Laser treatment for badly burnt dog

Humanimals vet nurses give Demon laser therapy in Dunedin yesterday. Photo / Linda Robertson.

Free laser therapy is a heaven-sent gift for badly burnt dog Demon.

Sickness beneficiary Sheena Bell, of Dunedin, held her dog Demon yesterday as he had his first free laser therapy session on his open back wound.

Demon, a 6-year-old mastiff-cross, was trapped in a Cromwell house when it caught fire in 2011 and Miss Bell began fundraising on Monday to explore treatment options to heal the wound.

Humanimals manager Marie Hennessy said the Rankeilor St vet bought the laser therapy machine three weeks ago and contacted Miss Bell with the offer of free therapy on Wednesday, when Demon appeared in the ODT.

Mrs Hennessy greeted Demon in the South Dunedin vet clinic yesterday with a ''hello, handsome''.

He handled the eight minutes of therapy with ease.

Mrs Hennessy said the laser penetrated the tissue and stimulated the ''power cell within the cell'' to promote tissue growth.

Before the Dunedin clinic bought the laser, the nearest clinic for similar therapy was in Christchurch, she said.

Miss Bell said she had raised nearly $1800 for Demon by last night and started crying when someone donated $1000 yesterday.

''I had no idea it would go so big, so fast.''

She was overwhelmed by the generosity of Humanimals and the community.

Humanimals vet nurse Krystle Kelly said Demon would have laser therapy for five consecutive days.

The frequency of treatments after that would depend on the amount of new tissue growth on Demon's back.

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