Red Light Therapy for Dogs: What the Viral Trend Gets Wrong (and Right)

Red light therapy is all over my social media feeds. In recent weeks, I’ve been served a constant stream of LED-focused content: face masks, wands, wall panels, even gyms boasting infrared studios and saunas, which promise to tone my muscles while improving my skin texture and sleep health.

I’m not alone: on TikTok, fans have not only succumbed to a red light device for themselves, they’re raiding their skincare cabinets for their pups, too.

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I’ll admit, I’ve been influenced: last week, I encouraged my Bulldog nephew, Pork Chop, to snooze in front of the Solis red light panel I bought for myself just before the New Year. You know, in case it eased his joint stiffness and improved his skin issues... who knows it might even extend his lifespan. 

Reportedly, that’s how Paris Hilton’s beloved Chihuahua, Harajuku B***h, who died in May 2023, reached the grand old age of 23. (A Chihuahua’s average lifespan is between 12–18 years.)

Paris Hilton is one reason there’s endless video content of cute dogs sitting under red light pads or posing with their humans’ LED face masks strapped around their backs and captions such as: “Are you normal or did you buy your dog a red light mask for Christmas because Paris Hilton said it made her dog live to 25”? But she’s not all to blame: as a society, we’ve become pathologically obsessed by the ideal of ageing well and ‘living forever’ and, of course, we want our beloved pooches along for the ride with us. 

Here’s what’s interesting: red light therapy may have gained traction due to a celebrity fad, but there’s also peer-reviewed scientific research supporting the use of red light therapy for canines (and humans). Veterinary professionals and holistic practitioners around the UK (and globally) use LED devices and lasers as a complementary therapy to help treat skin issues and arthritic joints, among other ailments. 

From skincare to pet care

Consumer LED devices, typically priced from £300 to over £1,000, are everywhere in 2026, promising better skin, better sleep and more energy, but light therapy is nothing new. Not only has it been used in medical settings for decades, red light therapy was a pioneering treatment for smallpox scarring in the 19th century.

Red light therapy is purported to have myriad benefits, ranging from the superficial (improving skin tone and texture, healing wounds, minimising scars by stimulating collagen production and reducing inflammation), to positives that penetrate beneath the skin including joint pain relief and assisting with muscle recovery. Red light therapy can potentially help with mood, energy, immunity and sleep, too. 

Add Paris Hilton dog longevity levels to the above claims and it’s no wonder pet parents around the world, like French bulldog mum Kaylin, are posting videos of themselves with their pooches, all using LED gadgets in tandem. Kaylin captioned her video – viewed over 59.5k times and counting on TikTok – “When you hear red light therapy makes your dogs live longer so you develop a new nighttime routine.”

“When it comes to light therapy, there’s so much misinformation,” says London-based veterinary nurse, Lilo Ask-Henriksen, who specialises in holistic animal health and previously trained as a medical laser therapist. 

“A lot of people say, ‘I’m using a red light for my dog’s arthritis’. I’m thinking: you might have more circulation and that might give some pain relief, but you’re not working deep into the actual tissue. You need an infrared light to go deeper.”

What actually is red light therapy for dogs?

With that in mind, what is red light therapy and how does it differ to infrared light? Light therapy is also known as photobiomodulation, an umbrella term referring to therapeutic, non-invasive methods to stimulate tissue healing at the cellular level. 

“You have the whole range of the rainbow when it comes to light. Each frequency of light, each colour, has different benefits. Then you have the strength of the machine impacting the quality and healing benefits,” explains Lilo. 

Each colour in the rainbow light spectrum corresponds to its own frequency range: red light wavelengths typically range from 600–650nm, while near-infrared (NIR) waves penetrate deeper, from 800–1000+nm. 

There is a growing body of research which highlights how specific frequencies of red light emitted via photobiomodulation can stimulate the energy production within mitochondria in our cells, working to reduce blood glucose levels, as well as treating poorly healing wounds and chronic inflammation.

Enhancing mitochondrial function via red/NIR light frequencies in turn boosts the production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the “cellular currency” of cells when it comes to energy. This can boost metabolism, improve cellular repair and collagen production, and even help counteract age-related decline. 

This principle is the same for humans as it is for canines; in fact, light therapy has been used on a range of animals, from elephants to hedgehogs. 

What the research shows

“When it comes to laser and light therapy, my teacher always said: you need three things for a successful outcome. The right diagnosis, the right device and the right therapist,” Lilo says. (Her point is well-illustrated in a 2018 Canine Veterinary Journal study investigating the effects of light therapy on canine osteoarthritis. Improvements in lameness and pain scores were only seen with higher intensity light frequencies – 980nm – not red light’s 650nm.) 

Bad news for Paris Hilton fans: a consumer-facing LED face mask designed for human skin is not going to work miracles on your dog’s arthritic joints. Even if the device does have benefits beyond the placebo effect, they won’t be as powerful, effective or penetrate as deeply as a similar treatment with a Class IV medical-grade laser you’d find in a professional setting. 

Lilo gives the example of a Husky who came to her with a severe back injury: despite having spent two months with a physio, doing photobiomodulation therapy in addition to rehab, there had been no improvement in the Husky’s condition, so Lilo asked for more information on the red light therapy device that was being used, only to discover it was a £40 gadget purchased on Amazon. 

“My laser, by comparison, is a £10k device. Maybe that £40 device has the right frequency, but it doesn't have the right power outlet. It might need to be on that skin area for five hours to have the same effect as two seconds with a stronger laser,” she explains. 

Most of the peer-reviewed studies that have been done in this space predominantly focus on photobiomodulation with professional-grade lasers, like the 904 nanometer infrared laser Lilo uses in her animal practice. (One study looking at this device concluded it “reduced the inflammatory response” of burn wounds in rats, enhancing “cellular proliferation, collagen deposition and wound contraction.”)

A 2022 research paper in the American Journal of Veterinary Research took a small sample size of 20 canines over a three-week period, and discovered photobiomodulation benefits in dogs with bilateral hip osteoarthritis.

Even home-safe LED devices, which offer more superficial, broad-spectrum coverage, have proven benefits when it comes to improving things such as skin texture. 

Just keep in mind these studies are still small and inconsistent (especially between devices), and commercially available LED devices likely don’t penetrate beyond the skin as many of us believe. 

One systematic study concluded that before red light therapy can be recommended for wide-scale clinical use in dogs, cats and horses, more research needs to be done, looking at larger sample sizes as well as dose titration (the frequency and power of light therapy make a big difference to its efficacy).

What conditions could red light therapy benefit in dogs?

Typically, veterinary professionals trained in photobiomodulation therapy for pets work with dogs (and cats, and other animals) who have skin allergies and wounds. Pet parents get referred for light therapy as a dog arthritis treatment offering pain relief and easing inflammation. It’s also used for tissue healing. 

It’s popular post-surgery, particularly for canine joint pain relief, according to Lilo: “We often saw a 50 percent quicker recovery time when we did laser. Because you reduce pain and inflammation, it speeds up tissue healing, which is what you want when you have an injury.” 

Emily Buchanan, veterinary nurse and founder at Curly Tails Canine Rehab, based in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, uses both LED devices and a Companion CTX-IQ laser on her canine clients (often in conjunction with Galen myotherapy massage). “The lower ranges (650nm) would be more suitable for something superficial, like say, treating a skin issue,” she says. “The higher wavelengths (850nm) would be more suitable for getting deep into the tissue, if you were looking to treat a muscle or a joint.”

Red light therapy has also been used for both human and canine dental care: one 2023 study in Foundation for Veterinary Dentistry found that a Class IV laser significantly reduced gingivitis in dogs after professional dental cleaning.

Anna Webb, a canine behaviour and nutrition expert and host of A Dog’s Life podcast, has been using an at-home LED device called the Photizo Vet Care since 2014, after it was recommended to her by animal physiotherapist, Sherry Scott, MBE. 

She credits red light therapy for helping multiple pets of hers, including a Bull Terrier with split skin that required dog boots to walk as a result of conformation issues with her front paws, and an English Toy Terrier with the degenerative condition, Legg Calvé Perthes disease.

“It fixed Mr Binks’ damp skin and big sores and his hair grew back,” she says. “My dogs showed me there’s huge potential for red light therapy across a range of applications: skin coat, joints and potentially, to boost the immune system, if you target the lymph nodes under the arms.”

Anna also uses the red light device as a calming tool for her pets, particularly useful on anxiety-inducing nights with fireworks. Using a technique she picked up from Sherry Scott, she places the Photizo in the interscapular region at the base of her dogs’ necks, pushes the button for a 30-second treatment, and finds her dogs then relax immediately.

The reality check: expert perspective

There are a number of things to keep in mind when it comes to light therapy and its efficacy. 

Consumer-facing LED devices, even pet-specific ones, are not the same as laser photobiomodulation devices, so may not work as effectively. However, laser devices require a trained professional to administer treatment and safety equipment such as goggles, because the intensity of the light can burn and blister the skin.

It’s also important to do your research when it comes to the brand of device you’re considering. Not all brands do everything they advertise, and the issue you’re looking to treat may require a different level of light intensity than you may be aware of. Always discuss red light therapy options with your vet before committing to a device. 

“There is a lack of proper education in the industry. So many people have the wrong experience with it, because when you're not doing it the right way, you're not getting the right results,” says Lilo, who emphasises that knowing frequency, dosage and which wavelengths to use for specific benefits is essential.

For example, if your pup requires deep tissue treatment, an LED device is unlikely to do much. “If I’m seeing a Labrador with sore hips, I’m probably not going to get the penetration depth where I need it – I would need the laser. It’s a much shorter treatment time because its more powerful. It would take hours to treat that hip with an LED, whereas I can do it in five minutes with my laser,” says Emily. 

Increasingly, animal practitioners – vets, veterinary nurses, behaviourists and physios – are starting to integrate light therapy as a complementary treatment in their practices. It works in tandem with a holistic approach that encourages pet parents to provide their dogs with nutrient-rich diets and ensure they get plenty of physical and mental stimulation, as well as other complementary therapies like massage, physio and hydrotherapy.

Red light therapy options for dogs in the UK: from DIY to professional

Given all of this interest in red light therapy, it’s no surprise you can now buy pet-specific LED devices. In the US, there’s even new innovations like the $2,500 Glowbie crate, with built-in NIR and red light. 

There are plenty of options for UK-based pet parents, too. HeaLED light therapy wraps (from £69.99) and coats (from £249.99) automatically turn off after 10 minutes to minimise potential risks such as overheating.

LumaPet offers LED pads for dogs from £59, while Photizo Vetcare’s photobiomodulation therapy device offers wavelengths of 633nm red light and 850nm infrared that can be directed at targeted areas. The device is £315 and is often recommended and sold by veterinary physios, nurses and holistic practitioners across the UK, including Curly Tails’ Canine Rehab’s Emily and behaviourist Anna Webb, who like that it’s portable, quiet, easy-to-use at home and well-suited to treating targeted areas.

Class IV K Lasers are often used in professional veterinary settings (and recommended by the Royal Veterinary College). Laser therapy can be used in some practices of large veterinary groups, or with referral from your general practice vet. Sessions typically start from £30, and usually at least six sessions are required for optimal results. 

Safety considerations: red light therapy for dogs

One of the reasons LED devices have become so ubiquitous? They’re relatively safe to use at home, provided you follow instructions and don’t keep them on too long. 

When it comes to dogs, the big risk is overheating, especially with darker-haired breeds. 

“They always need to be able to walk away whenever they want. They should never be forced in those situations,” Lilo says. 

Emily typically uses red light therapy as a dog arthritis treatment, but worries that most people won’t be able to effectively target the areas they need to without consulting a professional first.

“One of my concerns with owners widely using LED devices is if you don’t know where you’re aiming it, you don’t know your anatomy, you don’t know what the problem is with your dog, you don’t necessarily know what target tissue you’re aiming for,” she says. “It requires a vet to diagnose an issue, or an assessment by someone like me to establish a problem with a specific area that we can really target.” 

Red light therapy is never a replacement for medical care – even if you are noticing benefits. 

“It is a bit concerning from a vet nursing point of view. We’re in a cost of living crisis. I get that vet care is expensive – I’ve got seven dogs. I can understand people looking to buy a £50 LED off Amazon and hope they’re fixing everything, but it’s not a replacement for proper veterinary attention. Sometimes they do need medication, X-rays, a work-up,” says Emily.

When it comes to professional-grade laser light therapies, dog goggles (or “doggles,” as Emily calls them) are essential. Laser treatments do have risks: they can burn or blister skin and harm eyes if proper precautions aren’t taken. 

The verdict: should you try red light therapy for dogs?

There is a growing body of research to support photobiomodulation therapy benefits for humans and dogs alike, especially when it comes to skin and joint pain.

That doesn’t mean these devices will work for every dog, and they certainly shouldn’t be mistaken for a miracle longevity cure. They also should never replace veterinary care, and should only be used as part of a holistic wellness regime that includes vet appointments and healthy diet.

Paris Hilton spends thousands of pounds on her pooches, ensuring they get the most comprehensive veterinary care, as well as access to holistic therapies and designer accessories; what we see online is only a glimpse of a wider picture of care.

For at-home LEDs to be most effective, you need to have the right device and a frequency that is known to help the issue your dog has. Speaking to a trained professional for advice before buying something online, even a canine-specific LED, is recommended to ensure you have the right diagnosis. It can also help you establish a holistic treatment plan.

Remember, there are benefits to red light therapy devices that go beyond the purely medicinal. It’s an opportunity to spend time with your favourite pal. As Anna says, using her device on her Bull Terrier was “a lovely bonding experience that I could see was relaxing her.” And that is one trend we can always get behind.