a result. There are a number of conditions that can be treated with laser therapy, as outlined by the attached flyer. Laser therapy is a useful adjunct to more traditional treatments, especially in more chronic conditions like arthritis, which are often not satisfactorily managed by western medicine alone. As vets, we feel particularly frustrated by the lack of really effective treatments for these chronic conditions, and we are very interested in any therapies that can help relieve the pain of sufferers.    

What is laser treatment?

L.A.S.E.R. (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) is a name for a type of intense radiation of the light spectrum. A laser is a beam of light in which high energies can be concentrated. Laser light has unique physical properties, which other types of light do not have. These are coherence and monochromaticity. These are what makes laser light is so effective compared to other kinds of light in the field of pain reduction and healing. Laser treatment (also known as phototherapy and low-level laser therapy) involves the application of low power coherent light to injuries and lesions to stimulate healing and reduce pain. It is used to increase the speed, quality and strength of tissue repair, resolve inflammation and give pain relief. Low-level laser technology has been found to offer superior healing and pain relieving effects compared to other electrotherapeutic modalities such as ultrasound, especially in dealing with chronic problems and in the early stages of acute injuries. Low-level laser technology is a complete system of treating muscle, tendon, ligament, connective tissue, bone, nerve, and dermal tissues in a non-invasive, drug-free modality.

During July 2018 we undertook a 4 week trial of laser therapy, using it on a number of our patients for free in order to evaluate its efficacy. We also used it on ourselves!  Almost all of our patients showed some level of improvement after a course of treatment, as indeed did our staff! To this end we are now offering MR laser therapy to all patients we think may benefit from it.

The protocol is as follows:

• initial consultation with one of our vets, who will perform a complete examination and devise a personalised treatment program for your pet
• purchase a series of 5 treatments for $150: most treatments take 15-30 minutes, with the first treatment being done by one of our vets, and thereafter by one of our qualified nurses
• make bookings to bring your pet in to the clinic for their treatments: we recommend 2-3 sessions per week, depending on your availability to bring your pet in to the hospital, which means that most courses of treatment will take 2-3 weeks to complete.
• additional  courses of treatment can be purchased if required or desired
• follow-up courses can be done a number of months down the track, or a single one-off treatment can be done as a booster (at a cost of $32)

We also have a laser handpiece that we can rent out to owners on a weekly basis, in order for them to administer laser therapy to their pets at home. We would recommend this to owners whose patients have already undergone a session of therapy at the hospital. This makes it especially convenient for owners, as they can administer the therapy at home. Full training will be provided by our staff, which will be included in the cost of $180 per week.