Signalment: Canine, 9yrs., M/N, Hound mix, “Ragnar”.
History: Severe soft tissue injury: patient had repeatedly self-mutilated his tail, exposing bone and cartilage.
Diagnosis and Exam Findings: Patient self-mutilated after initial surgical repair, destroying it. After a second surgical revisit, laser therapy was applied in addition to standard of care.
Laser Treatment: 5J/cm2 using the wound treatment preset protocol, delivered to the wound site at the end of the tail, delivered a total of 492 joules.
Frequency of Treatments: Twice weekly for a total number of 8 treatments in a 30 day period.
Other Treatments Included: Standard of care including antibiotics, NSAID, and oral pain management was implemented, as well as daily wet to dry bandage changes for ten days.
Comments: This case demonstrated how much faster a wound can heal and how much more comfortable the patient can be when used.
