Case Series · Veterinary Rehabilitation
A Veterinarian’s Review of 25 At-Home Red Light Therapy Cases
SUMMARY
A veterinary rehabilitation specialist shares what she learned from using the MedcoVet Luma to treat arthritis, neurologic disease, injuries, and surgical recovery, including cases that did not go as planned.
Dr. Erica Dunphy, DVM, CVMMP, CVA, CCRP, is a rehabilitation and integrative veterinarian at CVETS in Columbia, South Carolina. She reviewed every patient she considered for at-home red light therapy with the MedcoVet Luma over several months: 21 dogs and one cat with severe arthritis, spinal conditions, tendon injuries, and complicated surgical recoveries.
This is not just a list of success stories. Dr. Dunphy reports on patients who improved, those still in treatment, the two who did not respond, and the three who died of unrelated illness before their response could be judged.
22
Patients treated: 21 dogs, 1 cat
11 of 13
Assessed patients improved, stable, or healing well
~8 min
Median daily session at home
2
Patients who didn’t improve, reported alongside the rest
Disclosure: MedcoVet Luma is a red light therapy device made and sold by MedcoVet. Dr. Dunphy practices at CVETS, an independent veterinary specialty clinic. This summary is published with her permission.
Clinical note: This was a retrospective case series without a control group. Outcomes were mostly based on clinical records and owner reports, and most patients received other treatments along with Luma. This does not show that red light therapy alone caused the changes reported.
Series Snapshot
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Clinician | Erica Dunphy, DVM, CVMMP, CVA, CCRP, rehabilitation and integrative veterinarian at CVETS, Columbia, South Carolina |
| Design | Retrospective case series without a control group |
| Candidates | 25 identified; 22 started treatment (3 never started because of a payment issue and are left out) |
| Patients | 21 dogs and 1 cat |
| Most common condition | Osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease (15 of 22) |
| Other conditions | Soft tissue injuries, neurologic disease such as degenerative myelopathy and IVDD, and recovery after surgery; nearly half had more than one condition |
| Home protocol | Daily; median of about 8 treatment spots and 8 minutes per session (range 2.5 to 17 minutes) |
| Device | MedcoVet Luma, used at home |
| Outcome sources | Clinical records and owner reports |
What Were the Results Across the 25 Cases?
Dr. Dunphy identified 25 candidates for at-home red light therapy. Twenty-two started treatment. The other three never started because of a payment issue and are left out.
| Patient outcome | Patients |
|---|---|
| Improved, stable, or healing well | 11 |
| Did not improve or seemed worse | 2 |
| Still in treatment or no formal outcome yet | 6 |
| Died of an unrelated condition before assessment | 3 |
| Total treated | 22 |
Out of 13 patients with a clinician-reviewed outcome, 11 (85%) improved, stayed stable, or healed well. Dr. Dunphy only counted favorable results when the records used words like “improved,” “doing well,” “healing well,” or “stable.”
Almost every patient also received other care, such as surgery, hydrotherapy, underwater treadmill work, shockwave therapy, exercise therapy, or medication. The series describes what happened, but it cannot show that red light therapy alone caused any result. Dr. Dunphy makes this clear.
Which Conditions Were Treated?
Osteoarthritis and degenerative joint disease were the most common, recorded in 15 of the 22 patients. Soft tissue injuries, neurologic disease such as degenerative myelopathy and IVDD, and recovery after surgery made up most of the rest. Nearly half the patients had more than one condition.
Burke: Severe Elbow Arthritis and Stress at the Clinic
Burke had severe arthritis in both elbows and tendon problems in both shoulders. Clinic visits upset him badly, which made regular in-hospital treatment hard to keep up.
Dr. Dunphy prescribed a home protocol for his elbows, shoulders, and the base of his neck. Burke tolerated the home treatment, and his family said it was working well. His case shows that treatment location can affect whether a family continues it.
Other arthritis patients in the series had several affected joints, severe elbow disease, or hip arthritis. For more on the condition, see red light therapy for arthritis and joint pain.
Barley: TPLO Recovery on His Only Back Leg
Barley had already lost his right hind leg when he needed a TPLO on his left. A TPLO stabilizes the knee after a cruciate ligament injury. An infection complicated his recovery, and every step he took put weight on the repaired leg.
Dr. Dunphy’s protocol included his spine, the left iliopsoas muscle (a deep hip flexor), his hip, and his knee. About six months later, Barley was much improved and no longer needed rehabilitation. Surgery, medical care, and rehab all helped. Home treatment made it possible to keep up frequent sessions during a tough recovery.
Families facing a similar surgery can read more about dog recovery after TPLO surgery.
Cassie and Milo: Home Treatment After Spinal Surgery
Both dogs had a hemilaminectomy, a surgery that removes part of a vertebra to take pressure off the spinal cord.
- Cassie was treated along her mid and lower back. She healed well, finished her treatment period, and returned the device.
- Milo was treated along his mid back, lower back, and the base of his spine. He was doing well at home, and his family was preparing to return the device.
Both cases show that the vet team used home treatment for a set recovery period and stopped it when it was no longer needed. Learn more about red light therapy for dogs with IVDD.
River: A Fracture in a Dog the Clinic Couldn’t Safely Treat
River broke his upper front leg in two places. Because of his temperament, the hospital team couldn’t provide light therapy. His family did the entire course at home, and his healing was reported to be going well.
Read more about red light therapy during recovery after surgery.
Melody: The Series’ Only Cat
Melody has severe arthritis in her left hip and a diagnosis of IVDD. Her family treated her lower back and both hips with short sessions, daily or every other day. She tolerated most sessions, and her condition improved.
Arthritis in cats is easy to miss. It often shows up as less jumping, changes in grooming, or reluctance to move, rather than an obvious limp. Read more about red light therapy for cats.
Josie: When the Specialist Is Four Hours Away
Josie is a young Border Collie with right hip dysplasia, arthritis in her left hock (ankle), and tendon problems in both Achilles regions. Her family lives four to five hours from CVETS.
A mobile rehabilitation vet visited Josie at home every two to four weeks and reported to Dr. Dunphy. In between visits, her family managed exercises, braces, swimming, and a daily seven-minute Luma session. Her follow-up visits showed better joint movement, along with flares that changed her care.
Read Josie’s Border Collie hip dysplasia case study →
What About the Patients Who Didn’t Improve?
Costa had surgery on both elbows. His lameness continued despite treatment, so Dr. Dunphy scheduled him for reassessment instead of continuing the same plan.
Cookie’s owner tried the device a few times, thought she seemed worse, and returned it before the protocol could be adjusted. Looking back, Dr. Dunphy does not think a few sessions were enough to judge an arthritic dog’s response. Cookie later improved a lot once they added underwater treadmill work.
She learned to set expectations about timing from the start and schedule a check-in before a family decides the therapy isn’t working.
Why Was Treatment Done at Home?
Every recorded protocol was daily. The median session used eight treatment spots and took about eight minutes, ranging from 2.5 to 17 minutes depending on how many areas were treated.
Dr. Dunphy decides if a patient needs red light therapy based on the clinical problem. Home use only affects how the treatment is given. In this series, home treatment helped:
- Families who lived an hour or more away, or out of state.
- Dogs who were too stressed or fractious to treat safely in the hospital.
- Pets who needed frequent treatment during recovery.
- Owners who could keep up a daily routine but not repeated clinic visits.
How Does Dr. Dunphy Evaluate a Device?
When families ask about an at-home device, Dr. Dunphy doesn’t go by LED count or how bright it looks. She uses the WAIT Test™, MedcoVet’s method for judging at-home red and near-infrared light devices on four components: Wavelengths, Average Power, Irradiance, and Target Tissue.
According to MedcoVet’s manufacturer data, the Luma uses 635 nm red and 850 nm near-infrared light, with about 1 W of average optical output (Luma specifications). For the Target Tissue component, Dr. Dunphy cites research in dogs showing that fur blocks almost all light, with darker coats blocking the most (Hochman-Elam 2020). The Luma’s optical comb parts the fur and directs light directly onto the skin.
What Can We Learn From the Case Series?
- Clear targets lead to clearer results. A specific treatment area, like a surgical site or a fractured elbow, is easier to follow up on.
- Red light therapy works well with other care. It does not replace diagnostics, surgery, medication, or reassessment.
- Sometimes, stability is the right goal. For progressive diseases like degenerative myelopathy, the aim may be to keep function steady. Set this goal before treatment begins.
- Follow-up is part of the prescription. A qualified clinician still guides at-home therapy, with a plan for check-ins and what to do if things get worse.
Read the complete report
Dr. Dunphy’s original report covers every patient, the protocols, her dosing approach, and the limits of the series.
Read Dr. Dunphy’s full case series report from CVETS →
Frequently Asked Questions
Wondering If Red Light Therapy Is Right for Your Dog?
Talk with a MedcoVet clinician about your dog’s diagnosis, your routine, and whether at-home red light therapy fits your vet’s plan. The consult is free.
Ghillie
Evidence Citations
Case study prepared from Dr. Erica Dunphy’s case series report (CVETS) and summarized by MedcoVet with her permission.
