Veterinary Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy: HBOT Goes To The Dogs

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been used in human medicine to treat conditions such as non-healing wounds, traumatic injuries, and serious infections.

Now, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is going to the dogs.

Hyperbaric capsules help to treat animals bitten by rattlesnakes, hit by cars and those with infected wounds or wounds that won’t heal.

Veterinary Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy: HBOT Goes To The Dogs

How it works?

This treatment increases the oxygenation of all organs, tissues, and body fluids. It is the pressure of the chamber that enables the oxygen molecules to penetrate compromised tissues three to four times farther than normally diffused by red blood cells.

​Simply breathing 100% pure oxygen outside the chamber will NOT significantly increase a patient’s healing capabilities at all. When a patient is in the chamber, the increased pressure causes the blood plasma, and other liquids of the body, to absorb much larger quantities of oxygen, greatly increasing oxygen uptake by the cells, tissues, glands, organs, brain, and all fluids of the body. For example, once inside the pressurized chamber at 2.0 atmospheres, oxygen is being delivered to the patient’s tissues at a rate of 20 times breathing normal air. This oxygen can then be utilized by the body for vital functions related to healing.

Summary

This treatment is very new to veterinary medicine, but it seems very effective for treating trauma and injuries. Further down, I include some of the success case studies.

Typically, blood flow to the diseased tissue is compromised which in turn decreases the amount of oxygen available for tissue healing. Hyperbaric therapy is able to increase tissue oxygen levels in diseased tissue which improves and speeds healing, improves the body’s ability to fight infections, and reduces inflammation and swelling.

Because there is little research on the benefits of this treatment for pets, this summer, The University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine will begin clinical trials to determine its efficacy.

On the coolness scale, very high in my opinion.

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HVM’s List of some Veterinary Partners That Have a HBOT Chamber

  • Veterinary Healthcare Associates, Winter Haven, FL, 33884 – (863) 324-3340
  • Holistic Veterinary Care & Rehabilitation Center, Oakland, CA, 94611 – (510) 339-2600
  • VCA Advanced Veterinary Care, Fishers, IN, 46038 – (317) 578-4100
  • Pet Emergency & Specialty Services of Jupiter, Jupiter, FL, 33458 – (561) 741-4041
  • Saint Francis Animal Hospital, Jacksonville, FL, 32207 – (904) 674-7223
  • Animal Emergency & Critical Care of Brevard County, Melbourne, FL, 32935 – (321) 725-5365
  • University of Florida School of Veterinary Medicine, Gainsville, FL, 32608
  • Homestead Animal Hospital, Homestead, FL, 33030 – (305) 247-3845
  • Critical Care & Veterinary Specialists of Sarasota, Sarasota, FL, 34231 – (941) 929-1818
  • Lakeland SPCA/McClurg Animal Medical Center, Lakeland, FL, 33813 – (563) 646-7722
  • Ravenwood Veterinary Clinic, Port Orange, FL, 32129 – (386) 788-1550
  • Peace Love Pets Veterinary Clinic, Long Island, NY, 11725 – (631) 499-3300
  • Calusa Veterinary Center, Boca Raton, FL, 33847 – (561) 999-3000

To find a veterinary clinic that operates a HBOT Chamber, check out hvm location finder.

Related articles:
HBOT Treats Peritonitis in a Dog: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) – Buddy’s Peritonitis
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Dogs: Athena’s Thrombocytopenia
HBOT Treats Spider Bite: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy—Jack’s Spider Bite
HBOT Treats Canine Diskospondylitis: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Infection of Intervertebral Disks—Fred’s Story
HBOT Treats Spinal Issue: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Heals Diamond

Categories: Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT)

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Jana Rade

I am a graphic designer, dog health advocate, writer, and author. Jasmine, the Rottweiler of my life, was the largest female from her litter. We thought we were getting a healthy dog. Getting a puppy from a backyard breeder was our first mistake. Countless veterinary visits without a diagnosis or useful treatment later, I realized that I had to take Jasmine's health care in my own hands. I learned the hard way that merely seeing a vet is not always enough. There is more to finding a good vet than finding the closest clinic down the street. And, sadly, there is more to advocating for your dog's health than visiting a veterinarian. It should be enough, but it often is not. With Jasmine, it took five years to get a diagnosis. Unfortunately, other problems had snowballed for that in the meantime. Jasmine's health challenges became a crash course in understanding dog health issues and how to go about getting a proper diagnosis and treatment. I had to learn, and I had to learn fast. Helping others through my challenges and experience has become my mission and Jasmine's legacy. I now try to help people how to recognize and understand signs of illness in their dogs, how to work with their veterinarian, and when to seek a second opinion. My goal is to save others the steep curve of having to learn things the hard way as I did. That is the mission behind my blog and behind my writing. That is why I wrote Symptoms to Watch for in Your Dog, which has turned out being an award-winning guide to dog owners. What I'm trying to share encompasses 20 years of experience.

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