Red Light vs. Laser Therapy for Dogs — Is there a best option for my dog?
Many owners come to me seeking laser therapy but also mentioning they’ve looked into home devices. Some of the things I often hear are:
“I was thinking about buying a red light coat for my dog. The reviews were really good”
“Could you look at the home laser I found? The price is good but do you think it will work?”
And even recently an owner told me “my vet said I should just get a laser to use on her at home.”
Both laser therapy and red light therapy are types of light therapy or photobiomodulation. The goal is to stimulate the body’s natural processes with light. Often the goal is to help resolve an injury, relieve pain or heal a wound.
Unfortunately, it can be quite confusing to know what works and what we are wasting time and money on. Furthermore, the vast number of devices and settings can make the research difficult to interpret. This blog will aid owners in understanding the broad strokes of what is worthy of their resources.
What is Photobiomodulation (PBM)?
PBM uses red and/or near-infrared light to influence cellular activity. The mechanisms by which it works is not fully understood but they It may affect mitochondrial activity, inflammation, circulation, pain and tissue repair. PBM can be delivered by LEDs or lasers. The treatment comes from the light delivered by either device.
Takeaway: Treatment is not automatically effective because it’s being done by a laser. The same goes for an LED or red light therapy device. It’s how the device is used that matters.
What is the difference between LED and laser?
Both LED and laser typically used red and near-infrared light. A red light wavelength is usually between 600 and 700nm and is absorbed more superficially while the infrared wavelength is between 700 and 1100nm and generally penetrates deeper than visible red light..
Laser and LED may use the same wavelength but the results are different based on how concentrated the light is, how much energy the device puts out, how large an area that energy is spread over, and how quickly the dose is delivered.
For example, an LED and a laser might both use 810 nm near-infrared light, but the laser may deliver much more energy into a smaller, more targeted area. That can make it easier to get a meaningful dose into deeper tissues.
In other words: same “type” of light, potentially very different amount of light actually reaching the target tissue.
What matters most is the dose.
This is where photobiomodulation gets confusing. You can't determine the effectiveness of a treatment simply by asking, “Was laser used?”
Think of it like having a headache. You could say you took Tylenol but it didn’t help. However, what type of Tylenol, how much and when are all variable. If I took a drop of infant Tylenol and didn’t have an effect that is a much different scenario (though very easy to see WHY it didn’t work!).
Treatment dosage depends on multiple variables including:
wavelength
power
irradiance
energy delivered
treatment time
size of the area treated
depth of the target tissue
contact versus non-contact application
treatment frequency
coat thickness and colour
This is where knowing the parameters of the device (whether laser or LED), the anatomy of the dog, the type of injury and the chronicity of the injury (I.e. acute vs. chronic) and the goal of treatment (i.e. pain relief, stimulation of acupuncture points, muscle relaxation) are important.
You can own an entirely appropriate device and still use it incorrectly.
In cases where owners have purchased home devices, I have to sit down and do some math to determine the appropriate laser settings. I struggle to do it on the spot. And I’m actually VERY okay with it.
Two ends of the spectrum:
too little may do nothing,
an appropriate dose may be beneficial,
too much may reduce the desired effect.
Many devices marketed to dog owners list wavelengths prominently as well as other features which make the device sound promising. A device may have many settings suggesting that the owner has a lot of control. Many owners will see a device like this one on Amazon and automatically think “this will appropriately treat my dog’s hip dysplasia.”
Improvement may be attributed to the device even when we don't know whether it delivered a therapeutic dose (if there is an actual correct therapeutic setting for the specific issues they are trying to treat).
Going back to the Tylenol example, knowing the wavelength is a little like knowing what medication is in the bottle without knowing the dose. And if you have kids like me, you’re always checking the dose!
Don’t forget about the fur!
Dogs have one thing humans (at least usually!) don’t have…fur covering their bodies! That fur can affect how well the light from a laser (and LED) reaches the target area.
A canine study involving 47 dogs found that coat colour and shaving significantly affected how much laser light reached the underlying tissues. Darker coats allowed less light through, while shaving improved transmission. This is another reason why simply choosing the “right” device or wavelength doesn’t guarantee that the target tissue is receiving the intended dose.
There is no research into how a dogs coat impacts LED effectiveness.
What does the research on laser use in dogs actually show?
The research on laser effectiveness is quite varied. This is not totally unexpected. There are lots of conditions, devices, protocols and other variables that can dramatically change the outcome (as discussed above!).
Osteoarthritis
Some of the most positive research into laser therapy comes from the canine osteoarthritis space. Some positive examples include:
A regular schedule of laser therapy over 6-weeks improved lameness and pain, and reduced the need for anti-inflammatories in dogs with elbow arthritis
Improved pain and function in dogs with hip arthritis following 3-weeks of laser therapy
Increased activity level in dogs and thus quality of life in dogs with arthritis following 6-weeks of laser therapy
There is encouraging evidence that laser therapy can improve pain, mobility or activity in dogs with osteoarthritis. These studies used defined therapeutic protocols. They do not prove that every laser — or every consumer red-light device — will produce the same result.
Post-CCL Injury TPLO Surgery
Following TPLO surgery, most surgeons will recommend laser therapy to aid in healing. However, the evidence is much less convincing than common practice might suggest. A 2023 study found no statistically significant improvements in pain, weight bearing, bone healing or recovery versus the control treatment (essentially a pretend laser device). A 2025 review study found inconclusive evidence that laser therapy aids in healing post TPLO surgery.
IVDD/neurological disease
Laser therapy is often used in the treatment of neurological conditions to stimulate healing of the spinal cord and nerves. The outcomes of these studies are generally positive. Some highlights include:
Dogs who underwent a thoracolumbar laminectomy for IVDD regained ambulation at a median time of 3.5days when receiving laser versus 14 days in the surgery only group
A retrospective study on dogs with degenerative myelopathy found that dogs receiving higher intensity laser therapy had longer survival times
While the majority of studies into neurological conditions and PDM are positive, not all studies found positive outcomes including:
A study of dogs who received real versus sham laser following spinal surgery for IVDD showed no significant difference between groups
What about home red-light devices?
The biggest problem is not that these devices use LEDs. It's that we often don't know whether they can deliver an appropriate dose to the tissue being treated to achieve the treatment goals.
Some questions to ask when considering an LED device:
What wavelengths does it use?
What is the irradiance in mW/cm²? How far from the surface is the device used (more distance = more light lost)
What treatment area does it cover?
How many joules/cm² are delivered during the recommended treatment?
Is there any research on this particular device (or settings)?
If the only information provided is “red + infrared light with 120 LEDs,” that tells you very little about the device and if it would be effective.
LEDs have been studied in dogs, but the canine clinical evidence is mostly in dermatology and often involves specialized LED-plus-gel systems. There appears to be very little direct canine research showing that standalone red or near-infrared LED devices improve arthritis or musculoskeletal pain.
What would cause a high quality vet laser not to work?
This is where clinical knowledge and problem solving is paramount. Someone can purchase a high quality laser that has research to show that it is effective but use it incorrectly. How can this happen? It may surprise you that this is easy to do.
For example:
treating too large an area too quickly
not accounting for coat/fur
using the same settings for every condition,
treating a superficial incision and a deep hip joint identically
using an inappropriate dose
failing to adjust as the condition changes.
The machine can’t make a clinical decision. A knowledgeable clinician can.
Laser isn't rehab
This is probably the biggest misconceptions I encounter and even vets will use laser and rehab interchangeably. It’s unfortunate. I believe a good rehabilitation program CAN include laser but not all laser is rehab. Just like all apples are fruit but not all fruit are apples.
Let’s break it down…
PBM may help:
pain,
inflammation,
tissue healing,
comfort.
Laser does not automatically improve:
strength,
endurance,
joint range of motion
balance,
movement patterns,
confidence,
Getting pain under control is vital for many rehab programs in the early stagues at which point PBM is very useful but pain relief can also come from movement, massage and manual therapy. Once pain has improved, the rehab program must shift in order to see continued gains. And if PBM is continued, likely the settings need an update.
Photobiomodulation, whether it be laser or red-light therapy fits best as part of a robust and complete treatment plan. And sometimes we don’t need it at all.
What’s the bottom line.
Before buying a red-light or laser for home use, ask yourself
What exactly am I trying to treat?
How deep is the target tissue?
What wavelength does the device use?
How much energy does it actually deliver?
Does my dog's coat affect delivery?
Is there research supporting this device or protocol?
Will this replace something my dog actually needs — such as exercise or pain management?
If the answers to these questions aren’t easy to come by or the answers aren’t sufficient, it’s possible the purchase isn’t worthwhile.
The right question isn't simply “LED or laser?”
It's “Are we delivering an appropriate dose of light to the right tissue for the right reason?”
References:
Looney AL, Huntingford JL, Blaeser LL, Mann S. A randomized blind placebo-controlled trial investigating the effects of photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) on canine elbow osteoarthritis. Can Vet J. 2018;59(9):959-966.
Alves JC, Santos A, Jorge P, Carreira LM. A randomized double-blinded controlled trial on the effects of photobiomodulation therapy in dogs with osteoarthritis. Am J Vet Res. 2022;83(8):ajvr.22.03.0036. Published 2022 Jun 28. doi:10.2460/ajvr.22.03.0036
Barale, Loris et al. “Effects of low-level laser therapy on impaired mobility in dogs with naturally occurring osteoarthritis.” Veterinary medicine and science vol. 9,2 (2023): 653-659. doi:10.1002/vms3.997
Chavez OA, Renberg W, Cernicchiaro N. Photobiomodulation therapy in dogs undergoing TPLO after cranial cruciate ligament rupture shows promise but no statistically significant difference in a randomized trial. Am J Vet Res. 2023;85(2):ajvr.23.06.0138. Published 2023 Dec 5. doi:10.2460/ajvr.23.06.0138
Moore L. Does LLLT improve radiographic healing for dogs with cranial cruciate ligament rupture undergoing TPLO surgery?. Vet Evid. 2025;10(4):vetevid-10-4-726. Published 2025 Nov 5. doi:10.18849/ve.v10i4.726
Draper WE, Schubert TA, Clemmons RM, Miles SA. Low-level laser therapy reduces time to ambulation in dogs after hemilaminectomy: a preliminary study. J Small Anim Pract. 2012;53(8):465-469. doi:10.1111/j.1748-5827.2012.01242.x
Bennaim M, Porato M, Jarleton A, et al. Preliminary evaluation of the effects of photobiomodulation therapy and physical rehabilitation on early postoperative recovery of dogs undergoing hemilaminectomy for treatment of thoracolumbar intervertebral disk disease. Am J Vet Res. 2017;78(2):195-206. doi:10.2460/ajvr.78.2.195
Miller LA, Torraca DG, De Taboada L. Retrospective Observational Study and Analysis of Two Different Photobiomodulation Therapy Protocols Combined with Rehabilitation Therapy as Therapeutic Interventions for Canine Degenerative Myelopathy. Photobiomodul Photomed Laser Surg. 2020;38(4):195-205. doi:10.1089/photob.2019.4723
