Cold laser home device for arthritis relief?

[daftcat75]

I keep seeing the ad for Helio Pet on Instagram.
Helio Pet | Reduce Pain for Pets at Home | Helio Pet Website

Has anyone used this one or another home cold laser (LLLT) device? Betty will sit in my lap for hours. So I'm sure she would love one of these if I knew which ones are worth the non-trivial price tag.

 

[daftcat75]

Found this critical review of cold laser therapy:
Layman's Guide to Buying a Cold Laser for Your Dog

And an affordable recommendation for those who don't want to invest in her preferred device (over $3000!)
LumaSoothe: IVDD Light Therapy at Home

I have a few more hours to do some more reading before I get paid tomorrow. But I'm thinking that LumaSoothe is a good price point and comes with a review that I trust.

 

[IndyJones]

Does it (the heilopet) work on humans?

 

[daftcat75]

Does it (the heilopet) work on humans?

I don't know. Looking at Jessica's LumaSoothe page, I'm leaning more towards that product than some Instagram unknown. It also bothers me that Helio Pet says in their FAQ that they changed their name. But they don't say what they changed their name from. That seems fishy like they are trying to wipe away some bad reviews.

 

[IndyJones]

If such a device actualy did anything you'd think people would be using it for people. I know many people with arthritis in their hands and if they could just use such a device during a flare up and it actualy worked they would have them.

 

[daftcat75]

If such a device actualy did anything you'd think people would be using it for people. I know many people with arthritis in their hands and if they could just use such a device during a flare up and it actualy worked they would have them.

They are available for people too. The devices for people have higher wattage which may or may not be appropriate for animals. Also people devices tend to be more expensive. That said, there are reviews from cat to horse. There are some folks online who say they have a panel they use for themselves that cats and dogs like to cozy up against. I’m not doubting the technology. Only the specific product. (Hello Pet.). I will order the LumaSoothe because it’s half the price and comes with a trusted review.

 

[neely]

I will order the LumaSoothe because it’s half the price and comes with a trusted review.

This is great news and I can't wait to hear your critique, both pros and cons. At one time shortly after we adopted Carleton the vet recommended taking him for cold laser therapy treatments because she felt he exhibited symptoms of arthritis. He had other health problems we had to address first so we concentrated on those more but I would love to hear your opinion about this device. Please keep us posted.

 

[daftcat75]

This is great news and I can't wait to hear your critique, both pros and cons. At one time shortly after we adopted Carleton the vet recommended taking him for cold laser therapy treatments because she felt he exhibited symptoms of arthritis. He had other health problems we had to address first so we concentrated on those more but I would love to hear your opinion about this device. Please keep us posted.

I got about halfway through Jessica’s article before I decided to buy it. Only after I paid for it, I finished the article where it essentially says LumaSoothe is likely a better complimentary than primary treatment. LumaSoothe and Helio Pet are LLLT devices which are lower power and work differently than cold laser. Still. Betty will sit though just about anything. (Except claw trims. ) Betty looks stiff and in pain when she walks. She gained two pounds over the last year on steroids and I think it’s taken a toll on her joints. Her vet keeps pressing me for Solensia. But she also had gut and teeth issues that I didn’t want to complicate with a drug that counts butt and gut issues among its main side effects.

Earlier this month, I got her a Petspemf mat. PEMF is another non-invasive therapy that stimulates internal healing and relief through magnetic induction. Does the PEMF mat work? I’m not sure. But Betty loves it. She will gravitate to it if she’s not sleeping or sitting in my lap. I’ll turn the mat on while I’m cooking breakfast and she’ll come down off the bed to lay on the mat. She still looks stiff. It’s not a miracle cure. But she seems grateful to have the mat. She’ll lay on it even when it’s not on. But when I do turn it on, she seems to melt into it.

Petspemf Pad for Cats | PEMF Therapy Mat for Cats

 

[neely]

Does the PEMF mat work? I’m not sure.
Petspemf Pad for Cats | PEMF Therapy Mat for Cats

Did I read the price right, $399.00? Unfortunately that's over my budget for something that may or may not work but I'm glad Betty likes to lay on it.

 

[daftcat75]

Did I read the price right, $399.00? Unfortunately that's over my budget for something that may or may not work but I'm glad Betty likes to lay on it.

That’s the dog mat. But yeah. Even the cat mat was a little spendy at $329. I may have found an Instagram discount. In any case, Betty really seems to enjoy it. And I was using a target PEMF device on her before. (Assisi Loop—I will spend a fair amount to keep us out of regular in office vet treatments) The Loop device, being targeted has a smaller area of effectiveness. So I pick the spot I think she needs it and put the Loop on her. It wasn’t until I got the mat that she essentially told me I have been using the Loop on the wrong half of her. So for that information alone, the mat was well worth it!

 

[BellaBlue82]

I also can't wait to hear your feedback on the LumaSoothe. I feel bad for my girl Sadie, she put on a few pounds as well over the past few years of prednisolone treatment. Sadly, she'll be on it for life since it's keeping her autoimmune disorder under control. But I was curious what else I could do to help her joints (she still plays, but she has a bit of trouble jumping this I got pet stairs for her to join me in bed lol.) I'd rather not add more medication, and glucosamine gives her tummy upsets. So far her omega treats are helping a bit, but didn't want to commit to the Loop that my vet offered.

 

[daftcat75]

One of the cautions of the LumaSoothe is to not use it anywhere there may be cancer because it would increase blood flow to the cancer. I got my LumaSoothe in the mail on Monday. Betty had a vet appointment yesterday to make sure there is nothing sinister behind her weight gain other than a year on pred, declining activity levels, and junky prescription food. I decided I would wait on using it and show it to the vet to see what she thought. She looked at it and the user manual and said, "I feel like I should have one of these for my animals at home." In Betty's physical, the vet felt her popliteal lymph nodes (the ones in the lower back legs) were more palpable than she was expecting. The fact that they were symmetrically palpable may or may not be better news. She said she didn't think it was a lymphoma because Betty's weight isn't an issue and her appetite remains strong. But just to be on the safe side, I'm holding off on using the LumaSoothe until the cytology comes back on those nodes.

Betty still enjoys the PetsPEMF mat and that makes me happy because she can decide for herself what parts need the most attention. I had been putting the Loop on her back half all this time thinking it was her back legs, hips, and spine that was more sore. After all, my low back is where I hold most of my aches and pains. But the first time I put the mat out for her, she melted her front half onto it. "I've been Looping the wrong half of you this whole time!"

So yeah. I'm still waiting myself to see how the LumaSoothe works out. I can't say that the Loop or the PetsPEMF pad are working miracles like the reviews. But that Betty seeks out the mat is enough of an endorsement for me.

 

[daftcat75]

As for the Loop, Betty is a great sport about it. Much better sport when I Loop her back than her front, mostly because it’s just awkward Looping her front half. She usually doesn’t shift away. But it must be doing something to her/for her. When she’s in my lap (when I usually Loop her), I can often tell when the cycle ends because Betty shifts or relaxes when it turns off. I figure if it was really uncomfortable she would let me know. Sometimes I do things like this: drop the Loop on a sleeping Betty and let her decide if she wants to dig herself out of there to avoid a cycle.

 

[IndyJones]

I found her little tail poking out lol. Thinks we can't see her.

 

[Mac and Cats]

I got about halfway through Jessica’s article before I decided to buy it. Only after I paid for it, I finished the article where it essentially says LumaSoothe is likely a better complimentary than primary treatment. LumaSoothe and Helio Pet are LLLT devices which are lower power and work differently than cold laser. Still. Betty will sit though just about anything. (Except claw trims. ) Betty looks stiff and in pain when she walks. She gained two pounds over the last year on steroids and I think it’s taken a toll on her joints. Her vet keeps pressing me for Solensia. But she also had gut and teeth issues that I didn’t want to complicate with a drug that counts butt and gut issues among its main side effects.

Earlier this month, I got her a Petspemf mat. PEMF is another non-invasive therapy that stimulates internal healing and relief through magnetic induction. Does the PEMF mat work? I’m not sure. But Betty loves it. She will gravitate to it if she’s not sleeping or sitting in my lap. I’ll turn the mat on while I’m cooking breakfast and she’ll come down off the bed to lay on the mat. She still looks stiff. It’s not a miracle cure. But she seems grateful to have the mat. She’ll lay on it even when it’s not on. But when I do turn it on, she seems to melt into it.

Petspemf Pad for Cats | PEMF Therapy Mat for Cats

Would you be willing to try the Solensia for one injection? I have a cat that has very severe arthritis and have been giving it to her monthly for about 9 months now and it has done absolute wonders for her. I know Betty has issues, so I understand being hesitant, but maybe she wouldn't have any side effects? I guess the only way to find out is try it and I totally understand being nervous about that.

 

[daftcat75]

Would you be willing to try the Solensia for one injection? I have a cat that has very severe arthritis and have been giving it to her monthly for about 9 months now and it has done absolute wonders for her. I know Betty has issues, so I understand being hesitant, but maybe she wouldn't have any side effects? I guess the only way to find out is try it and I totally understand being nervous about that.

I probably just switched vets within her current practice because the head vet was pressuring me too much about Solensia. No-one is really certain just how old Betty is. But she's likely half the age of most cats that start Solensia. And your cat seems to be an outlier from much of the reading I've done on Solensia. I reviewed the threads here and most of the cats never went past four or five injections before they built antibodies to the antibodies. The effectiveness declines with repeated use and there were many troubling side effects like yowling that seemed to increase with repeated use. I have no doubt that Solenisa can be useful. But I also believe it's usefulness is limited. And I'm just not ready to burn that bridge when Betty is presumably still quite young. I also feel like I haven't nearly exhausted her other options yet. Yes, Betty does have other things going on. I manage her conditions at a glacial pace. If it's working, I'm hesitant to change anything. When I do change something, I tend to isolate it and not allow other changes to come in if I can help it. Her weight and possibly her teeth and now whatever that cytology might reveal are her current priorities. I'm not ready to throw a wrench in the progress she's made on her gut. Especially if it's just going to be for a short period before it isn't effective anymore. And since yowling is one of Betty's warning signs of impending gut doom, I'd like to keep those signal channels clean. I don't want to be left wondering whether she's yowling because she's about to bring up a hairball or she's yowling because, well, I don't know why cats yowl on Solensia. So yeah. It's just a huge variable I don't want to introduce into her mix yet.

 

[daftcat75]

I got the cytology back yesterday. All clear. Nothing but fat cells seen on the slides.

We started the LumaSoothe sessions last night. I wasn’t sure if she’d sit through them. For lack of a better word, they are “loud”. Not audibly but visually. If I don’t press the head directly against her (which is safe to do), all those pulsating lasers create quite the distracting light show. Thankfully it only took me one session to figure out that pressing the head flat against her coat cuts down all that visual noise greatly. So the next challenge I have is that the head is small relative to the areas I want to treat. Because it’s only a class 1 or class 2 laser, I have to keep it on the spot for longer than a stronger laser. So I have to use it multiple times to treat her. We’re only a handful of starter sessions into this. Starter sessions are five minute treatment times to get us both used to this. We will need to get up to fifteen minute sessions to provide the full effect. Maybe next week I’ll imagine I’m seeing a slightly less stiff kitty?

As my arm is getting tired holding this here, I’m thinking if this is helpful, I’ll definitely spring for a more powerful device. Possibly something we both can use. The difference in price is substantial though.

 

[BubbyBaloo]

I got the cytology back yesterday. All clear. Nothing but fat cells seen on the slides.

We started the LumaSoothe sessions last night. I wasn’t sure if she’d sit through them. For lack of a better word, they are “loud”. Not audibly but visually. If I don’t press the head directly against her (which is safe to do), all those pulsating lasers create quite the distracting light show. Thankfully it only took me one session to figure out that pressing the head flat against her coat cuts down all that visual noise greatly. So the next challenge I have is that the head is small relative to the areas I want to treat. Because it’s only a class 1 or class 2 laser, I have to keep it on the spot for longer than a stronger laser. So I have to use it multiple times to treat her. We’re only a handful of starter sessions into this. Starter sessions are five minute treatment times to get us both used to this. We will need to get up to fifteen minute sessions to provide the full effect. Maybe next week I’ll imagine I’m seeing a slightly less stiff kitty?

As my arm is getting tired holding this here, I’m thinking if this is helpful, I’ll definitely spring for a more powerful device. Possibly something we both can use. The difference in price is substantial though.
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Hi - just checking to see how it is going with the laser - Im thinking of buying a cold light therapy device for my 17.5 year old boy. He was on Solensia for 10 months - initially great then it seemed to not do much and he yowled constantly, was confused, ate and drank voraciously and his kidney levels increased. Hoping all that subsides with time and hope i didnt do additional damage. Now I need to find an alternate to manage his comfort level. the vet is pushing adequan but I had a bad experience with it with my dog (she died after the second shot) so Im hesitant. I saw you mentioned laser not good if cancer present. My boy may have GI Lymphoma but not 100% confirmed as biopsy would be too risky and traumatizing so wondering if he is a candidate for laser in the first place-any info would be helpful

 

[daftcat75]

Hi - just checking to see how it is going with the laser - Im thinking of buying a cold light therapy device for my 17.5 year old boy. He was on Solensia for 10 months - initially great then it seemed to not do much and he yowled constantly, was confused, ate and drank voraciously and his kidney levels increased. Hoping all that subsides with time and hope i didnt do additional damage. Now I need to find an alternate to manage his comfort level. the vet is pushing adequan but I had a bad experience with it with my dog (she died after the second shot) so Im hesitant. I saw you mentioned laser not good if cancer present. My boy may have GI Lymphoma but not 100% confirmed as biopsy would be too risky and traumatizing so wondering if he is a candidate for laser in the first place-any info would be helpful

I haven’t been using the laser. It is visually loud like a little blinking rave light show. It was distracting for both of us. And you have to hold it in a single spot for 15 minutes. Betty probably would have been okay with it except for the blinking. There are more expensive devices that can cut this down to 5 minutes and presumably don’t blink or have a better way of transmitting the light. They are probably more effective too. Search “cold laser vs LLLT” (LLLT = low level light therapy.) This pocket party I have is an LLLT device. Cold laser is something many vets have. You could bring him into the office for a few cold laser treatments before deciding whether to get one for home treatments. They are quite a bit more expensive than LLLT devices though. Sorry I really don’t have any real testimonial to offer on either.

 

[BubbyBaloo]

I haven’t been using the laser. It is visually loud like a little blinking rave light show. It was distracting for both of us. And you have to hold it in a single spot for 15 minutes. Betty probably would have been okay with it except for the blinking. There are more expensive devices that can cut this down to 5 minutes and presumably don’t blink or have a better way of transmitting the light. They are probably more effective too. Search “cold laser vs LLLT” (LLLT = low level light therapy.) This pocket party I have is an LLLT device. Cold laser is something many vets have. You could bring him into the office for a few cold laser treatments before deciding whether to get one for home treatments. They are quite a bit more expensive than LLLT devices though. Sorry I really don’t have any real testimonial to offer on either.

Thanks! That's actually good info. I can look for cold laser just wish I had a place to go to that could good reviews. I dont want to take him to vet for it because he gets supper stressed out at vet's. I also need to find out if ok to do on cat with possible GI lymphoma. i'll ask vet this. Thanks again