In 2017, Companion Animal Health initiated clinical trials in the treatment of canine mast cell tumors using a combined laser and nanoshell therapy procedure that has the ability to destroy solid tumors without damaging adjacent healthy tissue.

Brian Pryor, PhD CEO, LiteCure, LLC, says, “Initial results are very encouraging and we anticipate publishing trial outcomes in the near future. We believe this approach will deliver superior efficacy compared to commonly used cancer treatments and will extend pets’ quality of life and longevity without harmful side effects.”

Dr. Lisa Parshley will be presenting the initial findings from her pilot study at the upcoming Veterinary Cancer Society meeting on Saturday, October 20th at 11:30 AM.  Click here for more information about the presentation.

About Companion Animal Health
Education – Evidence – Partnership
Companion Animal Health is US-based animal health company committed to improving the quality of life for animals through innovative healthcare solutions, designed to provide superior outcomes at every stage of care. Companion works closely with veterinary professionals to identify industry needs and develop products with a demonstrated and evidence-backed ability to fulfill those needs. Offering on-going educational opportunities and industry-leading customer care, Companion partners with its customers to deliver both the products and support required to provide the best care possible at every step in the animal healthcare journey.

For More Information Contact
Amanda Hoffmeyer
Director of Marketing
amandah@litecure.com
302-709-0408 x1569

101 Lukens Drive, Suite A
New Castle, DE 19720

Companion has re-instated this program due to popular demand from veterinarians to try laser technology free for 30-days to evaluate its success in their practice.  When asked about the trial program, Dr. Vernard Hodges, a country veterinarian from Critter Fixer Veterinary Hospital in Bonaire, Georgia commented, “This is not paid advertising.  This is someone who just thought it was voodoo…I wasn’t even going to take the thing for free.  I’ve paid for the thing (laser) I’m sure twice now and I haven’t even had it for 6 months…it works.”  Dr. Kimberly Daffner from Family Pet Clinic in Redondo Beach, California echoed Dr. Hodges sentiment stating, “…I was pretty much thinking it was voodoo medicine until I tried it on my own knee…I play tennis 5 days a week and this laser machine keeps me mobile on the tennis court, so that sold the machine.  The interesting part about that is it paid for itself with my patients within the first 6 months.”

Companion’s promise is to provide you with education, evidence, and partnership.  This limited-time program embodies those promises by offering veterinarians the following benefits:

• Evidence. See the results for yourself
  Try a Companion Therapy Laser risk-free for 30-days
• Education. Earn free CE hours
  Participate in the trial program before August 31 and earn exclusive access to 11 hours of on-demand CE learning about the comprehensive management of osteoarthritis.
• Partnership. Get treated like a customer from Before Day 1
  As a standard part of the trial, a Companion representative will come in and train your entire staff – as though you were already a customer. Companion also works with you every week with one-on-one calls to make sure you have all of the tools you need to be successful.

Watch Dr. Hodges and Dr. Daffner tell their stories and sign-up to take the trial challenge today by visiting http://www.litecureinfo.com/2018TrialChallenge.

About Companion Animal Health
Education – Evidence – Partnership

Companion Animal Health is US-based animal health company committed to improving the quality of life for animals through innovative health care solutions, designed to provide superior outcomes at every stage of care. Companion works closely with veterinary professionals to identify industry needs and develop products with a demonstrated and evidence-backed ability to fulfill those needs. Offering on-going educational opportunities and industry leading customer care, Companion partners with its customers to deliver both the products and support required to provide the best care possible at every step in the animal health care journey. Learn more at www.companionanimalhealth.com.

When administering laser therapy, it is important to select the appropriate treatment head given the desired treatment technique (on or off-contact) as well as the power (wattage) selected. Here, we will discuss aspects pertinent to maximizing the effectiveness of an “off-contact” treatment delivery.

Companion Therapy Lasers all come with two flat “cone” attachments designed to be used in an off-contact treatment setting. The appropriate hover distance from the surface of the tissues is 1” to 3”. This is important to remember when we take into account the divergence (widening) of the beam. Each treatment head’s optical window has a specific divergence, and in this case both the large and small non-contact treatment heads will diverge the beam at a 47⁰ angle. Coming closer than 1” is not an appropriate technique, just as backing away more than a few inches will reduce fluence (J/cm²), and potentially expose near-field objects to the laser beam. Thus, the operator should always stay within manufacturer recommendations so as to safely and most effectively treat sites that cannot handle direct contact.

There are several advantages in being able to treat sites with which we cannot make direct contact. With this treatment technique, we are able to effectively treat open wounds, exudative lesions, sterile sites (intraoperative treatments, such as a cystotomy incision while the bladder is still exteriorized), or sites which are just too painful for the patient to allow any contact (rattlesnake envenomation, severe degloving injuries, etc.). Granted, any time we operate the laser unit without making direct contact with our target tissue, we know that there will be a certain amount of natural reflection from the surface of these tissues, but the benefit gained in these instances is greater than the disadvantage of increased energy loss.

Superficial conditions, such as hot spots, can be quite sensitive, so operating with a conservative amount of power reduces the possibility of a patient developing any sensitivity during the treatment. When using a built in protocol, the laser will automatically adjust the settings to ideal parameters for treatment. However, when operating the laser in a manual mode, utilizing a pulsed beam emission provides for thermal relaxation time to these superficial tissues, preventing any potential for thermal buildup at the surface of these tissues.

Even when treating off contact, you must still apply laser to directly exposed skin (or fur). In other words, you cannot apply laser through bandages, casts, splints, tape, etc. In order to get consistent results, we must deliver consistent treatments, and adhering to this restriction when operating in an off-contact technique is imperative.

Another important factor to take into account when treating off-contact is the possibility of a topical ointment or cream being part of the treatment plan. For example, the attending clinician may very order a topical product such as Quadritop or Silver Sulfadiazine paste for wound care. In this instance, the laser treatment should be applied without the topical agent being present. Due to the local vasodilation that occurs with photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT), as well as angiogenesis, there could be a change in the natural absorption rate of a topical product. Another concern is whether or not using a NIR beam may inactivate/potentiate, or otherwise alter the normal chemical functioning of a topical product. With these factors in mind, the operator must always ensure that PBMT treatments be done either prior to applying a topical, or that any topical be removed prior to the PBM session.

Just as with any PBMT treatment, regardless of whether we are utilizing an on-contact or off-contact technique, the operator must keep the hand piece perpendicular to the tissues being illuminated. This will ensure an even beam spot will be delivered to the tissues, and thus provide for complete and even illumination of the target tissues, delivering a therapeutic dose of energy to these sites, producing a clinically-effective treatment.

Lastly, it is also important to remember that each treatment head attachment has an ideal power range for delivery. The large non-contact hand piece attachment should be used whenever we are operating at a power higher than 3W. In this instance, we can ensure patient comfort during treatment and maximize treatment head attachment lifespan.

The on-contact treatment heads (also called deep tissue) can also be used with an off-contact technique. The advantage of this application is that the laser beam remains much more collimated with these (either 3⁰ or 13⁰, depending on whether the large {3⁰} or small {13⁰} deep tissue applicator is being utilized). This in turn enables the operator to treat a very defined site (such as an intraoperative enterotomy incision) effectively without contaminating tissues or widening the beam spot to the point where a decreased dose is delivered to the target tissues.

The Companion Therapy Lasers delivery system provides the operator with a significant amount of flexibility in being able to address various conditions effectively. One size does not fit all, and thus not one single treatment head attachment should be used for all treatments. The ability for the laser operator to choose from four different treatment heads provides a clinical efficiency in addressing a myriad of conditions and treatment design applications.

Sounds very familiar to regenerative medicine, doesn’t it? That’s because prolotherapy works under the same principal of utilizing the body’s own healing capabilities to heal and repair tissues. But what makes it different than platelet rich plasma and stem cell therapies? In this blog, we will explore the uses of prolotherapy, what it consists of and how it differs in its method of action from the regenerative therapies we have come to understand.

What is prolotherapy?

Prolotherapy is a therapy in which an irritant solution is injected at a site of injury/pain with the goal of eliciting a temporary, low grade inflammatory response resulting in healing and repair of connective tissues. The irritant typically used for these procedures consists of 12-25% of Dextrose, the naturally occurring form of glucose.

How does prolotherapy work?

It is generally accepted that when a solution consisting of more than 10% dextrose is injected into a tissue, it creates an osmotic gradient outside of the cells. When a prolotherapy solution is injected into the tissue, it draws out water from within the cells, resulting in their lysis, also described as osmotic shock. When cells undergo apoptosis, they release signals to the body to undergo a wound-healing cascades at the specific sites of injuries. In essence, prolotherapy creates a minor injury to the tissue with the goal of an increased healing response to the tissue.¹

What is prolotherapy typically used for?

Prolotherapy has been reported to be useful in facilitating the repair of weakened or unstable tendons and ligaments as well as various forms of spinal pathologies resulting in pain. While numerous studies have attempted to investigate prolotherapy for use in osteoarthritis, there has been very little evidence showing its efficacy over placebo for outcomes surrounding pain, peak vertical force, and range of motion in enrolled canine patients.¹

How does prolotherapy differ from platelet rich plasma and stem cell therapies?

While prolotherapy does elicit an inflammatory response resulting in growth factors and healing cascades, it requires injecting an irritating solution to produce such a response. This irritating solution can be painful during and after the injection, necessitating an anesthetic agent to be utilized in conjunction with the injection.

In platelet rich plasma and stem cell therapies, the body’s own cells are injected into the site of injury where they initiate the healing cascade at the affected tissue. The environment of the tissue is modulated through naturally occurring pathways facilitated by the cells being injected. Since platelet rich plasma and stem cell therapies utilize the body’s own cells and the injection of them creates minimal irritation, further damage of the tissue is avoided.

When performing a laser therapy treatment, selecting the appropriate treatment head for the intended technique as well as the selected power is imperative. When treating using an on-contact method, only the deep tissue applicators (also referred to as “massage ball” applicators) are appropriate to use. The two flat “cone” attachments can NEVER be used with this technique, as it is not their intended method of delivery and could cause harm to the patient or damage to the treatment head itself – their use is restricted to an OFF-contact technique.

Benefits of Treating On-Contact

There are several advantages to treating with an on-contact technique. First, making direct contact will reduce the amount of light reflection off the skin’s surface and maximize penetration into the deeper target tissues. Any time we operate off-contact, a certain amount of natural reflection from the surface of the skin and the hair coat occurs.

Second, by making contact and applying a moderate amount of pressure (similar to a massage), we are able to blanch the tissue and reduce the amount of incidental light absorption by hemoglobin in superficial capillaries, etc, thus further optimizing photonic saturation of deeper target tissues. Additionally, this massage-like technique not only feels good to the patient, it also encourages local blood blow.

Lastly, applying a combination of on-contact treatment while applying a moderate amount of pressure will compress superficial tissues (such as fat), bringing the target tissues closer to the laser’s point of emission. A myriad of deep musculoskeletal conditions can and should be treated with an on-contact technique, including osteoarthritis, sprains, fractures, tendinopathies, cystitis, asthma, and pneumonia.

Ensuring Adequate Dose Delivery

In order to ensure complete saturation of the target tissues, the hand piece must be held perpendicular to the tissue surface. Any time we operate at any other angle than perpendicular (90⁰), the beam spot will be distorted, reflection from the tissue surface will increase, and there is an overall uneven distribution of light to the tissues.

In addition to treating perpendicularly, it is also important to remember to treat all limbs/extremities with a circumferential approach (from 360⁰) so as to fully and evenly illuminate the target tissues and structures.

Knowing Your Equipment

We should also be mindful of the parameters specific to each attachment head. The two attachment heads meant for an on-contact technique (also called “massage ball” or “deep tissue applicator”) each have their own power applications and beam divergence (widening). While the large deep tissue applicator can be used at any power and has a divergence of 3⁰, the small deep tissue applicator should NOT be used when operating over 3 watts, and it has a divergence of 13⁰.

Thus, we should select the appropriate treatment head as per the specifics of the case and should be able to “visualize” tissue exposure. So, while the large massage ball has a larger beam spot (at the surface of the lens) than the small massage ball, the latter has a more pronounced beam divergence (widening) as the laser gets further away from the hand piece.

That being said, the deep tissue applicators may be used with an off-contact approach when the situation allows. The beam of the large deep tissue applicator only diverges at a 3⁰ angle, meaning the beam itself remains highly collimated. This high-degree of collimation is ideal when performing intraoperative treatments when we cannot make contact with sterile tissues. Thus, a very specific area (such as a cystotomy incision, anastomosis, enterotomy, gastrotomy, etc.) can be treated from a short distance without compromising sterility.

Maximizing Patient Comfort

Part of deciding on a treatment approach (i.e. on/off-contact) also depends on the amount of sensitivity a patient displays. If a patient is extremely painful, it may be needed to start therapy with an off-contact approach and work our way up to an on-contact technique once we’ve attained a significant clinical (palliative) response.

Sometimes, a patient may seem sensitive when it may actually be a “startle” response when the operator makes initial contact with the skin. This startle response could also be from a temperature gradient (i.e. the treatment head surface may be cold). It is useful for the operator to make initial contact nearby, but away from the painful tissues so as to minimize or prevent this type of response. Making initial contact with a non-painful part also decreases the stress the patient will experience. For example, a geriatric cat suffering from lumbar spondylosis can be relaxed by using the deep tissue applicator as a massage ball on the neck just prior to moving to the lumbar spine and starting treatment.

It is also important to determine if the patient is hypersensitive to touch, temperature, or both, especially in cases in which the laser operator is treating for chronic pain. This is particularly true over boney prominences, and in areas of thinned skin, especially of the elbow and the stifle. In these patients, as well as in any patient with a wound in the treatment area, treating in an off contact manner may be necessary. A simple technique that can differentiate between patients objecting to physical contact and those sensitive to warmth is to attempt to “treat” with the laser off, that is simply applying gentle pressure with the massage ball treatment head. If the patient does not object to this technique, but displays agitation or signs of discomfort during treatment when the laser is on, adjustments may need to be made in turning the power down (usually in increments of 2W) and attempting to treat again, following proper guidelines on monitoring patient comfort as discussed in previous blogs.

Proper treatment head selection and delivery technique are of crucial importance with any photobiomodulation (PBM) treatment. Following manufacturer guidelines and recommendations for treatment head use ensures safe treatments and optimal results, and should thus be strictly adhered to.

Of the company’s recent decision to partner with H2O for Fitness, John Mercurio, Vice President of Companion Animal Health, commented, “Companion is extremely excited to join forces with the industry leader in underwater treadmills.  We are looking forward to this joint venture and the opportunity to offer a fantastic product that will provide the “Companion Experience” to our customers and their patients.  Companion is poised to have a significant impact within this space by improving the quality of life for animals across the globe.”

About Companion Animal Health
Education – Evidence – Partnership

Companion Animal Health is US-based animal health company committed to improving the quality of life for animals through innovative health care solutions, designed to provide superior outcomes at every stage of care. Companion works closely with veterinary professionals to identify industry needs and develop products with a demonstrated and evidence-backed ability to fulfill those needs. Offering on-going educational opportunities and industry leading customer care, Companion partners with its customers to deliver both the products and support required to provide the best care possible at every step in the animal health care journey. Learn more at www.companionanimalhealth.com.

About H2O for Fitness

H2O For Fitness is the premier brand in the rehab through hydrotherapy market. We are so passionate about our conviction in hydrotherapy that our name says it all! The core team of H2O for Fitness has a total of around 75 years of manufacturing experience under their belt. The management’s philosophy has always been to provide a quality product to the customer, which will not only satisfy, but delight the customer. We want our products to sell themselves. The design team of H2O for Fitness focuses on keeping it simple yet functional. That is what helps us keep our prices affordable to our customers. Even though our prices are amongst the most competitive in the current market, we boast of a quality product that delivers the goods. To top it all off, it looks good too!

H2O for Fitness… your fitness, our passion!

As the veterinary community is quickly learning, the applications for photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) are nearly as varied as the different types of injuries and diseases we see in the patients who walk through our doors. To accommodate the rapidly growing range of uses for this technology, the market needed a delivery platform flexible enough to be used in a myriad of settings, species, and conditions. To satisfy this need for clinical versatility, Companion Animal Health developed the Empower Delivery System, which features four unique treatment head attachments, each designed to maximize therapeutic benefit, no matter what condition or animal you may be treating.

In this blog post we will discuss best practices for choosing attachments, including how to inspect them for defects prior to use and how to ideally match them based on their intended use. We will also discuss the optical properties of each attachment head, specifically the divergence (widening) that occurs and the corresponding impact on treatment.

Pre-Treatment Attachment Inspection

At all times when treating with laser therapy, we must ensure that the treatment head lens is clean and intact. Before starting each treatment, you should ensure there is an even beam spot visible from the aiming beam. If there is debris, hair, blood, oils, or any other foreign material on the surface of the lens, it has the potential to alter the laser beam as it is emitted. We recommend using a 70% isopropyl alcohol solution to clean these lenses, and then immediately drying them with a lint-free cloth or Kim wipes (not scrubs, paper towels, gauze, or other materials as they could cause a surface hazing to eventually develop over time).

Additionally, any damage to the lenses, such as fissures, cracks, pitting, surface blemish, hazing of the surface, or any other physical degradation could alter the laser beam. A damaged attachment must be immediately replaced if there are any signs of degradation.

Proper Attachment Selection

The primary factor to consider when selecting an attachment is the intended use. So, the size of the treatment area and the condition to be treated must both be taken into account. When tolerated and/or appropriate based on the condition being treated and patient response, laser therapy should be applied directly to the skin (or fur coat) using an “on-contact” treatment method, as there are multiple advantages of using an on-contact technique. With an on-contact technique, the deep tissue applicators should be used.

When operating the laser unit with an off-contact technique, the flat lens cone attachments should be used. With an off-contact technique, the attachment should be held over the tissues at about a distance of 1” – 3”. The cone attachments should NEVER come close or make contact with tissues. Also, the ‘hover distance’ from the tissues should be strictly adhered to when utilizing the cones, as the divergence could cause the beam to spread and expose unintended objects to the laser light.

Another important factor in treatment head selection is the power setting (measured in watts, abbreviated as W) at which the laser is set to operate. The small deep tissue and cone attachments are designed to be used at any power up to 3 W. Any time we are operating over 3 W, we need to be using the large deep tissue applicator or large cone attachment. This power range delineation is meant to account for irradiance (W/cm²), as well as to enhance both patient comfort and durability of the attachment.

The Effect of Divergence

Each treatment head lens has a specific effect on the laser beam as it is emitted though the lens and onto patient tissues. The widening (or “divergence”) of the beam as it is being emitted through the lens should be considered when treating to ensure proper energy delivery to target tissue. Thus, it is crucial that the operator be aware of each treatment head’s specific divergence and operate within the specified distance so as to prevent near-field objects from being exposed inadvertently.

The large deep tissue applicator has a divergence of only 3 degrees, so the beam emitted remains highly collimated. The small deep tissue applicator has a somewhat larger divergence of 13 degrees. Both cone (non-contact) attachments diverge the beam at a more extreme angle of 47 degrees. The operator’s understanding of the optical properties of each attachment is thus crucial in appropriate attachment selection, designing and carrying out valid, safe, and time-efficient treatments. The pictures below demonstrate this attachment-specific divergence as shown by the aiming beam when in ready mode or during beam emission.

Just like any other tool we have, we must utilize the PBMT unit the way in which it was designed to operate. Correct attachment selection is as important as appropriate technique (hovering at 2” above tissue surface with the cone applicators, not closer or further away) when using the laser therapy unit correctly. The variety of attachments provides the operator with fluidity in treatment applications and thus the ability to address a variety of conditions in an array of patient species.

Thankfully, keeping up with patient records is a task we can make easier for ourselves by taking advantage of several allied technologies that are now available to us. Learning when and how to use these technologies will greatly decrease the time needed to provide a higher level of documentation (and care) for our patients.

Humans are very visual creatures, so it follows that documenting a case with pictures and short videos is of great value. Depending on the software being used by the practice, there are many ways to incorporate this data into most system platforms. For example, Avimark, Impromed, and Cornerstone (among others) can easily import pictures or videos from a camera, iPad, or other digital devices into a specific patient’s PDR. To the trained eye, these pictures can reveal a myriad of minute yet crucial details that would otherwise be left undocumented.

Another tool to consider is a goniometer. With this simple tool, we can accurately quantify the range of motion a specific joint allows. Not only can we assess level of debilitation with this tool, but we can also monitor a patient’s glide path of response to medical care as we treat the patient.

The goniometer is commonplace in veterinary practice, but is also oftentimes combined with another tool primarily utilized by rehabilitation practitioners – the Gulick device. This is a tape measure like tool used to measure the girth of an appendage. This is a very valuable tool to use when treating patients where a certain amount of muscle atrophy and cachexia have occurred. Learning to use tools like a Gulick device is not complicated and provides a valuable way to gauge a specific aspect of the patient in an objective manner.

A more advanced piece of equipment, called a Stance Analyzer, can accurately measure the percentage of total body weight being placed on each limb at standstill. Again, since we know the commonly accepted range for these values, the stance analyzer gives us another way to assess, and thus better treat, each patient as per their presentation and response to medical care. Similar technologies include the latest force plate analysis devices and gait analyzers, which additionally allow us to analyze a dynamic patient instead of a static stance and thus can help us possibly detect other gait abnormalities such as changes in stride length, etc.

Digital thermal imaging (DTI) is another example of an allied technology with which we can better assess our patients. This device allows us to visualize variances in thermal radiation being emitted from a patient. With this tool, we can detect not only areas that may be inflamed, but those where there may be other changes to blood flow as well. This technology can also be very useful in detecting tissue asymmetry, thus coordinating with our other tools in assessing any potential sites of overcompensation.

Utilizing and recording the results of these allied technologies not only helps us to provide thorough case documentation, but also allows the clinician to provide optimal care for each patient. The clinician and technician can better follow each case’s glide path of response and adjust further medical care accordingly. As with other modalities in veterinary medicine, all of these latest advancements in allied technologies are continuously being improved upon, so it would be advantageous to remain current on these developments and consider investing in technologies like these that are able to save staff time, while simultaneously improving standard of care.

Certainly, each case is an individual instance and must be approached with an individual treatment design and delivery plan. Just as no two patients are the same, neither are the specifics surrounding the etiology / progression / current status and treatment care / etc. of each case. PBMT offers us the flexibility of addressing cases where there is any level of pain, inflammation, and/or tissue disruption. Most, if not all the patients we see, regardless of species, are likely to fit the bill in at least one of the three categories cited. Let’s take a look at some of the commonly-used ways in which a clinic can implement a successful PBMT program as an adjunct to standard of care.

Typically, a new adopter the modality will begin by using it for cases responsive to a short treatment course. Usually, these include acute conditions involving superficial tissues, such as pyotraumatic dermatitis and post-operative incisions. Naturally, as the operator’s knowledge base grows, so will the daily applications of the modality. Most operators report a positive experience in delivering this level of care. It is as therapeutic for the operator to provide this leading-edge level of care as it is for our patients to undergo it. The most challenging part of starting a successful and multifaceted PBMT program in a clinical setting is to overcome inertia. Once the ball gets rolling, it will naturally pick up speed.

Once the operators have applied the early stages of making PBMT a core part of their multimodal approach to pain management, then the next natural evolution is to incorporate it with routine anesthetic procedures. Here, we see patients undergoing either a surgical or dental health procedure. In this setting, the therapy laser platform can again be utilized in a series of ways, from conditions such as gingivitis (the only reversible dental disease), going all the way up to multiple extraction sites or stomatitis. With surgical procedures somewhat more involved, like an extracapsular cruciate repair, a pre-op and post-op treatment would also prove to be of value. PBMT should also be highly considered as part of a convalescent care plan, especially when dealing with invasive or orthopaedic procedures (e.g. – FHO, TPO, TPLO, TTA, limb amputation, etc).

As with anesthetic patients, hospitalized patients should be given specific consideration and be offered the benefits of PBMT, especially while they are on location. Such examples that have shown the value of PBMT to standard of care include pancreatitis, HBC, degloving injuries, and snakebites, just to name a few. Typically speaking, “time is tissue” when it comes to injury to tissues (both soft and dense). The savvy laser operator is able to embrace this concept and thus understands to have a certain window of fluidity in the application of the modality. The operators’ knowledge base in PBMT and ability to be flexible with an in-patient approach treatment design and delivery, enables them to best address the individual needs and caveats of each case as a separate application (i.e. special considerations such as: active hemorrhage, neoplasia, or active growth plates).

Once a practice has reached this level of understanding and has applied a level of commitment in incorporating PBMT with their core values and message, and confident in its application, the final step is to incorporate it with long-term care plans. In this setting, the focus is on outpatient appointments, scheduled much as they would be for a DVM seeing outpatients. These are the long-term patients with incurable conditions where our goal (and reasonable expectation) is to manage the condition and prevent an active decline. Often, once a clinic gets to this level of focused care, a specific “daily designated laser operator” is usually assigned to the task of handling the daily appointments (larger practices with a sizeable technical staff will incorporate a rotation of daily operators so as to have everyone remain proficient in their technique).

Most practices successful in their integration and implementation of PBMT within their departmental daily modus operandi, in addition to the current standard of care, have proven the modality a synergistic behemoth in our ability to continue to adapt to, adopt, and successfully implement a dynamically evolving aspect of veterinary medicine. The successful and practical applications of PBMT are limited only by the specifics of the case and the ability of an operator to perceive the modality’s application for a specific case presentation. The initial inertia previously mentioned is quickly overcome and replaced by a momentum which will help propel any practice to the next level of patient care when PBMT is allowed to fully develop as a medical modality in clinical practice.

“Helping people and animals live a better quality of life is what our company was founded on, so when given the opportunity to work with Luke and all the dedicated people at WVS, it was an easy decision,“ commented Andy Wood, Vice President of International Sales at Companion Animal Health. “It’s incredible to see all the success stories, knowing our therapy laser is playing a big role in helping these animals heal faster and live with less pain.”

WVS has been using the therapy laser for a little over 6 months now, and are very happy with the results they’ve been seeing. Luke Gamble, CEO and founder of WVS, is particularly thrilled about the impact the device has had on wound healing, commenting, “The laser has been transformational in our approach to wound care at the Thailand ITC. It is now a cornerstone of our approach in managing and treating dogs with injuries. The effect it has on promoting granulation and wound healing are genuinely amazing. We are indebted to Companion for this fantastically generous donation and it is a vital piece of equipment we would now struggle to be without!”

Companion and WVS will be working together over the next several months to document and share some of these outstanding case studies, to better educate veterinary professionals around the world about the overwhelming number of applications afforded by this versatile therapeutic technology.

If you would like to make a contribution to WVS directly as a show of your support for their tireless efforts, you may do so here: https://wvs.org.uk/donate-now

About Companion Animal Health
Education – Evidence – Partnership
Companion Animal Health is US-based animal health company committed to improving the quality of life for animals through innovative health care solutions, designed to provide superior outcomes at every stage of care. Companion works closely with veterinary professionals to identify industry needs and develop products with a demonstrated and evidence-backed ability to fulfill those needs. Offering on-going educational opportunities and industry leading customer care, Companion partners with its customers to deliver both the products and support required to provide the best care possible at every step in the animal health care journey. Learn more at www.companionanimalhealth.com

About WVS
Founded by Luke Gamble in 2003, WVS (Worldwide Veterinary Service) is a UK registered charity championing animal welfare globally. From disaster emergency response to veterinary training and education, WVS brings much needed treatment to animals in places where no else will, and works to support animal charities and NGOs striving to make a difference on the front line of animal welfare.