Blossom Update No. 2

Blossom 8-24-09

On Friday we went to the vet for Blossom’s last Class IV laser treatment. The treatment seems to have helped her quite a bit for it looks like her tail will be saved. The laser is not painful at all but rather very warming to the deep tissues of her body. When we arrive at the vet’s the technician places a towel up on the cold steel table and I lift blossom up there. Next the tech opens a box about the size of a brief case and takes out an instrument that looks like a black wand with a clear shield at the tip. The other end is attached by a cable to a meter which has various settings. After donning special glasses to protect our eyes the tech turns the machine on and it whirrs and hums while a thin beam of light emits from the other end. The tech passes the wand back and forth and up and down over the area to be treated. In this case she is treating Blossom’s rump and spine, so the wand passes over her back in steady rhythm. She cannot linger in any one area too long or the beam could burn Blossom’s tissues instead.

Blossom has no fear of the machine and after awhile she usually lays down and relaxes. The treatment only takes about 3 to 1o minutes and the theory behind it is that the warmth of the laser stimulates the tissue and brings blood to the area which promotes healing. The rays emitted are in various frequencies and the settings are determined by what type of animal you have and what you are trying to accomplish. There are different settings for wound healing than for muscle soreness and different settings for a horse than for a small 15 pound dog!

Blossom with her happy tail curled over her back 4-5-2008

Blossom with her happy tail 4-5-08


Blossom with her tail as far as it will go now 8-24-09

While Blossom’s tail looks like it will be saved, a new issue has arisen. Small wounds have started to open on her rump from the impact of the other dog’s teeth. At first one appeared last week, then another. Right now there are about 5 of them and the vet says it is because the tissue is dying from the impact and pressure of the attacker’s teeth. As a result Blossom is on her second round of antibiotics to keep her from infection. She is also on a daily laxative to prevent any pain when she has a bowel movement. At first you could tell this was a problem for her and it was painful to eliminate but now things seem to be normal. She will be on the laxative for at least a month and she may have to be on it for the rest of her life. We go back to see the vet this Friday so he can check on the wounds on her rump. For now she is mostly normal and her tail goes higher every day. She still likes to go for walks, but we are so wary and our hearts clench whenever we see another person walking towards us with a big dog or small. Blossom could not withstand another attack and neither could we.

One side affect of all of this is the guilt we feel for not being able to protect her. Gus constantly recriminates himself for not protecting her but I remind him that he saved her life. If her had let go of her for even an instant that dog would have shaken her and she would be dead. As for me, I chide myself for being so useless. All I did was scream like a girl. I am usually good in a crisis and can think on my feet. I am usually the one who reacts first and falls apart later, but this time I just screamed like I have never screamed before. I frequently have dreams where I am in grave danger but I cannot scream. I have often wondered what would happen in real life. Well, now I know that I CAN scream, but I wish I had done something a bit more useful.

For more information on the use and science behind Class IV Laser go to the

K-Laser Website

They have an excellent demonstration video as well as in depth information on how this therapy works.