Red Light Therapy for Dogs: What the Research Says

The best evidence for red light therapy in dogs is for joints. In dogs with arthritis of the elbow or hip, controlled trials of laser therapy found less pain and lameness. Trials after spinal and knee surgery were mixed to negative, and three well-controlled wound studies found no effect. Almost all of this research used clinic lasers, not the LED panels people use at home. If you want to try light on an older dog's stiff joints, talk to your vet first, keep the light away from the eyes, start with short sessions and never hold a dog in place that wants to move. That covers most of it. The rest of this article goes through the studies, the safety rules vets use, and how to set up a home session.

Does red light therapy work for dogs?

Sometimes, for some problems, and the research is thinner than most pet product pages suggest.

A 2023 systematic review in Animals looked at light therapy studies in animals from 1980 to 2020 and kept 45 of them: 24 in dogs, one in cats and the rest in horses. The authors found the studies were of limited scientific quality, with a high or moderate risk of bias, and the methods varied too much to pool the results. Full review. The American Animal Hospital Association's 2022 pain guidelines take a similar line, placing laser therapy among the add-on options and noting that little work has been done on its benefit for chronic pain. AAHA guidelines.

That is not the same as saying it does nothing. It means the good results are concentrated in one area, arthritis, and elsewhere the picture is weak.

What has red light therapy been studied for in dogs?

Arthritis, recovery after spinal surgery, recovery after knee surgery, and wounds. The results differ a lot between them.

Every one of these used lasers in a clinic, most of them powerful Class IV units. No controlled trial of a home LED panel on dogs has been published that we know of, so the results above cannot be assumed to carry over to one.

Red light therapy for dogs with arthritis

This is where the evidence is strongest. The same 2023 review counted a positive randomised trial in elbow arthritis, and a 2022 trial found it helped dogs with hip arthritis.

That 2022 study, in the American Journal of Veterinary Research, treated 20 dogs with hip osteoarthritis, 40 joints in all, for three weeks, and compared laser therapy with a course of the anti-inflammatory drug meloxicam. The authors concluded that the light "reduced pain levels and improved clinical findings". Study summary. Small numbers, but a controlled design and a real comparison, which is more than most of this field offers.

If your dog is older, stiff getting up and on pain medication, light is something to raise with your vet as an addition to that plan. It is not a replacement for it. In people, the arthritis evidence looks much the same: red light therapy benefits covers the knee studies.

Red light therapy for dogs with IVDD and after surgery

The spinal surgery studies disagree with each other, and the knee surgery studies mostly found no benefit.

For intervertebral disc disease, the 2023 review found that only one of the four studies of laser after surgery showed a positive effect. For cruciate surgery, a 2018 randomised trial in the American Journal of Veterinary Research found no benefit on pain or on use of the leg. Study summary. After surgery, recovery should follow your vet's plan. If the practice offers laser as part of rehab, that is their call to make, not a home project.

Is red light therapy safe for dogs?

Generally yes, when the light stays out of the eyes and a few conditions are avoided. The side effects vets worry about most are damage to the retina and heat burns.

The Merck Veterinary Manual advises against light over tumours or suspected cancer, an overactive thyroid, areas that are actively bleeding, the eyes and a pregnant uterus. It also warns that in young dogs, higher-powered devices may cause growth plates to close early, and that tattooed skin absorbs a lot of light and can become painful. Merck Veterinary Manual. Dark coats and heavily pigmented skin are not a reason to avoid it, according to veterinary rehab practitioners, but they warm up faster, so the skin temperature needs checking. Veterinary Practice News.

Eyes are the firm rule. A dog will not understand that near-infrared is shining at it, because it cannot see it, and it will not look away. So the light goes on the body, with the head facing away or shielded, every time.

In the US, the FDA does not require any premarket clearance for devices intended for animals, so no pet light device has been through an FDA review for use on dogs, whatever its packaging suggests. FDA on animal devices.

Can you use red light therapy on your dog at home?

Yes, with your vet's agreement and some care. Dogs can lie in front of a panel, or a small dog can sit on your lap with its back to it.

Vet clinics and rehab centres have used light on joints, wounds and skin for years, and home devices bring the same idea into the living room. The difference is supervision. At home you are the one watching the dog, checking the warmth and deciding when to stop.

• See your vet first, especially for lumps, a pregnant dog, a puppy, a thyroid problem, recent surgery or any medication.
• Aim at the body. Keep the head turned away, or treat from behind or from the side.
• Check the skin with your hand every few minutes. It should feel warm, never hot.
• Stop if your dog gets restless, pants or tries to leave. Never hold a dog in place.
• If you hold a small dog in your lap, you are in the light too: wear the goggles, and the precautions for people apply to you.

How long and how often should you use red light therapy on a dog?

No standard dog dose exists for home panels. The panel makers that publish numbers suggest 5 to 15 minutes per area at 4 to 12 inches, anywhere from daily to two or three times a week.

Those ranges come from the companies that sell pet and panel devices, not from trials, and they vary a lot. The safest way to use them is to start at the gentle end: further away, shorter sessions, fewer of them. We would begin at about 12 inches, with a 5-minute session on one area, two or three times a week, and only move closer or longer if your vet agrees and your dog is comfortable. Give it a few weeks before you judge it, and keep notes on how your dog gets up in the morning and how far it walks, since your memory will not be precise enough.

What about cats?

There is almost no research. The 2023 review found a single cat study among its 45.

Cats are also harder to keep in one place in front of a light, and the AAHA guidelines note that repeated clinic visits can limit laser therapy for them. If you want to try it on a cat, the same rules apply, with even more patience: let the cat choose to stay, and stop the moment it wants to go.

Using the Kivorla panel with your dog

You can use our panel with a dog, following the rules above. Its timer and dimmers make a gentle start easy.

If you set nothing, the panel stops after 5 minutes, which suits a first session. Each of its nine wavelengths, from 480 to 1060 nm, has its own dimmer, so you can run the near-infrared channels, which reach deeper, and turn the visible ones down, which also makes the panel less bright for the dog. Its irradiance is published at 6 inches: at least 1567 W/m² across the spectrum, of which at least 1200 W/m² is near-infrared. That is a strong output, and it is the reason we suggest starting from about 12 inches with a dog rather than 6. The front surface stays at or below 40°C, but fur and dark skin still warm up, so keep checking with your hand. The goggles in the box are for you. And if you are pregnant or on medication that makes your skin sensitive to light, do not sit in front of the panel holding a pet.

The 9-Spectrum Red Light Therapy Panel page lists its wavelengths, irradiance and controls, and the precautions page covers who should not use it. Returns are accepted within 30 days, less a 10% restocking fee if the panel is unopened with its seals intact, or 20% if it is opened but undamaged and complete. Standard shipping is free to the US, UK and Germany. If you are still weighing up a panel for yourself as well as your dog, are red light therapy panels worth it is a good place to start.

Kivorla devices are general wellness devices, not medical or veterinary devices. They do not diagnose or treat any condition in animals. If your dog is in pain or unwell, see a vet.