Using Therapeutic Ultrasound to Support Healing in Animals

For many years, therapeutic ultrasound has been a staple in human injury recovery, but more recently, our community has discovered just how effective it can be for animals too. From dogs with soft-tissue injuries to horses struggling with stubborn inflammation, ultrasound is becoming an invaluable at-home tool for easing pain, improving mobility and accelerating healing.

If you’ve ever wondered whether ultrasound is safe for your furry or four-legged friend, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know.

Therapeutic ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to stimulate healing in underlying tissues. These sound waves travel through the gel, through the fur, beneath the skin, then deep into the muscles, tendons, ligaments and joints, increasing circulation, reducing inflammation and helping tissues repair faster.

Because animal coats create more resistance than human skin, you simply need to use a larger amount of ultrasound conductive gel to achieve proper contact and ensure the sound waves penetrate effectively.  So long as the ultrasound head glides over the treatment area without feeling like it is gripping on the fur, you’ve got an adequate coverage of conductive gel.

Yes, completely safe.

Ultrasound waves operate at a frequency far above the range of human hearing, and importantly, far above the range of animal hearing as well. Dogs, horses and other animals cannot hear or sense these frequencies, so ultrasound won’t irritate or distress their ears in any way.

Just like with humans, the safest and most effective setting for treating injuries and inflammation in animals is the:

✔️ Pulsed Setting

The pulsed setting allows the healing benefits of ultrasound to gently switch on and off throughout treatment. During the “on” phase, the sound waves ripple through the fluid within the cells, stimulating them and increasing their vibrational energy. When the waves switch “off”, the body uses this boosted energy to repair tissue in the way it naturally knows best. We’re not forcing anything, we’re simply giving the body extra energy so it can heal more efficiently and comfortably.

Because the therapeutic ultrasound is a corded device, you will need access to a power outlet during treatment. In a horse stable or barn environment, an extension cord may be helpful to ensure you can safely reach the treatment area while keeping the device away from dust, dirt and curious noses.

Therapeutic ultrasound is ideal for treating:

• Soft-tissue injuries
• Chronic inflammation
• Acute swelling
• Tendon and ligament strains
• Joint issues
• Wound healing support (avoiding open wounds)

The Dr Kez Chirolab Therapeutic Ultrasound has 3 settings, including 2 continuous modes. Avoid using continuous mode on animals, the pulsed setting is by far the most appropriate.

Ultrasound can assist with many of the same conditions in animals that we treat in humans. Some of the most common include:

Arthritis and joint stiffness
Helps reduce inflammation, improve circulation and ease pain in older or arthritic dogs.

Soft-tissue injuries (sprains, strains, muscle tears)
Great for active or working breeds prone to overuse injuries.

Hip dysplasia–related inflammation
Helps manage pain and reduce surrounding muscle tension.

Post-surgical healing
Supports tissue repair (avoid direct use over fresh surgical incisions).

Tendonitis
Helps settle inflamed tendons and promotes repair.

Muscle tightness from overexertion or ageing
Helps improve mobility and comfort.

Tendon and ligament injuries (very common in performance horses)
Helps accelerate repair and reduce re-injury risk.

Back pain and SI joint tension
Excellent for muscular or compensatory strain.

Inflamed joints (hocks, knees, fetlocks)
Helps reduce swelling and improve movement.

Laminitis-related inflammation
Can support circulation in surrounding soft tissues.

Muscle strains from riding, training or paddock antics
Relieves tension and encourages healing.

Scar tissue softening
Helps break down adhesions when used long-term.

People in the community have also used ultrasound successfully with:

• Cats (arthritis, muscle tension)
• Goats (soft-tissue injuries)
• Cattle (tendon issues or muscle strains)

As long as the animal is calm and handled gently, ultrasound can be a wonderful home-care support across many species.

A key question we hear often in people who are getting great results with using their ultrasound with the trio of creams on themselves, is:

“Can I use Kirofix® or Bone Aid Relief Cream with my ultrasound when treating my pet?”

The answer is yes, and it works brilliantly.

Why these creams are ideal for animals:

• 100% natural and plant based
  Safe if your dog licks the area after application.
• Therapeutic botanicals help reduce inflammation and pain
  They work in synergy with the ultrasound.
• Enhances tissue penetration
  Ultrasound helps drive the active ingredients deeper into the tissues.
• No synthetic chemicals
  So you can treat confidently without worrying about toxicity.

Many pet owners find that combining the cream with pulsed ultrasound significantly reduces healing time and improves comfort levels, especially for chronic or stubborn injuries.

Using Kirofix® Injury Relief Lotion or Bone Aid Relief Cream with the therapeutic ultrasound enhances the penetration of the active plant compounds and supports faster, more comfortable healing. Here’s the simplest way to get great results:

Gently massage Kirofix® Injury Relief Lotion and Bone Aid Relief Cream into the treatment area. The active ingredients in these creams are included as they provide the body with the building blocks required to help the body heal soft tissue and bone injuries and to reduce pain and inflammation, animals are no exception to this rule.

You can either:

• Apply the gel directly over the cream on the animal, or
• Apply a liberal amount of gel onto the silver treatment head

Because of the fur, don’t be shy, more gel means better sound-wave penetration.

Turn on the ultrasound and press the up button three times to activate pulsed mode, the safest and most effective setting for treating animal injuries.

Place the treatment head in direct contact with the skin or fur and keep it moving slowly and continuously over the area for the full treatment duration.
This ensures even therapeutic benefit.

When the session is complete:

• Wipe gel off the animal, and
• Wipe the treatment head clean
  (avoid twisting or spinning the silver treatment head).

Once the area is clean and dry, apply another thin layer of Kirofix® and Bone Aid Relief Cream to continue supporting healing between treatments.

Treatment time is based on the size of the area being treated.

Here’s the easy method:

Step 1 - Estimate how many times the treatment head fits into the injury area.

For example:

• A small dog’s sprained hock (ankle) = maybe 2 treatment-heads
• A horse’s sore hamstring = could be 8–10 treatment-heads

Step 2 - Multiply that number by 2.

That gives you the total minutes of treatment.

Examples:

• 2 head-sizes × 2 = 4 minutes
• 6 head-sizes × 2 = 12 minutes

Each area of concern should be treated individually. If multiple areas are involved (e.g., both sides of a horse’s hindquarters), calculate the time for each one.

This simple formula keeps treatment safe, effective and easy to remember. 

Please note the device is only small but is very powerful and as such it has an inbuilt timer that will turn the device off automatically after 15 minutes to give the device a chance to cool off internally.  If a larger area or multiple areas are being treated a small break in between may be required to ensure your ultrasound stays in good working order.

A few best-practice tips:

• 
  Use plenty of gel, it gets lost in the fur quickly and you need it for good contact.
• Keep the head moving to distribute the sound waves throughout the injured area.
• Avoid open wounds.
• Stop if the animal shows any signs of discomfort (rare, but possible – it could be a sign of not enough gel or that the area is simply tender to touch).
• Use pulsed mode only, unless professionally advised otherwise.
• Be mindful of the cord and extension cord when dealing with larger animals like horses etc.

Ultrasound offers pet and horse owners a powerful, natural and non-invasive way to support healing at home. When paired with gentle handling and safe botanicals like Kirofix® Injury Relief Lotion and Bone Aid Relief Cream, it becomes an even more effective tool for reducing inflammation, easing pain and helping your beloved animals recover faster.

If your furry friend or equine partner is struggling with stiffness, injury or inflammation, therapeutic ultrasound may be exactly what they need to move more freely and feel more comfortable, naturally.