Equine Laser Therapy
An Effective and Minimally Invasive Approach to Horse Care
What is Veterinary Laser Therapy?
Over the years, veterinary medicine has undergone significant evolution, marked by notable advancements such as the adoption of veterinary laser therapy and surgery. These innovative technologies are increasingly utilized in the treatment of various equine conditions, owing to their efficacy, minimal invasiveness, and superior clinical outcomes.
Veterinary laser therapy harnesses specific wavelengths of light to stimulate the body’s natural healing abilities. In the equine domain, it proves beneficial for managing various conditions, including:
- arthritis
- tendonitis
- wound healing
- post-surgical recovery
Beyond therapeutic applications, it can also function as a preventive measure, promoting optimal muscle and joint health in equine athletes and substantially reducing the risk of injuries.
Veterinary laser therapy has revolutionized animal healthcare by offering numerous advantages over traditional treatment methods. Let’s delve into these benefits in greater detail.
The foremost advantage of laser therapy lies in its ability to deliver therapeutic benefits without relying on pharmaceuticals. This drug-free approach offers a safe, effective, and versatile solution that minimizes the risk of drug-related side effects, potential interactions between medications, and complications arising from preexisting conditions that may limit pharmacological intervention.
One of the primary advantages of veterinary laser therapy is its non-invasive and painless nature. Without the need for skin penetration or mechanical impact on treated organs, it minimizes discomfort and reduces the risk of infection. This makes it particularly suitable for skittish animals like horses, ensuring a low-stress procedure.
Unlike many traditional treatments, laser therapy doesn’t necessitate a lengthy recovery time. Horses can typically resume normal activities immediately after treatment. This is especially crucial for performance horses and owners seeking to minimize disruptions to their animals’ routines.
Unlike some traditional treatments with potential side effects, laser therapy has minimal adverse effects. Most animals experience no negative reactions, and any mild sensitivity or discomfort at the treatment site is usually temporary and quickly subsides.
Veterinary laser therapy accelerates the healing process by increasing blood flow, reducing inflammation, and stimulating cell regeneration. This translates to faster recovery from injuries and surgeries. Additionally, it effectively alleviates pain by decreasing inflammation, edema, and triggering the release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers.
Veterinary laser therapy proves highly versatile, addressing a wide range of conditions. From musculoskeletal issues like arthritis and tendonitis to wound healing and post-surgical recovery, it provides a flexible treatment option for various equine health problems.
In conclusion, veterinary laser therapy, particularly when utilizing quality equipment like the Eclipse®-VLS, stands as a safer, more efficient, and versatile alternative to traditional treatment methods. It offers an exceptional solution for enhancing the overall health and well-being of horses.
Another arena where laser technology excels is veterinary laser surgery. There is nothing wrong with the traditional surgical procedures on horses using cold scalpel, and in most cases, there is no need for using lasers. However, in the following two cases they can often be complicated and risky:
- Endoscopic surgery
- Resection of cancerous tissue
Endoscopic Laser Surgery
As the light from diode lasers can be coupled into a small diameter optical fiber and passed down an endoscope, their use over recent years in endoscopically guided surgery has grown tremendously. The ability to perform surgery in the sedated standing horse through an endoscope represents, one of the most significant advances equine veterinary. This minimally invasive treatment modality not requiring general anesthesia and associated risks and complications is very appealing to both the practitioners and owners. It offers minimal complications and a shorter recuperation period.
Its main use is during surgery of the upper respiratory tract, where a number of conditions are treated under standing sedation:
- Release of epiglottic entrapment – a condition where part of the larynx gets caught under the soft palate. Surgical correction of epiglottic entrapment through transendoscopic axial division of the aryepiglottic foldusing a diode laser is the preferred approach to free the epiglottis, with a relapse rate of ~5%.
- Hobday procedure – surgical treatment of mild recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (whistling) by removal of the lateral ventricles and the vocal folds of the larynx.
- Prosthetic laryngoplasty (Tieback procedure), which is used for treating more severe cases of recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (roaring) and involves transendoscopic laser surgery followed by placing prosthetic sutures on the dorsal surface of the larynx to secure the arytenoids cartilage in an abducted position.
- Dorsal displacement of soft palate (DDSP) occurs during intense exercise and limits the performance. Surgical laser is used to create small, multifocal burns along the caudal soft palate to create fibrosis and stiffen the soft palate.
- Ethmoid hematoma is an encapsulated mass that can grow in the nasal passages and sinuses. The condition occurs mostly in middle-aged male horses.
- Sinus cysts or other masses in the upper airway.
- Guttural pouch tympany is a congenital disease of horses when one or both guttural pouches are filled with air that cannot escape. Surgery creats a new opening from the affected guttural pouch so the air can escape from the affected side into the normal side or into the pharynx.
- Guttural pouch mycosis – a fungal growth within the guttural pouch can cause catastrophic or even fatal nosebleeds. Surgery can be performed to ligate the affected blood vessels.
Besides upper respiratory tract, endoscopic laser surgery is successfully used for lithotripsy, and laparoscopic abdominal surgery for hemorrhage prevention.
Resection of cancerous tissue
By far the most common use of laser surgery in the horse is for the resection of skin tumors. Laser removal is associated with a reduced blood loss, minimized use of sutures, minimal pain, swelling and inflammation and reduction in postoperative infection. However, perhaps the most important advantage of lasers in cancerous tissue removal is the reduced risk of seeding of tumor cells during the procedure. This is especially useful for sarcoids, where conventional surgical removal with scalpel has been associated with a high risk of tumor regrowth. The laser ablates tissue, thus destroying the cells that can otherwise cause cross-contamination. Recent studies have shown tumor remission rates post laser removal is greater than 90%. Laser resection for the treatment of sarcoids became an established part of equine practice.
Benefits of laser surgery
- Bloodless surgical field, as the laser will coagulate small blood vessels while cutting and ablating.
- Laser-induced hemostasis reduce the need for sutures or staples.
- Reduced risk of disseminating cancerous cells during tumor removal
- Reduction in inflammation, swelling and postoperative infection at wound site (promotes fast and efficient wound healing)
- Faster recovery, resulting from the combination of reduced bleeding, pain, inflammation and infection risk
The effectiveness of veterinary laser therapy and surgery is heavily reliant on the quality of the equipment utilized. Many veterinary laser devices are primarily intended for small animals and clinic-based procedures. While some of these devices come with protocols for treating horses, they often lack the specialized features necessary for optimal equine care.
In this context, the Eclipse®-VLS system emerges as an innovative and comprehensive solution. Tailored specifically for veterinary applications, this all-in-one veterinary laser system offers unparalleled performance in equine laser therapy, surgery and management of athletic performance. It comes with extensive pre-set protocols for common equine issues and allows the creation of custom protocols. The high output power reduces the time of treatment. With its portable design, durable aluminum housing, and armored fiber, this system is well-equipped for various conditions. It equipped with a high-capacity Li-ion battery that allows for more than an hour-long operation on a single charge. Coupled with a fast charger, it ensures efficient use in the field settings.