The Cutting Edge... Laser Surgery for Pets!

Image of a cat.

It's doubtful that anyone would picture their family veterinarian swinging a light saber on the bridge of some galactic cruiser, but he or she may just have a similar technology available to help keep your pets comfortable during surgery.


For more than 30 years, human doctors have used various types of surgical lasers to help people heal faster and with less pain. Lasers are now used routinely to help correct eyesight, remove skin blemishes, and even destroy unwanted hair. But, it has only been within the past 10 years that veterinary medicine has started to utilize this same technology to provide a similar level of comfort for their patients.

Using a laser during surgery instead of a scalpel blade provides many advantages to the surgeon. First, due to the precise nature of lasers, the veterinarian is able finely tune the amount of tissue that is affected by the surgery, thereby reducing the damage to any of the surrounding area. Second, lasers will actually help to control bleeding by sealing off the tiny capillaries and vessels that may leak and ooze during normal surgeries. Third, lasers help to reduce the amount of swelling that is associated with any sort of surgery. By avoiding bruising and tearing of body tissue, lasers help the veterinarian to minimize inflammation. Fourth, since lasers vaporize cells, any latent bacteria that might want to start an infection will also be vaporized, helping to minimize potential post-operative infections. And finally, lasers reduce the amount of pain involved in surgeries by actually sealing the ends of nerves in the affected tissues. This stops the propagation of the pain impulse and will actually help the pet to heal faster!

By far, one of the most common uses of the surgical laser in the veterinary hospital is to perform declawing of cats. Although this elective surgery has many proponents and opponents, almost everyone would agree that the advent of using the laser for declawing procedures has helped minimize the trauma associated with the surgery. As mentioned above, lasers will actually seal small nerves, keeping them from transmitting painful impulses. Cats that have been declawed with a laser are often running and playing within hours of surgery. In contrast, older techniques of declawing cats have potentially kept a cat uncomfortable for several days afterwards.

Featured Articles

Read about interesting topics

Newsletter Signup

Sign up for more articles

Testimonials

Read What Our Clients Say

  • "I began working for Dr. Kaiser at the Animal Clinic of Mandarin over 3 years ago. I decided
    to get a new Lab mix puppy and made the decision to enroll Zuri in Trupanion. I made this
    decision after hearing other employees and Dr. Kaiser talking about how great it has been for
    their own pets and our clients.
    Within the first 6 months my puppy Zuri’s knee kept coming out of place and she would stiffen
    up and could only walk on 3 legs. She had to have surgery and between working with Dr. Kaiser
    and the specialist I couldn’t have been happier that I was able to take care of Zuri and give her
    the treatment that was needed at such a young age. I now have no worries as she grows older
    that I won’t be able to take care of her financially. I recently added a new 1 year old rescue Great
    Dane, Zane to our family. He also has Trupanion because I can’t imagine the cost if something
    happens to him being such a large dog."
    Melissa P.
  • "Dr. Kaiser and staff are awesome. Great customer service. They deal with the pet insurance company directly for you so you don't have to pay what is covered directly out of pocket. They have gone above and beyond to help our fur baby. Super clean! We love to see Harry (the beautiful St. Bernard) growing up as well!"
    Nicole P.
  • "I called and was able to get an appt the same day. The office was very clean and customer service was very exceptional. Dr. Kaiser took her time to go explain everything and get a thorough history. Sick call exam and consultation came up to $51.75. She also offered a deal on pet insurance. Overall we had a very good experience."
    Charlene H.