How to Use Hyperbaric Oxygen Chambers for Small Animals

This small animal waits to receive HBOT.

Ever since the discovery of oxygen, human patients have benefited from using oxygenation to increase healing. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, or HBOT, heavily oxygenates the blood. Small animals benefit from specified amount of time in a small chamber breathing in pressurized oxygen. Some of the conditions veterinarians treat with HBOT include fungal disease (Fungal Pneumonia), thermal burns, carbon monoxide, smoke inhalation, closed head injuries, and CNS edema/perinatal asphyxia. HBOT therapy is available at some veterinary clinics and hospitals, and the chambers can be purchased or rented for home use.

Things You'll Need

• Hyperbaric oxygen chamber
• Thermometer
• Cotton gauze and bandages
• Cotton towels
• Fire extinguisher (CO2)

Instructions

1. Ask your veterinarian to determine if your pet has any counter-indicated medications or conditions. These conditions include, but are not limited to, pneumothorax, certain older types of pacemaker, and hyperthyroidism. In addition, the animal must be safely tapered from medications including insulin, doxorubricin and bleomycin. Your vet may also prescribe a low-dose sedative for use in the chamber.

2. Check the animal's temperature. The temperature should be in the normal range, and not over 103 degrees F. A high body temperature can increase the chance of oxygen toxicity.

3. Prepare the animal and environment for a safe treatment. Remove all metal objects, including collars or skin staples. If the vet is using an IV drip during treatment, such as for a prescribed sedative, cover any IV lines with cotton gauze or bandages. Place cotton towels underneath the animal, as they create less static and less chance for a fire. Have the CO2 fire extinguisher available, remove flammable objects of substances from the area, including medical supplies such as alcohol and petroleum-based ointments and review the use of your chamber's emergency O2 cut-off valve and any other emergency procedures.

4. Administer the treatment according to veterinarian advice. The amount of pressure and time spent in the chamber is determined by the animal's condition, size and other factors. Pressure is denoted in atmospheres (ATA), where one ATA refers to the air pressure at sea level and 2 ATA is double the pressure at sea level, the equivalent of being 33 feet underwater.

5. Remove the animal from chamber. Allow the pet to relax and recover from the change in pressure for several hours.

6. Repeat as instructed. Treatments are typically repeated several times over the course of days or weeks to receive full benefit.

Tips & Warnings

• Responsible pet owners are aware of the risks of HBOT. Watch for signs of oxygen toxicity which include dizziness, confusion and nausea and have been noted when an animal receives treatment at 3 ATAs for one to two hours, but can occur earlier.

• Oxygen is highly flammable. Practice emergency fire procedures according to your chamber's manufacturer's advice.

References

• Veterinary News; Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy In Small-Animal Medicine; July 2007
• Veterinary Hyperbaric Therapy Society; Review of Hyperbaric Medicine; Nathan Slovis DVM, Dipl. ACVIM
• Animal Emergency Medicine; Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy; Ronald Lyman
• Veterinary News; Hyperbaric Oxygen Chambers: The History; Dennis T. Crowe, Jr., DVM; March 2009

Resources

• Alternative Medicine: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Animals and Pets