In episode 6 of our video series, I would like to explore the benefits of pet laser surgery. Laser surgery is used for all procedures, as it can be very beneficial for many reasons. Laser surgery is recognized in human and veterinary medicine for its benefits to both patient and surgeon.

I hope you enjoy the video and if you have any questions, please feel free to post them in the comments section below.

Video

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Transcript

In case you would like to read the transcript of the video, please find it below:

Hi everyone, I’m Dr. Martin Slome; I’m thrilled to be sharing the next post in my regular video series here on my website.

In each episode, I plan to tackle a question or challenge that I hear about regularly, as a veterinarian, with the pets that I see every day.

Today’s topic is about laser surgery and whether or not it is a viable option for your pet. By the end of this video, I promise that you will have useful information about the benefits that laser surgery can provide.

But before we get started, I just want to remind you to check out our website, connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, and subscribe to our newsletter so that you will have immediate access to insider tips and tricks!

Okay, let’s get started!

I want to start by explaining what a laser actually is. A laser is an intense beam of light that can cut, seal, or vaporize tissue. It’s a fairly new tool that offers safe and comfortable treatment of our furry friends and provides many benefits and uses. There are three reasons to consider laser surgery:

  1. It ensures a speedier recovery: As it cuts the tissue, the laser seals the nerve endings. This makes the recovery more comfortable for your pet.
  2. It causes less bleeding: The laser also seals off the small blood vessels. This cuts down on the length of the surgery, which means less time under anesthesia for your pet.
  3. It reduces swelling: A laser doesn’t crush, tear, or bruise the tissue because a beam of light is the only thing touching your pet.

Laser surgery offers several benefits during the recovery time as well.

Because of the sealing capabilities of the laser, there are fewer bacteria present at the wound.

Also, unhealthy tissues are removed with precision, reducing the risk that the surrounding healthy tissue will be damaged.

Overall, recovery time is decreased because these secondary setbacks are less likely to occur.

Laser surgery can be used in a variety of different situations, including:

  • Spaying and Neutering
  • Dental surgery
  • Declaw procedures in cats (let me tell you: the difference in recovery time for cats who have the declaw surgery with a laser is profoundly better)
  • Dermatological problems
  • Removal of cysts, tumors, and warts.
  • Most soft tissues surgeries, including

Laser procedures are commonly used for dogs, cats, horses, reptiles, and many other animal companions. Ask your vet if your pet might benefit from laser surgery. They will know if it is an appropriate consideration and will explore your options more thoroughly.

Many times laser surgery is perceived to be more costly. While that may be true, it can also surprisingly decrease costs by reducing surgical times, providing less complicated and faster recoveries, as well as allowing – in some cases – to freeze an area or use a local anesthetic. In the example of a skin growth, that means we can remove it with a sedative rather than perform a full general anesthetic.

At the Centre Street Animal Hospital, we have been using laser surgery on all of our soft tissue surgeries since 2004. Within 6 months of the change, we were so pleased with the improved recoveries that we discontinued offering any routine or soft tissue surgeries unless they were performed with a laser scalpel. This hi-tech medical option became standard surgical procedure for us (along with the other hi-tech tools that we have and continue to employ at our hospital).

So, I hope I’ve inspired you with this post, and that you feel empowered to support your pet’s health and welfare with this important information. I would be happy to answer any of your questions, so feel free to share them in the section below!

Also, we would love to have you come by our clinic and we can chat in person about how to optimize your pet’s health. Spend some time on our website, sign up for our newsletter, and send us an email – we would love to connect with you in person!

Thanks again – I’m Dr. Martin Slome, until next time – have a great day!