Turning a cage or two into oxygen therapy cages is more cost-effective than purchasing an ICU cage for oxygen therapy. Photo courtesy Patterson Veterinary If you are planning to install a new cage bank or already have an existing one, you may want to consider turning some of the kennels into oxygen therapy chambers. This allows you to give oxygen to patients less invasively by proving them with a “hands-off” environment. Stainless steel kennels can be converted into an oxygen therapy cage by removing the grated door and replacing it with one that seals shut. In older model cages, a conversion may be needed with an upgraded hinge kit. Oxygen therapy cage doors are usually made of a heavy-duty transparent thermoplastic, such as an acrylic or polycarbonate, and contain ports to insert additional medical devices to control and monitor temperature and humidity. Oxygen therapy cages come in many different forms and sizes, but all serve the same purpose: easy administration. Below are some benefits of having this type of containment in your clinic. Patient freedom Oxygen therapy cages allow the animal freedom to move around without attaching them directly to an oxygen source, such as a mask or a nasal cannula, which may further distress a patient. However, it is important to be mindful when accessing the cage to assess an animal as the administered oxygen quickly dissipates with the cage door open. Multiple configurations Oxygen therapy doors come in multiple sizes and accessory options. A single cage—or an entire cage bank—can be converted to an oxygen therapy kennel. Doors can start at around $1,000 each. In a double-door cage scenario, two doors are needed to fully enclose the cage and the stainless steel divider panel must be removed. Divider panels are not sealed to restrict airflow; therefore, the divider panel is removed when converting the cage to oxygen therapy. Doors typically are lined with an adhesive foam seal but will not restrict 100 percent of airflow to ensure the cage does not pressurize. There should also be adjustable vents on an oxygen door to reduce condensation from the humidity and allow for manually adjusting airflow. An oxygen reader can be attached to an open port in the door to read the cage’s O2 percentage. A second port may contain an accessory to read both temperature and humidity. The oxygen port is typically at the top of the door to connect oxygen directly from the source. This same port can also be used for nebulizer treatments with an addition of an attached humidifier. A flowmeter may also be required. If a mobile option is needed, wheels can be added to a single cage or double cage bank to move around the clinic. An O2 analyzer can be added to an open port within the door to read oxygen percentage. A second port controls humidity and oxygen flow. All doors come with a temperature/humidity reader. Photo courtesy Patterson Veterinary In the practice Robin Stelljes, DVM, owner of South Federal Animal Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., invested in converting a stainless steel cage into an oxygen therapy cage. “The oxygen cage has been very helpful for cases of heart failure or respiratory distress where we need to deliver oxygen directly,” says Dr. Stelljes. “It is a very effective way to provide oxygen to the patients in a stress-free environment.” Vetique, a new practice in Chicago, has doubled up on cage use as well. Ken Bradel, Vetique’s veterinary technician and practice manager, says, “We have the option to hook up oxygen hoses to the cages. So, if we have a pet that needs oxygen therapy long-term, we can hook up a machine close by or have the hose directly connected to the oxygen tanks. All our lines run through the ceiling. Once we hook that up, we have access to the oxygen in each cage if we need it. It makes recovery a little bit easier. We’re able to recover pets anywhere that we need to, or if you have that critical case that needs to come in, we can stabilize them that way.” Small animals settle in to their O2 chamber. Since the doors are transparent, it is easy to keep an eye on their recovery. Photo courtesy Patterson Veterinary Planned from the start When Diego Sobrino, DVM, was planning to open his practice, Beachside Animal Hospital in Melbourne, Fla., he wanted to maximize the number of containment systems as part of a long-term strategy. Since the clinic was being retrofitted into a building previously used as a human family medicine practice, Dr. Sobrino wanted to optimize the allocated space to accommodate as many kennels as possible and to double one of them up as an oxygen therapy chamber. “I knew I was going to start as a single-doctor practice, but my goal is ultimately to be able to get one to two more doctors in here,” Sobrino says. “I was trying to look toward the future, and when you start to increase the number of doctors, you start to increase the number of patients, and then you need to increase the number of cages and containment areas for those patients. I definitely looked at all those things when I was selecting for the quantity and sizes of them.” Sobrino also wanted high-quality kennels with the option to offer oxygen therapy, too. “With this newer system of the doors, I like the ability to switch out with the integrated oxygen cage doors—so I don’t have to have a separate stand-alone oxygen gauge where I can utilize that for both.” Sobrino’s cage bank is in the center of the treatment area, so clinic staff can easily keep an eye on their patients during the hands-off treatment. “When it comes to some of those critical patients having oxygen support, the ability to provide oxygen within an oxygen cage was important. I wanted to make sure I had that ability, with the oxygen door, especially for our smaller animals that tend to be more prone to cardiovascular diseases as well as respiratory illnesses that would require full oxygen. That was a big thing for me as well,” Sobrino says. Nicole Kompotiatis has been with Patterson Veterinary for more than six years, working closely with veterinarians in helping them build their dream hospitals and supporting current clinics in south Florida with their equipment needs.
