Newfangled Gadgets: A healing shower

Healing your horse’s wounds with a shower of laser beams may seem like something out of The Jetsons, but it’s for real. Laura Cox gives us the scoop.

Not THAT kind of shower!

No matter how much bubble wrap we put on our horses, they inevitably are going to find a spot we forgot to cover and get hurt.

The occasional bite or kick from a pasture mate is to be expected, especially in a larger herd setting where pecking orders must be established despite our desperate pleads with them otherwise. Typically these are harmless little scratches that can easily be treated with a cold hosing and a topical ointment.

Then you have the wounds that are honeymoon suites for bacteria, and all that is in your future is debriding and cleansing in a hope to avoid an infection. But what if I told you there was a noninvasive way to speed up the healing; no more abrasive cleaning, but rather a one minute a day treatment that speeds up the body’s natural ability to heal itself, would you try it?

According to the owner’s manual of Centurion’s Laser Shower, there are five primary actions achieved using the laser light:

1.) Accelerated Tissue Repair
2.) Rapid Formation of Collagen
3.) Beneficial Effect On Nerve Cells and the Production of
B-Endorphins
4.) Formation of New Capillaries and Increased Blood Flow
5.) Lymphatic System Activity and Reduction in Edema

In a nut-shell, tissue repair can be increased by two thirds of the normal healing time.

There are two treatment modes available with the laser: Ultra Wide and Super Fine. The ultra Wide is beneficial for large, open wounds. The Super Fine Requires locating Acupuncture Points with the Point Finder. Fortunately, there is an Auto button for this method. For the Auto Acupuncture Point finder, the Point Finder lights up and makes an audible noise when it reaches a point with little electrical resistence. Does all of this sound like a bunch of jiberish that you wish you could just look at and understand? How about I show you.

The following pictures are of an injury to my horse’s tail (he scalped himself when standing up) treated using the Centurion Laser Shower. Four treatments were given over four days. The first two days the Ultra Wide Mode was used, followed by two days of Super Fine.

Photo taken just prior to first treatment of Laser Shower treatment.

Photo taken on day 4 of Laser Shower treatments

Photo exactly 7 days after initial treatment.

The going cost for the Centurion Laser Shower with the Point Finder from FarmVet is $5675.00. Too much, you say? Well, they do offer it for a rental fee of $325 per month with a three month minimum rental required. Another option is to ask around your local veterinarian offices or alternative therapy technicians to see if any own the machine and will provide the service at a lesser cost.