Use of therapeutic laser in the veterinary field

Therapeutic laser (light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation) for veterinary patients helps the body's natural healing process, decreases healing time, alleviates pain and inflammation, and helps to delay progressive diseases (Lindley and Watson, 2010; Millis and Saunders, 2014).

Therapeutic laser can be used immediately following procedures, in postoperative healing, and in a variety of disease processes. (Levine and Millis, 2014) (Figure 1).

In order to properly use this tool, the veterinary nurse must know what a therapeutic laser is, how it works, and how to handle it properly for each case. Once these concepts are mastered, therapeutic laser can be used by the veterinary nurse, under the supervision of the veterinarian, on a daily basis to help patients with a variety of needs.

Laser therapy or photobiomodulation is a photochemical process in which light from a laser interacts with cells and causes stimulation or other biochemical changes (Pryor and Millis, 2015). Depending on the wavelength emitted by the laser unit, different parts of the body are affected by the laser's varying penetration. The intensity and depth of the laser's penetration into the patient's tissues provide various effects on the body's ability to heal. Laser light typically falls within the infrared or near red portion of the electromagnetic spectrum (Levine and Millis, 2014).