Jennifer L. Wardlaw 1,2*, Krista M. Gazzola 1, Amanda Wagoner 1, Erin Brinkman 1, Joey Burt 1, Ryan Butler 1, Julie M. Gunter 1 and Lucy H. Senter
1 Department of Clinical Sciences, Animal Health Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS, United States, 2 Gateway Veterinary Surgery, St. Louis, MO, United States, 3 Office of Research and Economic Development, Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS, United States
Laser therapy is becoming common place in veterinary medicine with little evidence proving efficacy or dosages. This study evaluated surgical wound healing in canines. Twelve Dachshunds underwent thoraco-lumbar hemilaminectomies for intervertebral disc disease (IVDD). Digital photographs were taken of their incisions within 24 h of surgery and 1, 3, 5, 7, and 21 days postoperatively. The first three dogs were used to
create a standardized scar scale to score the other dogs’ incision healing. The remaining 9 dogs were randomly assigned to either receive 8 J/cm2 laser therapy once a day for 7 days or the non-laser treated control group. Incision healing was scored based on the scar scale from 0 to 5, with zero being a fresh incision and five being completely healed with scar contraction and hair growth. All scar scores significantly improved with increasing time from surgery (<0.001). Good agreement was achieved for inter-rater reliability (p = 0.9). Laser therapy increased the scar scale score, showed improved cosmetic healing, by day seven and continued to be significantly increased on day 21 compared to control dogs (p < 0.001). Daily application of laser therapy at 8J/cm2 hastened wound healing in Dachshunds that received thoracolumbar hemilaminectomies for IVDD. It also improved the cosmetic appearance.
Keywords: laser, wound healing, canine, scar scale, IVDD, incision, photobiomodulation