New Treatment Option Available at OVRS

Oakland Veterinary Referral Service is on a mission to stay on the cutting edge of technology and medicine when it comes to treating your pets.

That is why we are pleased to now offer extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) to our patients.  Want to better understand this new treatment option? 

• Shock wave does not have anything to do with an electrical shock.   In fact, the technology uses high intensity, focused sound waves to do its magic.
• Shock wave has been used in horses since 1998 and in humans even longer, but is only now becoming more commonly used in small animalpractice.
• ESWT is used to treat a variety of acute and chronic musculoskeletal injuries and diseases including osteoarthritis, hip dysplasia, chronic back issues, tendon and ligament problems, fractures, and some chronic skin problems.
• Treatment may be done alone or in conjunction with other therapies.
• The ESWT probe generates a series of high pressure sound waves and focuses them to a target tissue.  The energy from the sound waves is released in the tissues, producing healing and pain relieving effects.
• Some of the effects that shock wave therapy has on the tissues include increased blood supply to the area, increased bone regeneration, and release of anti-inflammatory mediators.
• Due to mild discomfort and the sound generated during treatment, small animals are sedated during a session.
• Depending on the nature of the problem being treated and its response to therapy, several treatments may be required.

We are excited to be offering this technology to our patients.  If you have any questions or would like your pet evaluated to see if he or she is a candidate for ESWT, please do not hesitate to contact us.