Author(s): "Dr. Santiparp and Jeanne Marchig, Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS), International Veterinary Training Centre (ITC), Chiang Mai, Thailand."
Signalment: Canine, 6 months, mixed breed, “Bella”.
History: The patient suffered from degloving lesions and friction burns after falling off a moving vehicle she was tied on to during transport.
Diagnostics and Exam Findings: Road traffic accident resulting in degloving lesions on all 4 paws, bruising at the inguinal area, extended burn road rash from friction, and injuries on the left flank and left hind leg.
Laser Treatment: 5 J/cm² delivered to target tissues, for a total of 492 joules to the entire affected area & nearby healthy tissue margins (100 cm²). A non-contact technique was used with the small non-contact treatment head.
Frequency of Treatment: Every two to three days for a total of nine treatments.
Comments: The patient had been booked in for sterilization, but suffered injury during the journey after falling off the moving vehicle and being dragged for some distance. Open surgery would have been too invasive, and by using the therapy laser, her chances of recovery were greatly increased. The laser was applied to all traumatized surfaces. For the first week of treatment, she was barely able to stand up, but within ten days, thanks to the laser treatment, she was beginning to heal and could start walking again. The larger wound over her left hind leg measured 20 cm x 20 cm at its widest point, but was repairing at the rate of almost 2.5 mm per day (a significant increase from normal wound margin epithelialization), a promising sign that she was healing well. She was soon back on her feet and recovered much quicker thanks to the aid of such pioneering equipment.
Our ITC in Thailand receives hundreds of cases of injured or ill dogs just like Bella each month. Our vets strive to treat as many as possible so that these animals have a new lease of life that is free from suffering. These treatments have been aided by the addition of the Companion Laser. Without specialist equipment such as this, many of our patients would not survive.
