How to build an oxygen tank for your pet (fox, birds, animal)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Please do not attempt to use/modify a human oxygen mask on a cat. In a human oxygen mask, oxygen comes out from bottom of the mask so that it could reach the nostrils pointing down. A cat's nostrils are positioned almost parallel to the ground, slightly facing upward. If you still want to use a human oxygen mask, please relocate the oxygen tube to the center of the mask so that oxygen can reach the cat's nostrils.
It's totally cruel to do that to an animal. You are doing it for yourself, not for the animal. This kitty has NO quality of life.
Whatever crackpot veterinarian suggested this is definitely on the crazy train.
They don't live in the chamber full time. You should really work on your reading comprehension skills before judging someone. You put you pet in the chamber when they are having trouble breathing typically until some sort of Meds kick it. I imagine that kitty has a great quality of life having people care about them and are intelligent enough to understand their needs.
I was sitting in the vets office today and noticed a truck from the local welding supply co pulling into parking lot, they unloaded a large green oxygen cylinder and rolled it in on a dolly. I got to inspect the tags and its the same oxygen bottle I use on my oxy-acetylene torch. So no need to get a prescription for a medical oxygen bottle
Hello and thank you for posting this information. I am looking into putting together a similar solution for our cat, who is fighting off a case of pneumonia. So far, however, every vet I have talked to has been clueless about providing a medical oxygen tank prescription. They simply have never done it before. One of them even mentioned that they had patients who had set up home oxygen therapy, but procured the oxygen elsewhere. She said she'd be happy to "prescribe" it, but has never actually heard of doing so. Are you able to share any additional information for how you procured your oxygen? What kind of homecare facility did you go to? Also, could you share information about the oxygen prescription so that I may share it with my vet? What kind of tank did you use and at what setting?
If anyone has any advice or can help, please let me know. I would greatly appreciate it. The oxygen is the only part we're still missing. We live in the NYC area. Thank you!
Last edited by pengukeet; 12-21-2015 at 01:17 PM..
I registered here just to say "thank you" for this, my cat just out of ICU, diagnosed with HCM, I need to build one asap to be ready in case I need to put her on oxygen while transporting to the vet...
I live in atlanta and am in need of one of these for my dog. My Vet provided the O2 Rx, but I've called a ton of medical supply stores and they all have no idea what I am talking about. Help?
As a veterinarian I commend you highly. This is clever and effective and can add years to your cat's life. The uninformed folks who think it's cruel are clueless. This is so much less stressful on the animal than being bustled into a carrier, driven who knows how far, and then handled in a strange environment surrounded by barking dogs and who knows what else.
Well done!
Hello and thank you for posting this information. I am looking into putting together a similar solution for our cat, who is fighting off a case of pneumonia. So far, however, every vet I have talked to has been clueless about providing a medical oxygen tank prescription. They simply have never done it before. One of them even mentioned that they had patients who had set up home oxygen therapy, but procured the oxygen elsewhere. She said she'd be happy to "prescribe" it, but has never actually heard of doing so. Are you able to share any additional information for how you procured your oxygen? What kind of homecare facility did you go to? Also, could you share information about the oxygen prescription so that I may share it with my vet? What kind of tank did you use and at what setting?
If anyone has any advice or can help, please let me know. I would greatly appreciate it. The oxygen is the only part we're still missing. We live in the NYC area. Thank you!
DVM here. Have your veterinarian write the following on a regular prescription pad: name of animal, diagnosis, amount of O2 needed (which is the flow rate and would be in liters per minute), duration and frequency of use, I.e., 2 hrs per day for 10 days, PRN, whatever the animal needs. Then send the prescription to the local oxygen company. In my area that's Robert's oxygen. Don't know if they are nation wide or not. There are also home oxygen generators that you can get.
I grew up on a farm, jambo101, and we didn't kill an animal just because it was sick. Maybe you are thinking of prison. We also had books on the farm, so by "reading" you would know this is *temporary*, it is exactly what the vet does, and it's sure more humane than shooting an animal who is having trouble breathing.
We had a cat with Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). When they go into heart failure, the correct treatment is an oxygen box. My vet charges $220 for 0-12 hours in an oxygen box. sveg15 has done a good deed by putting this info on the web for others.
I can add two pieces of info that might be helpful. First, there is no difference between medical grade oxygen and welding oxygen. They both come from the same source, a giant tank of liquid oxygen. Ask the welding supply company if it comes from the same LOX tank. It does.
Two, go to Harbor Freight, buy a small oxygen tank Item #92810 and regulator Item #94846. That's about $130. Get the tank filled at a welding supply store, about $14. No prescription needed. (Edit: What I actually did was buy the tank and regulator on Amazon. Cheaper, and the flow meter is built in to the regulator. I also found great deals on Craigslist.)
For a cat, my vet specified 2 liters per minute. Either buy a flow gauge from Amazon.com ($17) or do this: Fill a 2 liter bottle with water. Run tubing from the oxygen regulator to inside the bottle. Fill a pan with water, and quickly invert the bottle into the pan. The water in the pan will keep the water in the bottle from coming out. Science class. Just barely open the regulator a tiny bit. The bubbling air will force the water out of the bottle. If it's set right, it will fill the two liter bottle in one minute.
Maybe this sounds expensive, unless you compare it with the vet: $220 for the oxygen, $100 for the overnight stay, etc. And the animal is stressed out all night with strangers. I started building an oxygen today, didn't get it done before the pet needed an emergency visit. I can tell you, $130 for the stuff at harbor freight is way cheaper than the $800 I got charged by the vet tonight.
This is valuable info, sveg15. Thanks for sharing it.
I feel so sorry for that cat in your first thumbnail pic,you cant seriously think keeping a cat pent up for years in that tiny enclosure is in any way the humane course of action.
A senior member making 25,134 posts couldn't have read properly before passing extreme judgment?
I guess you are not a pet lover and never had an emergency where you needed oxygen before, this is a LIFE SAVER and wallet saver for my 11 year old cat with HCM.
By the way, since you selectively quoted sveg15 in another post of yours, why didn't you quote this part as well:
"All she needed was a few hours in the tank and she was back to normal eating, running around, purring, etc."
which is EXACTLY what most cats with HCM needs.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Excellent info; some additional tips
