Cold Laser Therapy for Dogs

[ndbwhunter]

I know this isn't a gun dog site, but humor me for a minute. Looking for opinions on the use of cold laser therapy in dogs.

I've got a 5 year old female black lab that is extremely active. Over the last year or so, her activity has caught up with her and she's starting to develop chronic inflammation/tendonitis in her right front shoulder. I've been treating with anti-inflammatory meds, but it takes time and lots of rest. It is extremely difficult to limit her activity, so the rest periods are usually not long enough.

I would like to treat at home if possible to avoid frequent vet visits and hefty bills. She is extremely anxious to the point of requiring sedation for routine vet visits, so weekly visits are likely out of the question. Obviously, the equipment available to veterinarians is much more powerful, but I've found a few highly recommended lasers for at home use. I don't trust amazon reviews or most reddit posts, so I'm just looking for some real world experience here.

The specific model that I'm interested in is the Domer Laser 1300mW.

Any Veterinarians or other users care to share their experience?

 

[KurtR]

I know this isn't a gun dog site, but humor me for a minute. Looking for opinions on the use of cold laser therapy in dogs.

I've got a 5 year old female black lab that is extremely active. Over the last year or so, her activity has caught up with her and she's starting to develop chronic inflammation/tendonitis in her right front shoulder. I've been treating with anti-inflammatory meds, but it takes time and lots of rest. It is extremely difficult to limit her activity, so the rest periods are usually not long enough.

I would like to treat at home if possible to avoid frequent vet visits and hefty bills. She is extremely anxious to the point of requiring sedation for routine vet visits, so weekly visits are likely out of the question. Obviously, the equipment available to veterinarians is much more powerful, but I've found a few highly recommended lasers for at home use. I don't trust amazon reviews or most reddit posts, so I'm just looking for some real world experience here.

The specific model that I'm interested in is the Domer Laser 1300mW.

Any Veterinarians or other users care to share their experience?

Thats really young for that to start in a dog. Have you had an ortho seen here might be some issues a gen vet isnt finding. Have you let her jump out of the box of the pickup or kennel?

 

[ndbwhunter]

Thats really young for that to start in a dog. Have you had an ortho seen here might be some issues a gen vet isnt finding. Have you let her jump out of the box of the pickup or kennel?

We haven't seen any specialists. We had her checked out pretty extensively this past fall, and the x-rays and images showed no signs of elbow dysplasia. They diagnosed her with tendonitis, which is fairly common in active dogs. I know what's causing the issue, and aside from limiting/restricting play time and hard runs there isn't much I can do. The only high impact activity outside of hunting season is training or play time with balls, frisbees, etc. The rest of her exercise is walking or swimming.

 

[KurtR]

We haven't seen any specialists. We had her checked out pretty extensively this past fall, and the x-rays and images showed no signs of elbow dysplasia. They diagnosed her with tendonitis, which is fairly common in active dogs. I know what's causing the issue, and aside from limiting/restricting play time and hard runs there isn't much I can do. The only high impact activity outside of hunting season is training or play time with balls, frisbees, etc. The rest of her exercise is walking or swimming.

Its common but 5 is really young there are still labs running all age events at 10 and they are more active training than most . What is the history of the parents did they develop this early in life? If its not genetic thats why i would go to specialist. Dr. Jennell Appel has a bunch of articles on rehabing and keeping the dogs in shape. Even what stretches to do which might be important making sure the dog is warmed up before going all out. I would use a few weeks of crate time and and leash out side.

 

[dr.mooseknuckles]

Any Veterinarians or other users care to share their experience?

Yes and I'm very "meh" on the subject. To really get the fully benefit of it, you'll need to use it every other day for multiple weeks, and that's with the high test one. I'm looking at a $25,000 machine that hardly gets used if that tells you anything.

I would highly suggest a consult with a boarded orthopedic surgeon, like KurtR suggested. Doesn't necessarily mean she'll need surgery. You may just have to hit her with twice daily trazodone to chill her out. You can throw in some gabapentin or Lyrica too so that she adequately rests. You may have to do so for 6-8 weeks.

And don't say you can't do it. Just remember that your dog doesn't pay the bills. She licks her snatch when she's happy.

 

[ndbwhunter]

Its common but 5 is really young there are still labs running all age events at 10 and they are more active training than most . What is the history of the parents did they develop this early in life? If its not genetic thats why i would go to specialist. Dr. Jennell Appel has a bunch of articles on rehabing and keeping the dogs in shape. Even what stretches to do which might be important making sure the dog is warmed up before going all out. I would use a few weeks of crate time and and leash out side.

Thanks, Kurt. I appreciate your opinion on this. Unfortunately for her, the mom did end up being diagnosed with elbow dysplasia at about age 6. There were no signs of dysplasia during her visit this fall, so I'm still hopeful it's something that can be fixed. She isn't overly active on her own, so limiting her activity should be relatively simple. We usually walk 5-6 miles a day, but that will have to stop for a while now. The play time is easily stopped by not allowing access to the usual toys.

I struggle going the route of the specialist with this, because everything in that world seems to be a minimum of a few thousand dollars. Not that I'm not willing to pay it, but it's definitely not an easy thing to do.

I'll definitely read up on her research and the stretches.

 

[CB4]

My in-laws dog has bad hip dysplasia and they do a mix of laser, shockwave, and also water treadmill for treatment. Not sure if there is an at home shockwave you could try but that seems to help him more than the laser.

 

[ndbwhunter]

Yes and I'm very "meh" on the subject. To really get the fully benefit of it, you'll need to use it every other day for multiple weeks, and that's with the high test one. I'm looking at a $25,000 machine that hardly gets used if that tells you anything.

I would highly suggest a consult with a boarded orthopedic surgeon, like KurtR suggested. Doesn't necessarily mean she'll need surgery. You may just have to hit her with twice daily trazodone to chill her out. You can throw in some gabapentin or Lyrica too so that she adequately rests. You may have to do so for 6-8 weeks.

And don't say you can't do it. Just remember that your dog doesn't pay the bills. She licks her snatch when she's happy.

Appreciate the reply. I'll explore my options for orthos to see what's out there. With x-rays not showing any signs of dysplasia this fall, I'm just at a loss with what else could be causing it.

 

[dr.mooseknuckles]

Thanks, Kurt. I appreciate your opinion on this. Unfortunately for her, the mom did end up being diagnosed with elbow dysplasia at about age 6. There were no signs of dysplasia during her visit this fall, so I'm still hopeful it's something that can be fixed. She isn't overly active on her own, so limiting her activity should be relatively simple. We usually walk 5-6 miles a day, but that will have to stop for a while now. The play time is easily stopped by not allowing access to the usual toys.

I struggle going the route of the specialist with this, because everything in that world seems to be a minimum of a few thousand dollars. Not that I'm not willing to pay it, but it's definitely not an easy thing to do.

I'll definitely read up on her research and the stretches.

1.) 5-6 miles per day, every day, is a lot when you're trying to rehab tendonitis. You're walking, she's trotting. You basically need to stop all strenuous activity for 4-6 weeks. Like, walk in the backyard to go to the bathroom and that's about it.

I'm dealing with nagging biceps tendonitis of my left elbow, which is on the same arm of my previously repaired rotator cuff and labrum. My buddy is a human orthopedic surgeon. He told me that if I don't cool the weight lifting for a couple of months, it will only get worse and potentially lead to a torn biceps tendon. I've been listening to him, as I can't afford to be out of work or have altered work for the length of time to rehab that surgery.

2.) An exam and consultation with an Orthopedic Surgeon is going to cost you around $150-250. It's not a few thousand dollars for an exam and chat/review of previous diagnostics. I can't tell you how many times I've seen those guys or gals put their hands on the right spot and elicit a pain response. It's what they're trained to do. They'll talk you through options for rehab, meds, etc. It doesn't sound surgical so the thousands of dollars is a moot point.

3.) Laser is something I would only recommend in the geriatric dog as a multi-modal attack for severe arthritis and mobility issues. Could it help for this? Sure, but in all honesty, your dog is doing too much. Basically, it would be the equivalent of me continuing to do hammer curls every day with heavy weight and wonder why my elbow hurts like a mother.

4.) My Venmo is @drmooseknuckle. Send that $50 today please for your internet consultation

 

[ndbwhunter]

1.) 5-6 miles per day, every day, is a lot when you're trying to rehab tendonitis. You're walking, she's trotting. You basically need to stop all strenuous activity for 4-6 weeks. Like, walk in the backyard to go to the bathroom and that's about it.

I'm dealing with nagging biceps tendonitis of my left elbow, which is on the same arm of my previously repaired rotator cuff and labrum. My buddy is a human orthopedic surgeon. He told me that if I don't cool the weight lifting for a couple of months, it will only get worse and potentially lead to a torn biceps tendon. I've been listening to him, as I can't afford to be out of work or have altered work for the length of time to rehab that surgery.

2.) An exam and consultation with an Orthopedic Surgeon is going to cost you around $150-250. It's not a few thousand dollars for an exam and chat/review of previous diagnostics. I can't tell you how many times I've seen those guys or gals put their hands on the right spot and elicit a pain response. It's what they're trained to do. They'll talk you through options for rehab, meds, etc. It doesn't sound surgical so the thousands of dollars is a moot point.

3.) Laser is something I would only recommend in the geriatric dog as a multi-modal attack for severe arthritis and mobility issues. Could it help for this? Sure, but in all honesty, your dog is doing too much. Basically, it would be the equivalent of me continuing to do hammer curls every day with heavy weight and wonder why my elbow hurts like a mother.

4.) My Venmo is @drmooseknuckle. Send that $50 today please for your internet consultation

Venmo payment inbound!

Thanks for the information. Our routine walks are altered depending on her condition. When issues have presented themselves in the past, I've cut back or stopped activity all together. When we initially treated for the condition last fall, she had the full 4-6 week recovery and was doing really well all winter and this spring. The issues just recently came back, so she's back on reduced activity again. Ideally, I would like the problem to be gone forever, but I'm assuming it will continue to surface as activity level return to normal after the recovery time.

My concerns with the ortho consult was more around the potential need for advanced imaging. In the event that a CT or MRI would be needed we would be looking at significant travel time and cost. A simple consult or exam is not a big deal.

 

[dr.mooseknuckles]

My concerns with the ortho consult was more around the potential need for advanced imaging. In the event that a CT or MRI would be needed we would be looking at significant travel time and cost. A simple consult or exam is not a big deal.

Yeah that would be the crux for sure and I get that. Depending on the specialty set up, Ultrasound is generally cheaper and they can find things with ligaments/tendons that radiographs wouldn't. Just depends on the skill set of the Ortho Doc, but if they have a radiologist on site, they can often perform the US and then relay findings. That would actually be a good question for your GP DVM if they know of anyone doing US on ligaments for ortho situations.

Good luck. Rest and NSAIDs would be my starting point!