Cold Laser for Cancer in Dogs: What To Know
Molly Jacobson is a writer and also the editor of The Dog Cancer Survival Guide, published by Maui Media. A lifelong dog lover and self-professed dog health nerd, she is all too familiar with dog cancer. She has been supporting readers of this blog since the beginning. Molly earned a BA from Tufts University, and after a career in bookselling and book publishing attended The Swedish Institute to become a licensed massage therapist in New York State, licensed by the medical board. Her fascination with health is both personal and global, and she is most proud of how this site and the associated publications have revolutionized not only our approach to dog health, but our own health.
Updated: August 16th, 2021
Summary
Does cold laser therapy used on cancer tumors cause them to grow, or to shrink? Dr. Dressler explains when — and when not — to use this type of tool.
So, should you use cold laser therapy to TREAT dog cancer? On today’s Dog Cancer Answers episode, Dr. Demian Dressler explains why … or why not.
The short answer is that it depends upon the tumor itself. There is no one right answer.
If your veterinarian can penetrate to the tumor itself using their equipment — maybe. (Not all tumors are within range of the cold laser!)
If the tumor doesn’t have a lot of blood vessels attached, cold laser could be useful. It would stimulate blood flow and help kill the tumor.
But if there are lots of blood vessels in the area … cold laser therapy could help the tumor to grow by sending TOO MUCH circulation!
So this is something you have to really go over with your veterinarian. Dr. Dressler recommends asking your veterinarian the following BEFORE approving cold laser therapy for your dog’s cancer treatment:
- Is this a highly vascular tumor? [Many vets can’t/won’t be able to do a CT scan to check out the area for blood vessels.]
- Will your equipment be able to reach the tumor?
If your vet hems and has about the answer to either of these questions, it’s probably not worth pursuing. If you don’t know where the tumor is, how vascular it is, or if it’s within range of the cold laser therapy equipment … why do it at all?
You can read the whole transcript on the episode page on the Dog Cancer Answers website.
Here’s the video version of the podcast:
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Warm Aloha,
Molly
PS: Feel free to share this article or the podcast itself with your veterinarian and their staff.
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Molly Jacobson is a writer and also the editor of The Dog Cancer Survival Guide, published by Maui Media. A lifelong dog lover and self-professed dog health nerd, she is all too familiar with dog cancer. She has been supporting readers of this blog since the beginning. Molly earned a BA from Tufts University, and after a career in bookselling and book publishing attended The Swedish Institute to become a licensed massage therapist in New York State, licensed by the medical board. Her fascination with health is both personal and global, and she is most proud of how this site and the associated publications have revolutionized not only our approach to dog health, but our own health.
Can you use cold laser on osteosarcoma on a dog
Will cold laser work on Lymphoma?
Hi Bev, I’m not a veterinarian, so I couldn’t advise you about this. However, lymphoma being something that pops up in the lymph nodes, which are often near large blood vessels, tells me that it might not be helpful. I would ask your veterinarian who is offering cold laser therapy the two questions Dr. D recommends above: Is this a highly vascular tumor? [Many vets can’t/won’t be able to do a CT scan to check out the area for blood vessels.] and, Will your equipment be able to reach the tumor?