Class IV LASER Therapy - The Procedure
The Class IV laser treatment alleviates pain and accelerates healing and rehabilitation by means of deep penetrating photons. These deeply penetrating photons are delivered by means of infrared wavelengths to the precise location of your animal's injured or painful areas which are identified by the veterinarian. The Class IV laser therapy treatments influence the cell chemistry in a number of positive ways and creates a warm sensation in the areas your animal is experiencing pain and stiffness.
 A veterinary technician administers the laser therapy treatments. The most difficult part of the procedure is getting your dog to tolerate sitting still for the vet tech to move the laser probe over the target areas. Since Ralphie had all 4 legs done with each of the 6 treatments, it took 5 minutes per leg. Ralphie had a total of 6 laser treatments spread out over 3 weeks.
Twenty minutes of sitting still can be difficult for a dog, especially if they are the nervous type. Through a bit of experimentation, we discovered that if I held him on my lap while I was sitting on a chair he rested quietly in my arms. Holding him on my lap helped the vet tech conduct the procedure with little "objection" on Ralphie's part. The key was helping him to relax.
Outcome - Arthritis Pain Reduced and Mobility Improved
I started to see a noticeable difference in Ralphie's ability to move after only two treatments. The clearest indicator was that his rear legs stopped shaking and quivering when he squatted to urinate. I checked with my veterinarian to see if I took him on two short walks a day instead of just one long walk if that might also be helpful. My vet concurred with that approach. The combination of the laser therapy treatments and the two short walks has really helped his mobility and endurance during his walks.
It is difficult to tell exactly which combination of treatments contribute to an overall health solution, but Ralphie is clearly more mobile, has a steadier gait, doesn't quiver while urinating, and is more confident overall when he is walking. In fact, he often pulls me along like when he was younger.
I am a big believer in the Class IV laser treatment and recommend it to those of you with companion animals who are experiencing mobility and/or arthritis pain. I am also grateful to the wonderful staff at Murrayhill Veterinary Hospital for taking such wonderful care of my beloved Ralphie and for helping to reduce his pain and to experience the joy of mobility again. To see him is to know he is a happy camper!
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