Dr. Audrey Wystrach, DVM

Veterinarian, 25+ years in small animal practice · Updated June 2026

If you're reading this, I'd bet I can describe your mornings. Your dog takes a beat longer to get up than they used to. They're stiff after naps. They pause at the bottom of the stairs and look at you, deciding whether it's worth it. Maybe the ball gets dropped at your feet less often. Maybe it stopped showing up at all.

I've sat across the exam table from thousands of owners describing exactly this. And the hardest part of my job isn't the diagnosis. It's the look on their face when they ask, "So what can we actually do?"

For most of my career, the toolbox for everyday joint stiffness was the same: weight management, joint supplements, anti-inflammatory medication when needed. All of it has its place. But owners kept asking me about something else: red light therapy. And for years, my honest answer was a polite version of "save your money."

I want to be transparent about this, because if you're skeptical, you're thinking exactly what I used to think. Here were my three objections, and what actually happened to each one.

In plain terms: cells under stress, including the tissue around aging joints, struggle to produce energy efficiently. Red and near-infrared light at the right wavelengths is absorbed by the cell's energy centers, helping support normal cellular function, healthy circulation, and the body's own recovery processes.

That's why this is a consistency therapy, not a magic wand. In my experience, owners who use it daily for a few weeks are the ones who come back and tell me their dog is moving easier, getting up faster, and acting more like themselves. Owners who use it twice and put it in a drawer see what you'd expect: nothing.

I want to be very clear, because this is where a lot of marketing in this space goes wrong. Red light therapy is not a substitute for veterinary care, a healthy weight, or medication your dog genuinely needs. It's a layer you add on top.

In fact, that's how most owners use it. The majority of the people buying a pad like this aren't abandoning their dog's supplements or prescriptions. They're adding 15 minutes of light therapy alongside them, the same way a human physical therapy patient stacks treatments. If anything improves enough that your vet adjusts a medication down the road, wonderful. But that's your vet's call, made together with you.

The device I recommend to owners is the LumaPet pad. Not because it's the only one that exists, but because it gets the fundamentals right for home use:

Both wavelengths. 60 LEDs combining 660nm red and 850nm near-infrared light, so it covers surface tissue and deeper joint and muscle tissue in the same session.

It's a pad, not a wand. Handheld devices require you to hover over one spot for the full session. The LumaPet straps on, covers the whole hip or spine area, and lets your dog simply lie down next to you on the couch. Compliance is everything in this therapy, and a relaxed dog is a treated dog. Most dogs find the gentle warmth pleasant; plenty of owners tell me their dog comes over on their own when the pad comes out.

Cordless and simple. Built-in rechargeable battery, USB-C charging, one button, automatic session timer. If you can use a TV remote, you can use this.

One size, any breed. The adjustable strap fits a Dachshund the same as it fits a German Shepherd.

I can quote studies all day, but in my experience owners don't change their minds because of a citation. They change their minds watching their own dog move. These clips come from LumaPet owners who filmed their dog before starting and again a few weeks in. Don't watch the tail, watch the gait: how they get up, how they carry the back end, how willingly they move.

And the comments owners leave under Luma Pet posts tell the same story, in their own words:

Most relevant ▾

Karen Mitchell

My 12 year old lab was so slow getting up in the mornings it hurt to watch. A few weeks in and she's getting up on the first try again and meeting me at the door. I was the biggest skeptic in the house 😅

47

12wLikeReplyHide

Luma Pet replied · 4 Replies

David Reeves

We use it alongside his joint supplements, 15 minutes every evening. He's back to choosing the stairs instead of standing at the bottom waiting for help. Finally something with no side effects that he actually enjoys.

31

8wLikeReplyHide

Luma Pet replied · 6 Replies

Sandra Tilley

I've been using this for the last couple of weeks on my JRT who has advanced osteoarthritis. I've seen a noticeable improvement in his mobility and he seems to really enjoy his 20 minutes twice a day

28

5wLikeReplyHide

Luma Pet replied · 3 Replies

If your dog is slowing down and your vet has ruled out anything that needs urgent treatment, I think a quality red light pad is one of the most sensible things you can add to their routine. It's drug-free, it's gentle, your dog will likely enjoy it, and the downside risk is essentially zero, especially with a money-back guarantee behind it.

Try it daily for 60 days. If you don't see your dog moving easier, send it back. That's the deal LumaPet offers, and it's the reason I'm comfortable putting my name next to it.