Doctor donates laser to help burned horses

Lake Worth, FL – All eleven of the horses rescued from the devastating barn fire last Wednesday at the South Florida Trotting Center will now be getting daily therapeutic laser treatments.

Dr. Bruce Coren, DVM, MS and CEO of Technological Medical Advancements, LLC of West Palm Beach, was informed about the fire and the surviving horses and immediately "stepped up" and donated the use of one of his high power, high dose Diowave IV Therapeutic lasers.

Dr. Coren came out to the South Florida Trotting Center Monday afternoon to demonstrate to the staff how to use the laser.

"I want owner Sam Stathis, trainers Tom Haughton and Roman Lopez, and their staff to have this laser unit as long as it takes to help heal these horses," Dr. Coren said. "As soon as I heard what had happened I knew I had to help out.

"Our laser therapy is the fastest way that the burn wounds on these horses can be healed," Dr. Coren explained, "and this laser will also help heal the horse's lungs from the smoke and heat that have seared them inside. This is the strongest laser I have ever developed and is 60 watts of power. Most other lasers are just 15 and 30 watts."

Dr. Coren co-invented the first class IV laser back in 2002 and his company received FDA clearance for the first class IV laser in 2003.

"These laser treatments will also help stimulate hair growth," Coren added. "There is a very good chance that the burned patches on many of these horses will grow their hair back."

Joining Dr. Coren on Monday in instructing the staff on procedures to help the injured horses was Janus Marquis, who is the official physiotherapist for the U.S. Showjumping Team.

"Lasers work at reducing inflammation and increasing circulation," Explained Marquis. "The light is absorbed by the tissue, it makes tissue healthier on a cellular level."

"Words cannot express how grateful I am to Dr. Coren and Janus Marquis for coming to our aid with this great technology," said Stathis, owner of the South Florida Trotting Center and also owner of the first four horses that were released from the equine hospital this past weekend.

"This is a miracle come true having Dr. Coren and Janus Marquis assisting us," Stathis said. "God didn't want to take these horses. So many in our industry have been coming forward to help them both physically and with their well-wishes, sympathy and prayers. It's overwhelming how wonderful everyone has been during these trying times. Every day more people are coming forward and offering their help."

The fire on Wednesday, March 16 killed 12 of the 23 horses in the barn. Two of the horses are still in critical condition at the Reid & Associates Equine Hospital in Loxahatchee. The remaining four horses at the hospital are improving.

A horse racing online radio program, Post Time with Mike and Mike, has set up a GoFund Me account to help the horsemen and the training center. The group will split all funds raised through the site between trainers Roman Lopez and Thomas Haughton to help offset the cost of damages because of the fire.

Anyone wishing to donate to the fund can go to www.gofundme.com/SouthFLTrainingCtr or by visiting www.posttimewithmikeandmike.com.

By Steve Wolf for Stathis Enterprises