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. 2025 Jul 18;15(14):2133.
doi: 10.3390/ani15142133.

The Effect of a Class IV Therapeutic LASER on Post-Surgical Wound Healing Processes in Canis familiaris and Felis catus: A Preliminary Study

Ana Lopes  1 , Pedro Azevedo  1   2 , L Miguel Carreira  1   2   3   4   5
Affiliations

The Effect of a Class IV Therapeutic LASER on Post-Surgical Wound Healing Processes in Canis familiaris and Felis catus: A Preliminary Study

Ana Lopes et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

Class IV laser therapy has emerged as a promising non-invasive tool to promote tissue repair, but its effects on post-surgical wound healing in small animals remain underexplored. This preliminary study investigated the impact of class IV laser therapy on surgical wound healing in 49 dogs and cats. Each surgical incision was divided into a Laser Zone (LZ) and a Control Zone (CZ). Wound healing was assessed at three timepoints (T0, T1, T2) using standardized clinical parameters: skin thickness, skin color, presence of hematoma, regional temperature, skin elasticity, and presence of fluids. The LZ consistently showed reduced skin thickness, more vivid pinkish skin color, faster hematoma resolution, increased regional temperature, improved skin elasticity, and decreased fluid accumulation compared to the CZ. These effects were observed across different species, ages, sexes, and body condition scores, indicating robust biological consistency. The results suggest that class IV laser therapy accelerates post-surgical wound healing by modulating inflammation, enhancing vascularization, and supporting extracellular matrix remodeling. This technique may serve as a valuable adjunct to conventional wound management in veterinary practice. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings and explore long-term outcomes.

Keywords: cat; class IV therapeutic laser; dog; surgical wound; wound healing.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Evolution of skin thickness in the total sample (N = 49), dogs (n = 25), and cats (n = 24) across different evaluation timepoints (T0, T1, T2) considering the Laser Zone (LZ) and the Control Zone (CZ).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Evolution of skin color in the total sample (N = 49), dogs (n = 25), and cats (n = 24) across different evaluation timepoints (T0, T1, T2) considering the Laser Zone (LZ) and the Control Zone (CZ).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Evolution of the presence of hematoma in the total sample (N = 49), dogs (n = 25), and cats (n = 24) across different evaluation timepoints (T0, T1, T2) considering the Laser Zone (LZ) and the Control Zone (CZ).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Evolution of regional temperature in the total sample (N = 49), dogs (n = 25), and cats (n = 24) across different evaluation timepoints (T0, T1, T2) considering the Laser Zone (LZ) and the Control Zone (CZ).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Evolution of skin elasticity in the total sample (N = 49), dogs (n = 25), and cats (n = 24) across different evaluation timepoints (T0, T1, T2) considering the Laser Zone (LZ) and the Control Zone (CZ).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Evolution of the presence of fluids in the total sample (N = 49), dogs (n = 25), and cats (n = 24) across different evaluation timepoints (T0, T1, T2) considering the Laser Zone (LZ) and the Control Zone (CZ).
Figure 7
Figure 7
Comparison between dogs (Canis familiaris, n = 25) and cats (Felis catus, n = 24) regarding the parameter skin color.
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