Long story short, the College of Veterinarians of Ontario (CVO) (the regulatory body) passed position & policy statements that categorize class 3B &  4 Therapeutic Lasers as High Risk energy tools (along with laser surgery, cryosurgery, MRI, radiology, etc.) and as such, have put them in a category that allows only veterinarians to use them or directly supervise their use. 
 

I think this is a little bit crazy. 

 

Many non-veterinarians that are using laser therapy (i.e. physiotherapists, veterinary technicians, & chiropractors) will be stripped of this tool, and as such, the animals referred to them by veterinarians that don't possess a laser (and who often don't have training in laser therapy) will not have access to this therapy. 

 

Furthermore, the use of Lasers by non-veterinarians not directly supervised by a veterinarian would constitute the unlawful practice of veterinary medicine. 

 

What is concerning is that the CVO did not consult on this matter, they did not demonstrate their research to assert the claim of 'high risk', they did not conduct a viability study that shows that the vets can cover all services that are currently being rendered, they did not take into account the loss of income that may prohibit small business continuity of others affected by their decision, they did not seem to consider that laser therapy is considered a non-invasive treatment in human health where its use is not prohibited by an autonomous governing body, nor did they consider that actual training in laser therapy might be more important than veterinary supervision or a veterinary degree when it comes to application.

So, I am asking people to join the Ontario Animal Owners Association FB group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/300674274383880/

And I'm asking laser supporters to write letters to the CVO.  (To be clear, this is not an issue with vets. This was a policy & position created by CVO STAFF who presented it to the CVO council as if they were well researched documents and a 'no-brainer' to vote through.) 

 

Information on how & where to address letters can be found at:
https://mcusercontent.com/944fc62f74969d063d7335b8d/files/076b79c8-1b9d-44bc-93e9-c883a560b43d/OntarioRehab_CVOPositionOnEnergy2020.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2eWw9_Xm8cGJDStwxYQhZ4FUDQXO4X0U2vKZKXxakeypNzTkly8jwob8g
 

 

Thank you in advance for helping preserve laser use for ALL rehab practitioners!

 

PS... I have concerns with where they placed Shockwave in this risk category as well - especially RADIAL shockwave.
 

I gave this talk at VetFest in the UK last year.  Essentially, I wanted to go through the literature to see what has been researched and validated to improve performance in HUMANS... because there is no research in dogs.  So, from the human research, we can extrapolate to dogs for now... and come up with plausible ways to transfer the information.
I hope you enjoy Part 1 and Stick around for Part 2!

Enjoy!

 

 

After last week’s blog, https://www.fourleg.com/Blog/469/When-to-spay-or-neuter?,  that highlighted the research paper regarding when to spay or neuter dog, I had a question about the ovary sparing hysterectomy (OSH).  While it’s something I’ve heard of, to be honest, I had never looked it up!  So, I did a wee literature review just to see what I could find.  

 

In my search for literature on the Ovary Sparing Spay (OSS) / Hysterectomy, I found 5 resources that seemed to provide adequate referencing.  

(And because these conversations come up, even in the rehab department, I think it's information you should know something about!)

 

   >>> (keep reading to learn out more)