Does At-Home Low Level Laser Therapy For Dogs Work?

I know that many of you have been patiently waiting for my review of the Dog Med Laser for a few months now and I apologize for taking so long to bring you this review!

I have been using the Dog Med Laser since July and my main reason for using it was for Sherman. 

Sherman and I were putting it to the test with his arthritis and seeing great results but then he passed away so I decided that it would be better to do my review with Leroy. 

Luckily, or not so luckily, Leroy gave me a few issues that I could test the Dog Med Laser on. 

My Brown Newfies is a participant in the Dog Med Laser Affiliate Program.

The first and more prominent issue was the return of a pressure sore on his left hock. 

Leroy often gets these types of pressure sores when he’s going through an IBD flare and they’re a big concern because if the ulcer gets to certain stage it can be almost impossible to heal. 

First, let’s talk about the Dog Med Laser and what it is. 

The Dog Med Laser is a Low-Level Laser that provides your pet with a safe, affordable and effective at-home treatment for pain, inflammation and wound healing. 

Unlike laser machines that are used in veterinarian offices, the Dog Med Laser does not have any risk of burning your pet, no safety glasses needed and it can be a safer alternative over pain medications for some pets. 

Dog Med Laser comes with two brushes that help separate pet hair to deliver laser light more efficiently (while giving your pet a soothing massage).

Your pet doesn’t feel anything and Leroy is actually quite relaxed during his treatments!

Is the Dog Med Laser the same type of laser as the ones found in veterinary clinics?

How The Dog Med Laser Works

The device directs laser light to interact with cells in the body to perform specific tasks such as reducing inflammation and edema, reducing or eliminating pain for a time, and speeding up wound closure.

In essence, Low-Level Lasers like the Dog Med Laser teach nerve cells to stop the sensation of pain from reaching the brain.

Dog Med Laser uses laser diodes that are designed specifically for safe home treatment.

What is a low-level laser?

Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) is a treatment that uses specific wavelengths of light to interact with tissue in order to help accelerate the healing process.

Low-Level Lasers emit photons to stimulate cells to perform specific tasks in the body, such as reducing inflammation and edema, reducing or eliminating pain for a time, and speeding up wound closure.

How does the Dog Med Laser Reduce Inflammation?

The low-level laser causes the smaller arteries and lymph vessels in the affected area to widen, increasing blood flow. This allows inflammation, swelling, and edema to be cleared away from injury sites more effectively and aids in the healing process.

The Dog Med Low-Level Laser has 3 levels that are programmed for different conditions. 

You change the level with the touch of a button

On level 1 for 5 minutes twice a day the Dog Med Laser may help with: 

• Hip arthritis and dysplasia
• Shoulder dysplasia
• Elbow arthritis
• Intervertebral arthritis / herniated disks
• Carpus arthritis (wrist)
• Stifle arthritis (knee)
• ACL Post op
• Patellar luxation (dislocated kneecap)

How can the Dog Med Laser help with pain?

It causes the smaller arteries and lymph vessels in the affected area to widen, increasing blood flow. This allows inflammation, swelling, and edema to be cleared away from injury sites more effectively and aids in the healing process.

Pain relief from anti-inflammatory medications lasts a maximum of 24 hours. In comparison, the cumulative outcome of two daily treatments with the Dog Med Laser may, in most cases, keep your pet pain-free 24/7.

On level 2 for 8 minutes twice a day it may help with:

• Treating chronic pain
• Treating acute pain

How Does It Help With Wound Healing?

On level 3 for 4 minutes twice a day

The light emitted by the Dog Med Laser stimulates the cells surrounding the wound to multiply faster and the white blood cells to clean the wound, and – as a secondary positive effect – reduce wound pain. Speeding up wound healing also reduces infection risks and the time your pet must wear the “cone of shame”. 

• Treating external wounds and injuries

Our Experience with an at-home low-level laser product

Disclaimer: I was given a Dog Med Laser free of charge in exchange for sharing my honest experience with you. I’ve been using this product for several months so that I could give you honest and true feedback on how it worked for us. 

Unfortunately, I was able to use the Dog Med Laser on each level for various conditions that Leroy had going on. 

My most important and most obvious condition was the pressure ulcer that he had going on. 

Leroy gets pressure ulcers that get really bad when he has an IBD flare-up. Sometimes he gets them on both legs and sometimes it’s only one rear leg. 

The ulcers are basically open wounds that have different stages. In the worst stage, the pressure ulcer can get so deep that it goes to the muscle and bone potentially affecting tendons and joints. 

It’s not a place we want to be at for sure so acting fast and keeping the pressure sore from getting to that point is super important. 

My main goal this time was to keep the sore from breaking through to the tissue. 

He already had 2 ulcers forming when I noticed it. One small and one about the size of the quarter. 

I started the Dog Med Laser treatments the day I saw it.

I used the wound level twice a day for 3 weeks.

I also kept it wrapped with a breathable bandage, cleaned it with Hibiclens and used triple antibiotic cream on it which was recommended by our veterinarian. 

I did this religiously because I did not want this sore to get any worse. 

I was very happy with the results that I had from using low-level laser treatment.

The skin never fully broke and as you can see from the picture, the small ulcer healed quickly. 

The bigger ulcer was a bit more of a challenge and while it might not look great, it is. 

It’s hard to tell from the picture but the skin is nice and tight, not soft like it was previously and there is no tear in the skin.

The redness is gone too. 

Healing can be hard when a dog is on steroids so I was impressed with this healing I saw using the Dog Med Laser.

It took us almost 6 months to heal his last one verses 1 month to heal this one. 

I’m still continuing treatments and I still leave it wrapped because if Leroy goes to town on licking it, he’ll open it up. 

I also used the Dog Med Laser to help with Leroy’s arthritis. 

With the muscle loss from the steroids, he’s definitely struggling to walk and we’re limited on what pain medications that he can use due to the IBD. 

I’m using the Dog Med Laser on level 2 twice a day to help him with mobility and ease the pain of arthritis. 

I’ve seen gone results with it and I can definitely tell a difference if I skip a treatment.

Again, just to be clear and honest with you, I have had the Dog Med Laser for a few months and gave it as good and as long as a trial period as I could to provide you with an honest review. 

I did skip a few days of level 2 treatments just so I could see if it truly was the laser that was making a difference or not and it was. 

I also want to make sure that I clearly state that this is not a cure-all product. It’s not going to cure arthritis or dysplasia. It might not work for every dog but I definitely saw an improvement with Leroy when I used this low-lever laser treatment in combination with Leroy’s medical routine. 

I also used the DML when Leroy injured his neck and I saw a decrease in the time that it took him to recover.

I also used it for his IBD. Although it’s not listed on the conditions covered I asked a representative if I could be used it for that and they said it would be safe to try it.

I used it when I would hear gurgling in his stomach and I noticed that the gurgling would slowly dissipate after the laser session. 

I have no medical proof that it would  work for inflammation associated with IBD but I personally noticed a small difference

Low-Level Lasers do not treat diseases but they can have an effect on symptoms caused by diseases.

Chronic pain is caused by a specific set of conditions. The Dog Med Laser does not cure these conditions but teaches nerve cells to not communicate the sensation of pain to the brain.

The Dog Med Laser sells for $499.00 and comes with a 90 days money-back guarantee and comes with a 2-year warranty.

This price seems to be about the middle of the road with other at-home low-level lasers ranging from $100 to a few thousand dollars. 

The cost will normally vary based on the wavelength, power density, and pulse modulation of the laser.

If you have pet insurance you could check under your plans “alternative therapies” and see if the purchase of a Dog Med Laser would be covered. Most plans will probably require a prescription by a veterinarian and many plans will only cover the cost of therapy if it’s done at a veterinarian clinic but some plans may not so it wouldn’t hurt to check.

Always check with your veterinarian before beginning laser treatment so that they can help you determine if this is the right plan for your pet.  

I like the Dog Med Laser so much that I decided to become an affiliate with them so that I could help spread the word. 

If you any questions you can send me an email or you can check out the FAQ page. 

A word of caution about laser treatments:

Laser treatment should not be used on tumors. This could accelerate tumor growth. 

Please make note that the Dog Med Laser and Low-Level Lasers, in general, do not deliver pain relief on pain caused by damaged nerves. It cannot deliver pain relief when pain is caused by infection, either.

Disclosure: I am not a veterinarian and information contained in this post does not substitute for veterinarian advice. 

p.s. As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I was using the DML on sweet Sherman for pain and arthritis. I did notice a difference with his mobility in the time that we were doing treatments on him. 

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