Abstract
Thirty-six cases of subclinical mastitis and forty-six cases of various reproductive disorders (persistent corpus luteum [28], quiescent ovary [12], silent heat [5], and pyometra [1]) in dairy cattle were treated with low level laser acupuncture (LLLA) using a GaAlAs semiconductor diode laser (wavelength 830 nm, output 80 mW, contact mode of application). The efficacy of LLLA for subclinical mastitis, measured as a decrease in somatic cell count (SCC) of ≥ 100,000, was 80.6%. SCC decreased significantly from an average of 767,000 before LLLA to an average of 547,000 a month after LLLA (p < 0.005). The efficacy of LLLA for reproductive disorders, measured as the recurrence of heat within 1 month after beginning LLLA, was 80.4% (78.6% for persistent corpus luteum, 75% for quiescent ovary, 100.0% for silent heat and 0.0% for pyometra). The results suggest that low level laser acupuncture can be used as an alternative therapy for subclinical mastitis and reproductive disorders, excluding pyometra, in dairy cattle.
