Dr. Brad Cahoon has been a veterinarian for over two decades and was an early adopter of veterinary laser therapy. A certified veterinary acupuncturist, he practices at an integrative medical practice that blends Eastern and Western medicine, and he has been a Cutting Edge Laser customer for roughly 15 years.
That long view makes him a valuable voice for any veterinarian weighing whether to move on from an older therapy laser. He has worked with several generations of the technology in day-to-day practice, and he believes so strongly in the M-Vet that he bought one for his own home.
In this Q&A, Dr. Cahoon shares how laser therapy has evolved over the past 20 years, the cases that convinced him, and why he considers the M-Vet upgrade worth making.
Dr. Brad Cahoon, DVM, CVA
Veterinary Healing Center of El Dorado Hills
How long have you been using laser therapy in veterinary practice?
Our first therapy laser was the Companion Laser, and that was fairly early on, when lasers were just starting to come out, probably about 20 years ago. Back then there weren’t a lot of options available. It wasn’t MLS technology; it was the older, hotter laser technology. We used it for a number of years, mostly for musculoskeletal problems and inflammation.
How did you discover MLS® Laser Therapy, and what changed when you switched?
I believe it was at a veterinary conference, though I can’t remember exactly. What I do remember is that when we decided to purchase a surgical laser from Cutting Edge, there was a buy-one-get-one deal at the time, so we got the EVO laser along with it.
Once we started using the MLS technology, it was a no-brainer. Our treatment times dropped by 60 or 70%. You didn’t have to move the handpiece constantly the way you did with the older lasers. It just made everything so much more efficient. That pretty much put our old laser on the shelf for good.
What made you choose the M-Vet after using the EVO?
I sold my practice about five years ago, so that purchasing decision wasn’t mine to make anymore. If it had been, I would have upgraded the practice’s EVO to the M-Vet shortly after I got my own. I think the M-Vet is a superior product in terms of power, treatment time, and the technology behind it. And recently I bought one of the handheld lasers too, for when I travel.
How does the M-Vet compare to older therapy lasers?
The power is significantly greater, which means you can treat more effectively in a shorter amount of time. Treatment times are cut down to a quarter of what they used to be, sometimes even faster. And the ability to do point-to-point treatment rather than constantly moving the handpiece is huge. With the older, hotter lasers, if you didn’t keep moving, you’d burn the patient. They get hot. With the M-Vet, you can hold it in one spot for an extended period with no negative effects. That’s a massive difference, especially when your technicians are the ones performing most of the treatments. With a new tech in the back, you don’t have to worry anymore. You just wear your glasses and don’t shine it in anyone’s face.
Can laser therapy help heal large wounds in dogs?
Yes. We had a dog come in with a wound on the side of its thigh about the size of a pie plate. This was about 10 years ago, when we were using the EVO. Through combination therapy, including laser, it took about four or five months, but we got that wound to heal completely without surgery. That case really showed what this technology can do beyond just pain and inflammation management.
How does laser therapy help veterinary patients recover after surgery?
We use the laser on virtually all of our post-surgical patients. In our practice, treating a surgical site for three days means we can often take sutures out in five or six days rather than the standard two weeks. It reduces inflammation, controls pain, and lowers the risk of animals going after their incision sites.
How does laser therapy fit into an integrative veterinary practice?
It’s a cornerstone of our combination therapy protocols. Take a dachshund that comes in down in the hind end from a back problem and the owner can’t pursue surgery. We can fix a lot of those dogs by combining acupuncture, herbal therapies, and laser. Orthopedically, the results are dramatic: cruciate injuries, intervertebral disc disease, soft tissue injuries. The laser amplifies everything else we’re doing.
And honestly, sometimes owners can’t afford the full protocol, so we just use the laser on its own. In less severe cases, those animals respond really well.
What is Cutting Edge Laser's customer support like for veterinary lasers?
Really positive. The lasers are well-built. We haven’t needed a lot of support, but when we have had issues, the response has been prompt. Replacement parts overnighted, loaner units sent out while ours was being repaired. That kind of service matters when you’re talking about expensive equipment. I’ve seen other laser companies retire older models and drop support entirely, which is frustrating. That hasn’t been our experience with Cutting Edge. We’ve been with them for about 15 years on both the therapy and surgical side, and I wouldn’t change that. The surgical laser is awesome, too. I love using that piece of equipment.
Is the M-Vet worth the upgrade from an older laser system?
Whether you’re on a competitor’s product or an earlier Cutting Edge model, the advantages of the M-Vet are clear: superior power, shorter treatment times, safer for technicians, and easier to use. The pricing across the market is close enough that cost isn’t really a differentiating factor. So the question becomes: why would you buy a laser that takes four times as long to treat and gets hot when you hold it in one spot?
Our Cutting Edge rep has referred a lot of veterinarians who were on the fence to me, and what I tell them is simple: it’s telling that veterinarians are buying these lasers and taking them home for their own families. That’s not something you do with a piece of equipment you’re not fully convinced by.
