Effect of photobiomodulation therapy as a multimodal approach to treatment of dermal abrasions in cownose rays (Rhinoptera bonasus).

Photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) has become increasingly utilized in the zoo and aquarium fields to treat ailments in various species; however, its use in teleosts and elasmobranchs is relatively underrepresented in the literature. This study examined the efficacy of PBMT as an adjunct treatment to reduce the healing time of dermal abrasions in cownose rays (Rhinoptera bonasus). Ten cownose rays were included in this study and separated into control (n = 5) and treatment groups (n = 5). Animals in both treatment and control groups received intramuscular injections of enrofloxacin every 72 h to provide broad-spectrum antibiotic coverage. Cownose rays in the treatment group additionally received PBMT using the Companion® CTC-12 unit using the large, noncontact head. Control group rays were subjected to identical handling without the use of PBMT. A total of 196 Joules were delivered at a power of 2 W based on a dose of 5 J/cm² at each session. Observational analysis revealed a lack of appreciable difference in healing time between the treatment and control groups in the aforementioned settings; however, it is recommended that PBMT protocols should be re-evaluated if there is little to no response in healing after three to four sessions. PBMT use on acute superficial dermal abrasions in cownose rays was well-tolerated in this study and may have utility in a multimodal treatment approach to wound healing. This study also produced a wound scoring metric based on photographs captured at each treatment. Future studies should utilize increased fluence (J/cm²) and irradiance (W/cm²) and incorporate synchronous histological analysis and increased sample size.