Vet talk: Oxygen treatment effective

The hyperbaric oxygen chamber in the background was used to treat this rescued little blue penguin, held by Sue Mackay.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy has been used in human medicine since the beginning of the 20th century.

Based on sound scientific principles, it is now an accepted treatment modality for several conditions including non-healing wounds, compromised skin grafts, infections, gas gangrene, traumatic injury, certain poisonings and burns.

We are very pleased to offer this incredible healing aid, which promotes health and well-being in a stress free manner for our furry friends.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) basically means giving oxygen under pressure.

This allows for a far greater amount of oxygen to be available to tissues in the body.

Oxygen at optimal levels has profound anti-inflammatory effects; it helps to rid the body of infection both directly by killing certain bugs and indirectly by supporting the immune system and assists to accelerate healing, often dramatically!

Normally oxygen is carried by the red blood cells in the blood stream and at any given time in a normal human or animal breathing air (which has 21 per cent oxygen), approximately 96 per cent of red blood cells are saturated with (carrying) oxygen.

When breathing 100 per cent pure oxygen instead of air, all red blood cells carry oxygen and deliver it to cells within reach of circulating blood vessels.

Under pressure in the chamber, like divers submerging under water, oxygen dissolves into all of the body fluid and tissues.

This means that it is no longer dependent on the blood vessels and red blood cells for delivery and can easily reach important areas such as injury sites and the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) to which oxygen delivery might be compromised in an injured or diseased human or animal.

The principle is the same as the bubbles in a fizzy drink which are dissolved when the bottle is closed under pressure but fizz out once the pressure is released when opened.

HBOT allows for an increase of 12-15 times the normal oxygen concentration in the body. This promotes natural healing and recovery and is commonly used to assist in the following conditions:

• Severe skin and tissue damage
• Fracture healing
• Major systemic or local infections
• Intervertebral disc herniation
• Inflammatory conditions such as pancreatitis
• Nerve damage
• Athletic injury
• Post surgical swelling and recovery
• Organ dysfunction and failure such as liver disease and kidney failure

HBOT may be used in adjunct to most other veterinary or alternative treatment. Animals who have certain kinds of ear, sinus or lung problems or are critically ill may not be able to be treated.

During HBOT the animal simply sits or lies down and relaxes in the chamber, breathing pure oxygen while the chamber is pressurised.

A treatment session lasts one to two hours and animals tolerate it well and typically respond beautifully to as little as one to five sessions depending on their individual needs.