Research brief
14papers

The animal gap

Fourteen papers, two published trials — both in dogs, both positive, then near-silence.

What is known

A 2026 trial in Veterinary Dermatology on canine otitis externa with secondary infection, and a 2019 study in the Journal of Small Animal Practice comparing cold plasma against polyhexanide and saline in bite wounds. Both reported positive results. The 2026 one is free to read.

What is missing

Everything after that. Veterinary research is faster, cheaper and less regulated than human research — usually where a new therapy gets tested first. Here it has barely been touched.

What you can do with this

Talk about it

“Two trials, both in dogs, both positive. Then almost nothing. Vets are usually way ahead of this.”

Ask a vet

Their reaction to the two existing studies is content on its own.

Cause the study

Veterinary schools run trials on a fraction of a human budget. Realistically the fastest new evidence available.

This is an extract. The full picture is in The Open Field — or start at the library index.

Cold Plasma Research Library. Compiled from Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov, September 2026 — 4,846 cold plasma papers, 662 on plasma-activated water, 52 registered trials. Counts are title-restricted and therefore floors, not ceilings: a low number means barely anyone has made this their subject, not that nobody has ever looked.

These pages describe published research on a technology. They do not describe or endorse any product, they are not medical advice, and nothing here should be used to decide about treating a health condition. Speak to a qualified clinician about anything that matters.