The Guelph Animal Hospital provides laser surgery as a progressive alternative to conventional surgery. We began using this alternative in order to provide a less painful surgery and faster healing time for your pet.
The laser works by emitting an intense beam of light at a very high temperature that is able to vaporize the water in tissue. This process removes only a very small amount of supportive tissue when compared to conventional surgeries performed with a scalpel.
Some of the main benefits of laser surgery include:
LESS PAIN– With the intense heat of the laser it is able to seal the nerve endings as it passes through the tissue. This results in your pet feeling less pain.
LESS BLEEDING– As with the nerve endings the laser is able to seal very small blood vessels simply by passing over them. In conventional surgery the doctor would have to take time to go back and seal off those blood vessels and in many cases some are too small to be easily sealed. This results in less bleeding and faster procedures.
LESS SWELLING – Since the laser is an intense beam of light, and is the only thing that comes in contact with the tissue, it causes less irritation resulting in minimal swelling. This leads to a higher level of comfort after the surgery.
EXTREME PRECISION – The thin precise nature of the laser beam allows the surgeon to affect only the desired tissues and leave the surrounding tissue healthy and untouched.
REDUCED RISK OF INFECTION – The intense heat of the laser is able to kill bacteria and other microbes on contact, thus reducing the chance of infection.
QUICKER RECOVERY – For all of the above reasons the patient is likely to feel less discomfort and return to their normal lifestyle sooner. This is probably the most evident and overall beneficial reason for the pet owner.
The laser shows definite benefits for most surgical procedures including cyst removal, canine spays and neuters and mass removal. In most cases we are seeing a much faster return to normal life and a lower level of post-operative pain medications.
The Guelph Animal Hospital is very pleased to provide this service to our clients. We feel that this is an excellent way to continue to add to our high level of quality care that our clients have come to expect from us. We continue to find new ways to grow and change with the times so we may provide our patients with the most up-to-date medical knowledge and techniques.
If you feel that laser surgery is something that may be beneficial to your pet please call the clinic and any of our staff members would be happy to answer all your additional questions or to set up an appointment for you.
Referrals
Our veterinarians do the majority of surgery in our surgical suite (with our surgical laser). However, if your pet has suffered a complicated limb fracture, or has a cruciate (knee) ligament injury, we can quickly arrange for a surgeon to visit our hospital to provide surgical services. This reduces the need for you to travel out of town to have the procedure completed at a referral center, and it allows your pet to recover in the comfort of the clinic that they are most used to visiting.
