Pet Care Tips from Greenbrier Veterinary Hospital

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Greenbrier Veterinary Hospital in Lewisburg, WV is pleased to now offer laser surgery as an exciting new option for safe, comfortable treatment. In many procedures, the laser can replace and provide a better alternative to traditional surgery.

Lasers have been successfully used on humans for over 30 years. This human experience is proving to be beneficial for pets and their owners. Greenbrier Veterinary Hospital is pleased to be among the first veterinary practices in the area to offer laser surgery specifically for pets.

A laser is a device that generates an intense beam of light at a specific wavelength. The way a particular laser works is determined by the specific wavelength of light that it produces. For example, the most commonly used surgical laser is CO2 laser which produces an invisible beam of light that vaporizes the water normally found in the skin and other soft tissue. Because the veterinarian can control the laser, only a thin later of tissue is removed, leaving the surrounding areas unaffected.

Laser energy seals nerve endings as it moves through tissue, which means the pet feels less pain after surgery. It also seals small blood vessels during surgery, which allows the veterinarian to perform surgeries with extraordinary precision. This also speeds some procedures reducing the need for anesthesia. Laser energy does not crush, tear or bruise because only a beam of intense light contacts the tissue, which also reduces the swelling after surgery. Some of the procedures that can be performed with a laser include cat declaws, spays & neuters, amputations, tumor removals and some avian and exotic procedures.

By using the laser for certain procedures, it reduces the risk of infection because the laser sterilizes as it removes diseased tissue, killing bacteria that cause infection. The laser can remove unhealthy tissue while minimizing adverse affects to healthy surrounding tissue, which can also reduce the chance of infection after surgery. With laser surgery, recovery is rapid and there is less discomfort afterward for the pet.

The Greenbrier Veterinary Hospital is an accredited hospital member of the American Animal Hospital Association, an international association of more than 16,000 veterinarians who treat companion animals. AAHA hospital members are regularly inspected to ensure they meet AAHA's high standards of pet care.