Thoughts on Laser Therapy (class IV)

[GoodTimes]

Just wondering if anyone has tried laser therapy and if you noticed any improvements?

The reason I’m asking is because I’ve got an 11yo AussiexBernese (72 lbs) who unfortunately can’t tolerate NSAIDs. Too hard on her GI tract, resulting in bloody diarrhea, not eating, etc.
Over the last 6-8 months she’s been slowing down. No obvious lameness, just stiff getting up and down, waiting for us to help her onto the bed (not that I want her jumping, but ramp/stairs to the bed were a nope), and pausing at the bottom of the stairs in the evenings.

We tried Librela over the winter. Initially I thought that it was helping, in hind sight I think it was just the time of year. Weather was cooler so she had more pep in her step, and we had closed the cottage so she wasn’t pushing herself every weekend. We had record snowfall this winter and I started noticing that she was getting creakier as the snow was getting deeper.

Stopped the Librela and started her on gabapentin (100mg am and 100 mg pm, could add another 100mg if needed). She’s noticeably more comfortable. Galloping across the backyard to get to the trail, jumping onto the bed unless we make her wait, and sleeps like a rock all night. However, she still pauses at the bottom of the stairs in the evening if she isn’t “warmed up”.

The vet said that we could try adding cartrophen injections or we could try laser therapy. One of their RVTs comes to your house to do the laser treatments. For now I’ve opted to try the laser therapy. While I know she does have some arthritis (x-rays in 2023 of hips and stifles showed very mild arthritis), I’m not convinced that she doesn’t have some soft tissue soreness. I’m skeptical but I figure worst case it’s safe and I’m just out some money. I prepaid for five treatments and then I’ll decide if we keep going or not.

[endlessclimb]

I see a difference in my old gelding using a class 3 laser.

You could maybe try galliprant, if you haven’t already. It’s the easiest on their GI tract, from what I understand.

[GoodTimes]

Thanks, we discussed galliprant. My vet was concerned that it would still cause GI upset, so we decided to try the gabapentin first. The gabapentin has definitely helped. If and when we get to a point where we need to step up pain management then we may reach for galliprant.

Her issues are subtle so I know even if the laser is “working” it’s going to be very subjective.
Figured I would ask here for some anecdotes one way or another.

[NaturallyHappy]

Class IV laser has helped my older gelding tremendously. She also does my neck…it’s helped my pain, too!

[Demerara_Stables]

Highly recommend the laser. I own one and have seen excellent results in my horses, good results in the dogs (I’m much less consistent with the dogs’ treatment because the laser lives in the barn), and it’s been helpful on me as well.

As an aside, my GSD has spine arthritis and has been on gabapentin for years with no side effects and he’s moving so much better.

[RaeHughes]

Apologies - this will be long!! Please note for context, I live in New Zealand and all drugs below have been approved by legal channels.

We used red light laser therapy on our labrador that was run over by a car at low speed. (He did far more damage to the car $ wise.) He didnt break any bones - Anubis be praised - but was extensively bruised including all his organs. The vet and I were shocked (in the best way possible) as how “little” he had been hurt. Man, it was hard listening to a strong lab cry in pain. The laser therapy reduced the time to complete healing was 1/3rd of the expected time. The 1st session he hated, the 2nd he tolerated, the 3rd he ran to the therapist.

There is science behind laser therapy has been published in Nature - and in New Scientist - and is to do with warming up the mitochondria in the cells to send out healing stuff. (Heck, I am an engineer not a scientist so just google it .)

As an alternative to Gabapentin - or in addition - this is more effective with osteo-arthritis or related pain management. As a caution: this did not work for my old BC who has spondylitis but that could just be her.

Our 12-year old Labrador (a different one from above) has osteo-arthritis all the way down his spine. He has a monthly injection for arthritis - as does our 17-year old cat. It’s not cheap but it is effective for osteo-arthritis. It is not an anti-inflam but a inflammatory-inhibitor - at least that is my understanding from the vet. Please forgive the spelling - the cat one is Solensia (?or similar) - the dog one begins with a B, I’m thinking Breccia or something similar. I dont think this is caprieve.

When Zig (Lab) has his injection, you would think he is 1/2 his age - playing chase with the young collie, playing with balls etc. Now, he did take 3 months worth of injections to get to the level he is now. He has been on this injection for 2+ years and the $s are worth it. We are now having to add in caprieve as he is getting older but at 1/2 the level that he was on before we started the monthly injections.

The cat - well, she may be old but she is certainly not acting like it. She may be small (2kg) but she pulled out an eel from our creek! I did take it off her and got wacked for my efforts.

Another alternate that I have used, Simmitrel (sp??) for my (RIP) BC - she had spondylitis and arthritis mainly in a wrist. I honestly thought that we would need to PTS due to her struggles to stand and move. ONE Simmitrel and you would have thought she had none of her issues! When she did pass - due to lymphoma 4 years later - I gave her remaining pills to my boss for his then aged labrador - with agreement from his vet on a “it cant hurt”. Just to give her last month some comfort it it worked. That bitch lived another 2 years and returned to the beach and surfing.

My understanding of how this works is that, with chronic pain, the spine is the pain highway and chronic pain builds on-ramps to that highway every time it hurts. Simmitrel stops these on-ramps being built. You do need to manage the dog so it doesnt hurt itself further.

Which reminds me, I need to make a booking for their monthly jabs.

Hope this helps a little
EDITED TO ADD: My present old BC (14 years) has been on caprieve for >8 years and certainly hasnt had any GI issues.

[GoodTimes]

Thanks for your response, that’s nice to hear that laser worked for you.

I’ll ask my vet about Symmetrel (amantadine) if the gabapentin doesn’t seem to be enough.

The dog version of solensia is Librela, which is the injection that my dog was on over the winter. It didn’t do anything for her.

I believe carpreive is carprofen, an NSAID, which my dog can’t tolerate.

[GoodTimes]

The tech was able to fit us in for her second laser treatment this evening. With Easter being this weekend everyone is busy so we’ll have to wait a week for her third session.