How Oxygen Masks Work on Dogs
The masks fit snugly around the mouth and nose and provides oxygen as the dog breathes normally. Unlike an oxygen mask for a person, the mask presses on a dogs jowls to keep them shut so that the dog takes oxygen in through his nose.
Efficacy of Oxygen Therapy in Dogs
Oxygen therapy can be life-saving and is an essential treatment in many circumstances. However, the very nature of the conditions for which therapy is given mean the patients are high risk and, therefore, some fatalities are inevitable.
Oxygen therapy is a short term treatment, given in order to stabilize the patient so that a workup can be done without causing a crisis. This workup may include taking radiographs or drawing fluid off the chest so that the lungs can expand and breathing can improve.
Oxygen therapy is effective at what it does, delivering oxygen, with some means of delivery being more potent than others. But as mentioned earlier, there is a degree of judgement required to balance the efficacy of the route of delivering oxygen against the risk of stressing the patient.
Oxygen therapy in itself is not likely to be curative, but a tool used to stabilize patients. Ultimately, their recovery will depend on identifying and treating the underlying cause of their respiratory distress.
The majority of patients who received oxygen therapy do so only for a matter of hours, by which time medications have started to work or the pressure on the lungs has been relieved by other means such as draining fluid off the chest.
It is not generally considered practical or ethical for a pet to receive oxygen therapy at home. Should this be necessary, the dog is unlikely to have a reasonable quality of life and serious welfare issues raised. While portable units for home use are available, this should only be undertaken after close discussion with the treating vet to ensure it is fair to the dog.
SurgiVet Pet Oxygen Masks are designed to provide supplemental oxygen to animals suffering from respiratory distress, smoke inhalation, or for general recovery from anesthesia. The masks are used on animals by general and specialty veterinary facilities, emergency clinics and fire and rescue departments. These durable polycarbonate masks feature dual vents and a rubber mounted 22mm oxygen adapter enabling unrestricted inhalation and exhalation of air. Each mask can also be quickly attached to a BVM should the pet require manual breathing assistance. 3 sizes of Masks each with their own Oxygen Supply Tubing.
