Evaluation of the Effects of Laser Phototherapy on the Tretament of Skin Wounds with Tissue-Loss in Cats and Dogs

The treatment of skin wounds with tissue-loss is one of the most important issues in the field of veterinary medicine. It is aimed to improve the wound faster and without contamination by doing various studies in this subject. In this study, laser phototherapy was preferred considering the same target.      This study was carried out on 20 cats and 20 dogs of different ages, races, and genders, who were brought to Surgery clinic of Animal Hospital at Kirikkale University. These patients were divided into 4 groups, two of which were study and two of which were a control group. In the study group, 10 cats and 10 dogs were subjected to laser phototherapy, and the rest were routinely performed as a control group. The clinical and laboratory results of the animals treated with phototherapy were compared by routine applications. During the study, a patient follow-up form was created to record data such as physiological parameters of the animals, wound sizes, and clinical recovery process of the wound. Besides, the data were transferred to the computer environment for statistical analysis. Animals that are too aggressive and do not allow the application was treated with laser phototherapy or dressing by applying a routine sedation or anesthesia protocol with the permission of the owner. The wound was taken in follow-up data daily. For 21 days, wound sizes were drawn on transparencies film. Then these measurements were made using the area calculation graph paper.      In the obtained clinical data, both infection control and wound closure rates were found to be faster in the study groups than the control groups (P<0,05).      In conclusion, low-intensity laser phototherapy has been suggested to be a treatment option, especially in cases of tissue-loss infected skin injuries, which may be an adjunct to classical applications in both cats and dogs.