Richmond鈥檚 non-profit animal hospital is going to be the first in Canada to offer hyperbaric oxygen treatment for people鈥檚 pets.
The high end treatment 鈥� costing $280 for a 45-minute session 鈥� is coming next week to RAPS鈥� (Regional Animal Protection Society) hospital at the Richmond Auto Mall.
In December, three donors gave RAPS $200,000 to cover the cost of installing the 1,500-pound hyperbaric chamber, which delivers 100 per cent oxygen for anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and tissue-healing benefits, all to accelerate the healing process.
Although used at about 50 veterinary practices in the U.S. 鈥� and widely used for decades on humans 鈥� the treatment is still relatively new and not available for animals anywhere in Canada.
鈥淭he animal will get a general veterinary examination beforehand,鈥� explained RAPS鈥� spokesman Pat Johnson.
鈥淥ne thing to consider is that hyperbaric treatment can be an alternative to surgery, which can be invasive and, sometimes, quite expensive in the long run."
Asked how many hyperbaric treatments are needed to treat a sick pet, Johnson said it 鈥渃ompletely depends on the condition of the animal; it could be one, it could be 10.鈥�
Johnson said RAPS鈥� plan for the facility was always to 鈥渃reate a cutting edge animal hospital.鈥�
鈥淲e have a vet here who had experience with hyperbaric treatment and the opportunity came to us via the three donors,鈥� he added.
As part of a 鈥渃omprehensive and holistic approach鈥� to animal wellness, Dr. Guy Arad, one of RAPS鈥� veterinary team, said the 鈥渉yperbaric oxygen therapy addresses a vast range of medical conditions and may reduce or eliminate the need for surgery or other invasive treatments in some cases.鈥�
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy involves placing the patient in a pressurized environment of pure oxygen.
The higher ambient air pressure allows the body to absorb considerably more oxygen than under normal conditions.
The ability for oxygen to travel or be transferred from the blood to the tissue in need is enhanced by hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
聽鈥淲e set out to be a full-service, fully equipped animal hospital,鈥� said Eyal Lichtmann, RAPS鈥� CEO.
鈥淎s a charity hospital, we are open to receiving new donated equipment from the public that we otherwise could not afford and which allows us to provide full range of services for our clients.鈥�
A donor also recently gave RAPS $55,000 for a new ultrasound machine.
RAPS 鈥� which also runs the City of Richmond鈥檚 animal shelter on No. 5 Road, near Steveston Highway 鈥� opened the hospital just over a year ago to provide the community with low cost veterinary care.
