I am proud to announce that Cats On Broadway now has a Companion Class IV therapy laser!
Get ready! Here comes the sweet science!
What is a Class IV laser?
Lasers are classified as Class I, II, IIIa, IIIb, and IV based on their ability to do harm if used improperly. Examples include laser printers (Class I), bar code scanners (Class II), laser pointers and some medical devices (Class III), and medical and surgical lasers (Class IV). Class IV lasers emit a longer wavelength of light, in the 790-980 nanometer spectrum, giving them deeper tissue penetration and excellent photobiomodulation. Class IV lasers have been FDA approved since 2005.
How does it work?
The energy from the photons of laser light is captured by chemical complexes within cells, resulting in activation of enzyme systems and increased energy delivered into cellular metabolic processes, which produces positive effects in cells and tissue. The effects produced depend on the tissue(s) being stimulated. It stimulates the formation of new capillaries in damaged tissue (which speeds the healing process), reduces inflammation, decreases pain, accelerates nerve cell regeneration, and reduces the formation of scar tissue–just to name a few things.
What conditions can laser therapy be used to treat?
The list is extensive and growing longer every day. It is far easier to list the conditions it cannot be used for, such as treatment directly into the eye (lasers will damage the retina), areas of active hemorrhage, and cancerous lesions (stimulates cell growth of the cancer). Direct laser treatment should be used with caution on the thyroid gland, testicles, and pregnant uterus. Historical uses of lasers have included wounds, post-surgical incisions, and arthritis. New uses include treatment for sinusitis, asthma, bone fractures, spinal injuries, pancreatitis, and most any chronic condition.
What is the course of treatment?
Acute conditions, such as wounds, are treated daily or every other day until the lesion has healed. Chronic conditions are treated every other day for 6 treatments, and then gradually reduced to a maintenance treatment given every 4 – 6 weeks. Treatments are noninvasive and animals can sit, stand, or lay however they like, as long as the area to be treated is readily accessible. Your pet will feel a sensation of warmth during the treatment and many animals with chronic conditions will start to look forward to their next treatment. You can be present during treatment, as long as you wear protective eyewear, which we will supply.
We are excited to have this new treatment modality at our disposal! It can greatly aid in the treatment and control of acute and chronic diseases, and it can potentially reduce the need for long-term medications. For now, we will be limiting treatment to cats, but if there is enough demand, we may open treatment to canines and other species on a referral basis only. In the past I have personally used laser therapy to treat dogs, cats, small exotic mammals, birds, and reptiles with great success.
If you have any questions about the laser, treatments, or whether your pet has a possible condition to be treated, please call us at 406-728-0022 or e-mail us at catsonbroadway@blackfoot.net!
Thank you!
