Case Study · Canine Orthopedics
Border Collie Hip Dysplasia: How At-Home Red Light Therapy Supported Josie’s Rehab From Four Hours Away
SUMMARY
Josie, a young spayed Border Collie, started limping on and off, and her family had watched her struggle for about a year. In March 2026, a CT scan at NC State revealed right hip dysplasia with osteoarthritis, arthritis in her left hock (ankle), and tendon disease in both Achilles tendons. Josie’s family lives four to five hours away from CVETS, the specialty rehab clinic in Columbia, South Carolina, that managed her treatment.
Dr. Erica Dunphy made a care plan so Josie could get most of her treatment at home. Every two to four weeks, a mobile rehab vet checked in, while Josie’s family handled her daily exercises, swimming, bracing, and a seven-minute MedcoVet Luma session. By June 25, before daily Luma started, Josie’s left hock had already improved by 9 degrees. By mid-July, she’d gained another 10 degrees, and her walk and trot looked normal. In August, a right hip flare was found during a home visit and was already improving two weeks later. Because Josie also got injections, shockwave therapy, laser, and medication, it’s not possible to say which treatment helped most.
4–5 hrs
Drive from home to CVETS
~7 min
Daily Luma session at home
+10°
Left hock flexion gained in the first weeks of daily Luma (Jun 25–Jul 14)
4 of 4
Rehab reports with a normal gait at a walk and trot
Disclosure: MedcoVet Luma is a red light therapy device made and sold by MedcoVet. Dr. Dunphy practices at CVETS, an independent veterinary specialty clinic. Josie’s family rented their Luma. This write-up is based on Dr. Dunphy’s case report and is published with her permission.
Veterinary note: This case study is for education only and is not a substitute for veterinary diagnosis or treatment. The protocol below was prescribed for Josie. A qualified clinician, such as a veterinarian who prescribes Luma or a MedcoVet clinician, should decide whether red light therapy fits your dog and set the treatment areas, times, and frequency.
Case Snapshot
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Patient | Josie, young spayed female Border Collie |
| Condition | Right hip dysplasia with osteoarthritis; left tarsal (hock) osteoarthritis after osteochondritis dissecans; tendinopathy in both Achilles regions; thickening of the left deep digital flexor tendon |
| Diagnosis | CT scan at NC State (March 2026), radiographs, and musculoskeletal assessment |
| Prior treatment | Rimadyl (carprofen) and restricted activity |
| Barrier to care | Four- to five-hour drive to specialty rehabilitation |
| Interventions | AlphaFlo injections; shockwave therapy (three sessions); mobile rehabilitation with manual therapy, joint mobilization, and therapeutic laser; MedcoVet Luma; home exercises; controlled swimming; hock braces; activity restriction; Galliprant after a flare |
| Luma protocol | Seven spots on the right hip and both hocks, once daily, about 7 minutes per session |
| Outcome so far | Normal gait at every rehab visit; left hock flexion up 9° before Luma began and another 10° by July 14; right hip flare in August improving at the two-week recheck; no limping or trouble with steps reported on August 25 |
| Care team | Erica Dunphy, DVM (CVETS, lead clinician); Jennifer Rouse, DVM (mobile rehabilitation); Josie’s family |
Baseline vs. Outcome
Josie wasn’t obviously lame when her rehabilitation began. Dr. Dunphy describes her as stoic, so the clinical team relied on subtler signs: a hock that wouldn’t fully bend, a thickened right Achilles region, and an uneven sit. Over the next two months, they measured those signs at each home visit.
Baseline (spring 2026)
- About a year of on-and-off limping and discomfort
- Reduced left hock flexion
- Thickening of the right Achilles region
- Mild crepitus (a grating feeling) in the hock
- Uneven posture when sitting or lying down
- Goal: comfort and mobility without regular long drives
Last report (August 25, 2026)
- Normal gait at a walk and trot at all four rehab visits
- Left hock flexion up 9° by June 25 (before daily Luma) and another 10° by July 14
- Owners reported she looked sound from late June to mid-July
- No limping or trouble with steps reported (August 25)
- Milder sit and down asymmetry
- Right hip flare found August 11; less sensitive by August 25
Josie’s progress wasn’t linear. Her left hock was slightly stiffer and puffy on August 25, consistent with a possible arthritis flare. Because she received several treatments at once, this single-patient report can’t attribute any change to Luma alone; see Case Limitations.
Hip Dysplasia in a Young Border Collie: More Than One Problem
Hip dysplasia is a developmental condition in which the hip ball and socket don’t fit together properly. This loose fit wears the joint unevenly over time, leading to osteoarthritis. Josie’s imaging showed mild subluxation (the ball sitting partly out of the socket) and moderate degenerative change in her right hip.
Hip dysplasia in young dogs can affect comfort and movement years before old age. A young dog may keep walking and playing while living with real joint or tendon problems, so changes in how a young dog moves are worth a veterinary exam.
Josie’s hip wasn’t the only problem. The CT and follow-up assessment found four areas involved:
- Right hip: dysplasia with osteoarthritis, mild subluxation, and moderate degenerative change.
- Left hock (ankle): osteoarthritis, with a history of osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) of the talus. OCD is a developmental problem in which cartilage doesn’t normally turn into bone, and a cartilage flap can form.
- Both Achilles regions: tendinopathy (chronic tendon damage) of the gastrocnemius and calcaneal tendons, with remodeling near the heel bone and mild bursitis.
- Left deep digital flexor tendon: enlargement with local effusion (fluid).
Problems in several places can feed each other. A dog with a sore hip shifts weight onto other limbs, and a hock that won’t bend changes how a dog sits and lies down. That’s why Dr. Dunphy’s plan treated the hip and both hocks together. For more on what to watch for, see the early signs of hip dysplasia in dogs.
The Challenge: Specialty Care Four Hours Away
Josie’s family was committed to her care, but each trip to CVETS meant four to five hours on the road. Tendons heal slowly and are sensitive to load, so Josie needed steady support between appointments, not only on visit days.
Dr. Dunphy’s answer was to move as much of the plan as possible into Josie’s home:
| Who | Role in Josie’s care |
|---|---|
| CVETS · Dr. Dunphy | Oversaw the case, gave the AlphaFlo injections and first shockwave session, and planned follow-up imaging. Visits required the four- to five-hour drive. |
| Mobile rehab · Dr. Rouse | Manual therapy, joint mobilization, therapeutic laser, later shockwave sessions, brace fitting, and home exercise coaching every two to four weeks, with written reports to Dr. Dunphy. |
| Josie’s family | Daily Luma sessions on the prescribed hip and hock spots, plus exercises, swimming, braces, and activity limits. |
Dr. Dunphy also notes that at-home care helps families who live close by, not just those far away. Many dogs find car rides or clinic visits stressful, and frequent trips aren’t possible for many owners.
Why Red Light Therapy Was Added
Dr. Dunphy added red light therapy (photobiomodulation) as one part of Josie’s rehabilitation, not a replacement for any of it. It gave the family a gentle way to treat several painful, inflamed areas every day. Each area was chosen for a specific reason:
- Right hip. To support comfort and mobility while the rehab team worked on strength, movement, and activity. The hip is a deep target.
- Left hock. Spots on the inside and outside of the joint to cover its stiffness and intermittent swelling. Small losses of hock flexion were changing how Josie sat and lay down.
- Both Achilles regions. The hock spots reached the tendon areas every day. Bracing, exercise, activity limits, and imaging handled the mechanical side of tendon recovery.
Treatment frequency was the reason for home treatment. Dr. Dunphy wanted Josie treated daily, and that was only realistic if the family could do it. To learn more about using light therapy for this condition, see red light therapy for hip dysplasia.
Why the MedcoVet Luma: The WAIT Test™
Before prescribing a device for home use, Dr. Dunphy runs it through the WAIT Test, MedcoVet’s method for judging at-home red and near-infrared light devices. The test asks whether a device can get the right light, in the right amount, to the tissue that needs it, and it has four components:
- W, Wavelengths. Luma uses 635 nm red and 850 nm near-infrared light together (Luma specifications). Red light acts closer to the surface, which suited Josie’s hock and tendon areas. Near-infrared light reaches deeper, which suited her hip.
- A, Average Power. Luma’s total average optical output is 1,010 mW (Luma specifications), enough to deliver each spot’s dose in a 60-second placement.
- I, Irradiance. A stated irradiance at the treatment surface let Dr. Dunphy set each spot’s time to a defined dose instead of guessing.
- T, Target Tissue. Luma’s optical comb parts the fur, with the light source at the end of the comb prongs, so the light hits the skin directly.
That last component matters for dogs. In a study of 47 dogs, the median light passing through unshaved coat at the treatment sites was 0%, and darker coats let through less light (Hochman-Elam 2020). Light aimed at a dog’s coat from a distance barely reaches the skin, so direct contact is what makes the dose real.
Device specifications are manufacturer data from MedcoVet. THE WAIT TEST is a trademark of MedcoVet.
Treatment Protocol: Josie’s Daily Home Plan
Dr. Dunphy designs each Luma protocol around the individual patient: diagnosis, exact location, tissue depth, stage of healing, coat, pain level, other treatments, and the family’s routine. Light therapy has a dose window. Too little light does nothing, and too much can work against healing (Huang 2009). That’s why another Border Collie with hip dysplasia, or a dog with hock arthritis, might get a completely different body map, number of spots, or schedule.
Josie’s protocol (from June 2026), once daily
| Step | Treatment area | Spots | Time per spot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Left hock, outside | 1 | 60 sec |
| 2 | Left hock, inside | 1 | 60 sec |
| 3 | Right hip, along the outer edge of the bone | 3 | 60 sec |
| 4 | Right hock, outside | 1 | 60 sec |
| 5 | Right hock, inside | 1 | 60 sec |
Treating all seven spots took about seven minutes each day. Josie’s family got written instructions, a body map, and a daily checklist to help them stay on track. They also kept a log so Dr. Rouse and Dr. Dunphy could follow Josie’s progress and answer questions quickly.
Case Timeline
Dates and measurements come from Dr. Rouse’s written rehabilitation reports and Dr. Dunphy’s case notes.
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| 2025–2026 | About a year of limping. Josie’s family noticed her limping on and off and looking uncomfortable. While Rimadyl and limiting her activity gave some relief, the issue kept returning. |
| Mar 2026 | CT scan at NC State. A CT scan, X-rays, and a musculoskeletal evaluation revealed issues in Josie’s right hip, left hock, and both Achilles tendons. |
| Jun 9 | AlphaFlo injections at CVETS. Dr. Dunphy gave the injections and the first shockwave session. |
| Jun 19 | Luma home plan created. Dr. Dunphy set up Josie’s seven-spot daily protocol. |
| Jun 25 | First home rehab report: hock up 9°. Dr. Rouse found Josie comfortable, her sit improving, and her left hock flexion up 9° from the initial assessment. She gave the second of three shockwave sessions and cleared the family to start daily Luma afterward. |
| Jul 14 | Sound at home; hock up another 10°. At the final shockwave session, the owners reported no soreness and said Josie had looked sound since the last visit. Her gait was normal at a walk and trot, and her left hock had gained another 10° of flexion. Mild asymmetry remained in her sit and down. The family was doing daily light therapy and her exercises. |
| Aug 11 | Right hip flare. The left hock kept improving, and her gait stayed normal, but Dr. Rouse found new soreness and less extension in the right hip. She treated the hip, spine, and hocks, fitted modified hock braces to stop rubbing over the tendons, and moved the next visit up to two weeks. |
| Aug 21 | Owner update. “Josie has been doing well with the Luma.” |
| Aug 25 | Hip improving; left hock flare. The owner didn’t notice any limping or difficulty with stairs. Josie’s right hip was less tender, and her sitting posture had gotten better. However, her left hock was slightly stiffer and more swollen, suggesting a possible arthritis flare-up. Dr. Rouse recommended adding effleurage (a gentle stroking massage) at home, continuing controlled swimming, and giving Galliprant after therapy sessions. A follow-up ultrasound is still scheduled. |
Outcome
Two months into her home care routine, Josie was moving comfortably during each rehab visit. Her left hock showed improved flexibility, and her family hadn’t observed any limping or difficulty with stairs. She still had occasional flare-ups, but the regular home visits meant her right hip flare on August 11 was caught early, and it was already improving by the next appointment, with no extra-long drives required.
Josie’s care is ongoing. Dr. Dunphy is looking for a closer location for her follow-up ultrasound so imaging can keep guiding the plan without another long trip.
Case Status at Last Follow-Up
| Field | Status |
|---|---|
| Last documented follow-up | August 25, 2026 |
| Gait | Normal at a walk and trot |
| Left hock | Flexion up 9° before Luma and another 10° by July 14; still improving August 11; possible arthritis flare August 25 |
| Right hip | Flare August 11; less sensitive August 25 |
| Daily function | No limping or trouble with steps reported |
| MedcoVet Luma | Daily, ongoing |
| Next step | Follow-up ultrasound at a closer location |
In Her Pet Parent’s Words
“Josie has been doing well with the Luma. I do feel like it has been helping with her mobility and pain levels.”
— Josie’s owner, August 21, 2026
Clinical Takeaways From Josie’s Case
- Stoic dogs need careful measuring. Josie wasn’t obviously lame. Hock flexion angles, sitting posture, and palpation showed otherwise.
- Distance changed how care was delivered, not how much was needed. Josie’s condition required frequent treatment, and the combination of a mobile rehab vet and a home device made that possible even though the family was four hours away.
- Care was a true team effort. Her specialist provided oversight, the mobile rehab vet came for home visits and sent detailed reports, and her family handled daily treatments.
- Home visits made it easier to catch flare-ups early. The right hip flare was found during a routine visit and checked again two weeks later.
- Progress has setbacks. The hock improved, then flared. A plan with built-in reassessment can respond.
Read Dr. Dunphy’s complete clinical report. Her original case report details Josie’s diagnosis, treatment plan, clinical findings, and follow-up assessments. Read Josie’s full case report from CVETS →
More clinical experience with Luma. Josie was one of 25 cases in Dr. Dunphy’s larger case series on at-home red light therapy for arthritis, neurologic conditions, injuries, and surgical recovery. Read what Dr. Dunphy learned from 25 cases →
Josie’s case does not establish a standard red light therapy protocol for hip dysplasia or hock arthritis. It documents one young dog with several orthopedic problems whose rehabilitation, including daily at-home Luma, was run largely from home.
Concurrent Treatment and Case Limitations
Josie’s progress needs to be read in the context of everything else she received. AlphaFlo injections and the first shockwave session came about two weeks before daily Luma began. She also had two more shockwave sessions, manual therapy, joint mobilization, in-clinic therapeutic laser, home exercises, controlled swimming, hock braces, activity restriction, and Galliprant after the August flare. Because these overlapped, this case can’t show how much of the improvement came from any one of them. Dr. Rouse measured the first 9° of hock flexion on June 25, before the family started daily Luma.
- This is a single patient, not a controlled study.
- Follow-up so far covers about two months.
- Function at home is based on owner reports. Range of motion and gait come from the rehabilitation vet’s exams.
- Other dogs may respond differently depending on their diagnosis, age, coat, and other treatments.
- Dr. Dunphy’s review of 25 at-home red light therapy cases, including the pets who didn’t improve, is summarized in our write-up of her case series.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Your Dog Living With Hip Dysplasia?
If your dog limps on and off, is stiff after rest, or sits unevenly, talk to your veterinarian first. Then book a free consult with a MedcoVet clinician to see if at-home red light therapy fits your dog’s plan.
Spock
Evidence Citations
Case study prepared from Dr. Erica Dunphy’s case report (CVETS) and summarized by MedcoVet with her permission. Published with pet parent consent.
