Just the Toes

The following is Max doing a foot soak to try and remove some of the dead (necrotic) tissue from his gangrene.  This is after 18 HBOT treatments.. Today is 5 days after his 18th treatment and we are not just left with dead skin on his toes... there is new tissue under the dead black skin.. so we're soaking it in salt water to try and soften it up so that it comes off... I am beginning to thing we need to get Max a bath with those little fish that eat dead skin.... (not sure how sanitary that is... but they'd have a field day on his foot)

Max Diving in the HBOT

So.. when a patient goes into a HyperBaric Oxygen Therapy Chamber (HBOT)  They refer to it as a dive.  Probably because it looks like they are going down in a submarine!

Here are some photos of Max and the HBOT at Southpaws!

HyperBaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) Chamber

HBOT

Portal!

Getting ready for Mr. Max

Max getting ready to Dive

Getting comfy

Super Max the submarine dog!

Getting all snuggled in to his HBOT!

Ready for a nap during his treatments!

BELOW IS A VIDEO SHOWING HOW IT ALL WORKS

And another video



Click here to learn more about HBOT Treatment at SouthPaws

Where can you find HBOT for animals?

There are a number of places.. this is by NO stretch a complete list.  There are many HBOT facilities available for horses that may also work with other animals, and there are some human facilities that have HBOT and will work with local veterinarians for animal treatments.

In the United States
Southpaws in Fairfax / Falls Church VA
Holistic Veterinary Care in Oakland CA
Animal Emergency & Referral Center in Ft. Pierce FL
Ravenwood Veterinary Clinic in Port Orange FL
University of Florida, School of Veterinary Medicine in Gainesville FL
Saint Francis Animal Hospital in Jacksonville, FL
Peace Love Pets in Commack NY
Veterinary Associates of Cape Cod in Yarmouth MA
Mars Hill Animal Hospital in Bogart GA
 SPCA Florida in Lakeland FL

Around the World
Town & Country Vet in Richmond New Zealand

PHYSICAL THERAPY! & LASER THERAPY FOR MAX

In addition to the added benefits from HBOT treatments helping Max neurologically get stronger and sharper, and of course curing the case of gangrene!  We also got a chance to spend time with the amazing Carol Wasmucky who is an amazing Animal Physical Therapist!  Carol spent 17 years in human sports medicine physical therapy before starting her own company Pet Rehab Inc in 2000, applying the same principals in human physical therapy to animals.  She has an exceptional track record of helping pets recover from neurologic, and physical challenges!

Carol gave us a month's worth of homework to do that will help strengthen Max and work on his balance... (He's holding his head up when he stands and getting stronger every day! He's also trying to hop on his feet sometimes now!)

Max needless to say LOVED working with Carol!!!

Carol taught Max to sit and bend his elbows!

The Incredible Super Max and the Amazing Carol Wasmucky!

Max learning to sit and hold himself!

We also went to see the Amazing Dr. Khoury who works in the Holistic department at Southpaws.  We saw her initially for Acupuncture but she did a little research and came up with some new ideas to help Max out that we were all excited about!  This one involved laser treatments!

Max getting Laser treatments from Dr. Khoury

Pictures of Max's Gangrene Foot Before and after HBOT treatments

Below are pics of what Max's foot looked like when he first came down with gangrene all the way through his last HyperBaric Oxygen Therapy or HBOT treatment on Easter 2013.  He received a total of 12 treatments on his foot, each about 45 minutes in the chamber, no sedation, and as an outpatient.

THE FOLLOWING ARE BEFORE TREATMENT 
If you wonder what Gangrene looks like as it develops.... here you go! 

Right foot is clearly very swollen and darker

Bleeding in between toes (assuming from skin splitting?)

Some blistering forming

After foot was shaved

After they shaved up Max's bad foot - still hasn't had a treatment yet

after 1st treatment - see blisters?

After first treatment - blood is starting to flow  3/24/2013

Pressure wound on Max's hip from laying in the same position for so long while I was on vacation. (gross!)

After 2nd treatment

After 2nd treatment

After 2nd treatment more pink!

After 3rd treatment

After 3rd treatment

After 3rd treatment

after 4th treatment

After 4th treatment - much more pink!

After 5th - blisters are all gone!

after 5th treatment

After 5th treatment

After 6th

After 6th - black dead skin is starting to molt off- lots more normal looking pink!

After #7 - lots more pink! Black crusting and granulation starting to fill in with new tissue

#8 The dead necrotic pads are starting to slough off to make way for new tissue!!!

#9 (Swelling is from standing for too long) - see pink tissue between toes?!

#9 - black is superficial scabbing for the most part

The morning after #9 before #10

After Treatment #11

After Treatment #11

Day after #11 (doing exercises outside!)

Day after #11 (pads still falling off)

Day After #11

After #13 (old pad falling off)

After #13

After #13

After #14

After #14

4 days after #14

4 days after #14

4 days after #14

After #15

After #15 close up - they picked a hole on the top of the crust to help promote healing

After #15 from behind... All Clear!!!  Back to normal - just need some fur!!! (please excuse the kankles!)

2 days after #16

2 days after #16

2 days after #16

2 days after #16

4 days after #16

4 days after #16 (dead tissue pealing down)

4 days after #16

After #17 Max's Doc cut off some of the dead black skin that was crusted over to expose the new tissue and help it heal... (a little bone exposed there on the left pinky toe)

After #18 - pink on all toes!!!  His foot should go back to normal!!!

1 day after #18 - starting to granulate even more

1 day after #18 - you can see new skin there!!! Pretty amazing huh?! and no more bone exposed...

After 18 treatments!!!  Nice color!!! Amazing huh?!

After #20 - bone exposed (no salt baths for now)

After #20 - they cut the toes to let more oxygen in and promote regeneration of the tissue in the ties

Another view of his toes after #20 - as gross as this is.. remember this all used to be dead / necrotic BLACK hard as a rock tissue, with NO LIFE what so ever... now it's nice and pink and red and healthy underneath.

Bottom of Max's foot after #20 - A little bone showing but lots of new pink tissue! (he does stand and take steps on this foot and he wiggled his pinky toe as well.

A new toe is forming - Stem cells are amazing things!

After treatments #21, #22, and #23 - Max's dead skin covering one of his toes came off - along with the nail - we'll have to go through this process with the other toes too - kind of gross.. so the plan is the stem cells that are stimulated from the HBOT treatments should grow a new toe... that's the plan anyway.

By golly - I think it might be working - this is taken on 5/7/2013 4 days after HBOT treatment # 23 and it appears to be growing into a full fledged toe vs. a nub.. it's getting to normal size.. REALLY WILD!