While red light therapy has gained popularity as an alternative approach to healing for humans, did you know you can also potentially use it on dogs?
Whether they're recovering from post-surgery or dealing with chronic pain, pet owners can use RLT devices as a holistic, non-invasive approach to provide therapeutic benefits, treat various conditions, and help ease their pain.
In this article, the team at Rojo Light Therapy breaks down their potential applications for your furry friends, which might persuade you to utilise them for at-home treatment.
Red light therapy, also known as photobiomodulation, low-level laser light therapy (LLLT), or light-emitting diode (LED) therapy, applies red and near-infrared light (NIR) wavelengths on your skin to accelerate the body’s natural healing process and unlock health benefits.
According to numerous studies, infrared light can cause interaction with the mitochondria in your cells, increasing the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production in your body. This physiological process converts our carbohydrates and oxygen into energy and allows your body to use them better.
Additionally, studies also reveal that red light therapy is completely safe for humans, and its effectiveness and efficacy can extend to animals as well.
In this regard, dogs are currently the most researched household pets in these studies. According to their findings, RLT devices may be a viable at-home approach for dogs suffering from skin issues, acute and chronic pain, and more, particularly in:
-encouraging hair regrowth due to non-inflammatory alopecia
-stimulating cellular repair and regeneration in chronic wounds
-reducing heart muscle damage due to a heart attack
-reducing the time it takes for dogs to walk again after surgery
There are also peer-reviewed studies on applying red light therapy for cats. While research is vastly limited compared to existing discourse on canine subjects, RLT can help treat infections such as feline sporotrichosis (a type of fungal infection prevalent in Latin America) and gum diseases such as chronic gingivitis in our lovable furballs.
As a dog owner, it’s completely normal to feel concerned about using a novel therapy like an RLT device on your companion, as they can be sensitive to infrared wavelengths.
Thankfully, they can tolerate thermal heat, and if you have cats, they may even enjoy the comforting warmth it generates.
Additionally, another cause for concern that most pet owners might have is that red light might contain ultraviolet (UV) light, which could lead to adverse side effects. In reality, RLT devices work on a completely different spectrum, using red and near-infrared (NIR) light to stimulate healing processes.
We do not have a recommended dosage for dogs. However, a good rule of thumb to follow is to use RLT in proportion to the size of your pet, the thickness of their fur, and their color.
That’s because large dogs with thicker and darker fur may need longer dosages and exposure when compared to smaller, lighter-colored dogs, as their fur can absorb red light more effectively.
A good workaround to this issue is to shave the fur in the area where you’ll be applying red light therapy to. This way, their fur won’t block out most of the light, and therefore it will take less time to achieve the desired therapeutic effect.
Whether you’ll be using it to improve recovery or help treat diseases in dogs, red light therapy devices offer effectiveness without any notable pain or discomfort – and plenty of animal studies back up this claim.
If you would love to ramp up safety to the highest degree, Rojo’s RLT devices have ultra-low electromagnetic field (EMF) and extremely low frequency (ELF) radiation properties, which prevent potential health risks by preventing them from reaching harmful levels.
This way, your furry friends are ensured safety and you, peace of mind. Contact us today to get started.