Is low‐level laser therapy useful as an adjunctive treatment for canine acral lick dermatitis? A randomized, double‐blinded, sham‐controlled study

Background Conventional therapy for canine acral lick dermatitis (ALD) consists of systemic antibiotics and anti‐anxiety medications. Low‐level laser therapy (LLLT) is a noninvasive therapy used to treat inflammatory and painful conditions. Hypothesis/Objectives The primary objective was to determine whether LLLT with conventional therapy would be beneficial as an adjunct treatment for ALD. We hypothesized that LLLT and conventional therapy combined would result in a greater reduction in licking Visual Analog Score (LVAS) compared to conventional therapy alone. Secondary objectives were to assess change in lesion/ulcer size, thickness and hair growth. Animals Thirteen dogs with a skin lesion consistent with ALD. Methods and materials Dogs were randomly assigned to two groups. All dogs received systemic antibiotics and trazodone. The treatment group (TG) received LLLT by laser (130 mW, 2 min) with blue and red light‐emitting diodes (LEDs), while the control group (CG) had sham therapy (laser/LEDs off). Treatments were administered three times weekly for two weeks, then twice weekly for two weeks for a total of 10 visits. Descriptive statistics were performed (mean, median); primary and secondary objectives were assessed with nonparametric ANOVA (Kruskal–Wallis test), with significance set at P