Search Results for: laser

Low-level Laser Treatment does not Improve Healing after TPLO Surgery in Dogs

I have been covering the subject of low-level, or “cold” laser treatment for many years. While there is some plausibility to the idea that laser light might have beneficial effects on tissue, very little convincing evidence of actual benefits in … Continue reading

Posted in Science-Based Veterinary Medicine | 22 Comments

Evidence Update: New Study Finds no Benefit from Cold Laser for Dogs Having Surgery for Disk Disease

A hot topic in veterinary medicine these days is cold laser therapy. I’ve been reviewing the theory and research evidence for this treatment regularly from my first review in 2010 to my most recent look at the evidence in 2016. … Continue reading

Posted in Science-Based Veterinary Medicine | 12 Comments

WVC 2016: The Laser Craze

Here are my notes and slides from my presentation of low-level lasers. WHAT IS LASER THERAPY? Laser therapy is, at its simplest, the application of light to living organisms to obtain health benefits. However, there is a bewildering amount of … Continue reading

Posted in Presentations, Lectures, Publications & Interviews | 4 Comments

Evidence Update: Cold Laser Therapy for Dogs & Cats

I first summarized the scant evidence concerning low-level or “cold” laser therapy in companion animals in 2010, and I reviewed a couple of small studies in 2011. A recent checked showed only a couple of studies looking at cold laser … Continue reading

Posted in General, Science-Based Veterinary Medicine | 33 Comments

Two Small Studies of Cold Laser Therapy Show Mixed Results for Intervertebral Disk Rupture in Dogs

? An abstract presented at this year’s American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine reports on a study hypothesizing that low level laser therapy would shorten recovery times in dogs having back surgery for ruptured intervertebral disks and hind limb paralysis. … Continue reading

Posted in General | 10 Comments

Cold Laser Therapy

A popular therapy among chiropractors who treat pets is low level laser or “cold laser” treatment. It is an impressive bit of showmanship to pull out a complex-looking device and with a serious expression wave a beam of light over … Continue reading

Posted in Miscellaneous CAVM | 86 Comments

Evidence Update- A Systematic Review of Diets & Dietary Supplements for Arthritis in Dogs and Cats (TL;DR- Can we please stop giving them glucosamine?!)

One of the most common topics over the lifetime of this blog has been treatments for osteoarthritis in dogs and cats. I’ve talked about pharmaceuticals, acupuncture, electromagnetic fields, laser, and other treatments, but the bulk of the articles have addressed the most popular over-the-counter (OTC) … Continue reading

Posted in Herbs and Supplements, Nutrition | 23 Comments

The Latest in Veterinary Aging Supplements- Leap Years by Animal Biosciences

While the focus of my professional attention, and my writing, has largely shifted away from complementary and alternative veterinary medicine (CAVM) per se and towards the field of aging, I obviously cannot escape the pseudoscience and sloppy or motivated reasoning that characterizes … Continue reading

Posted in Aging Science, Herbs and Supplements | 9 Comments

Fecal Microbiome Testing- Anything to It?

New Ideas in ScienceOne of the most exciting aspects of science is the discovery and development of new ideas and insights that lead to new ways of understanding and manipulating the natural world. Theories that seem preposterous at first can … Continue reading

Posted in Science-Based Veterinary Medicine | 8 Comments

Reviews of Placebos for Pets? The Truth about Alternative Medicine for Animals

People have been writing some great reviews of Placebos for Pets, so I thought I’d share a few. If you liked it, please take a minute to add a review on Amazon or Goodreads and help spread the word. Thanks! … Continue reading

Posted in Presentations, Lectures, Publications & Interviews | 1 Comment