media releases

September 2006

Tasmanian Cow Gets Artificial Leg

A Tasmanian cow which recently lost one of her legs in a farm accident will soon be fitted for a new prosthetic limb. Theresa the Jersey cow broke her leg when she fell down a river bank two months ago, forcing vets to amputate her leg below the knee to save her. According to Theresa’s farmer, she has been doing very well since the accident, and has managed to hobble around her paddock on her three remaining legs. However the farmer, who states that Theresa is a valuable breeding cow with genetic lines from Canada, has been keen to get the cow back onto four legs again. This has begun his search for prosthetic options for Theresa’s leg, with four prosthetic limb experts offering to help make and fit an artificial lower limb. The farmer feels that while a prosthetic limb may seem odd in a cow, dogs and cats have been successfully fitted with them and so there is no reason why his prize cow shouldn’t also benefit from the technology.

Reference: The Age (September 13, 2006)


September 2006

Low Oxygen Tents Could Improve Racehorses Chances

Intermittent hypoxic training (IHT) has been a controversial issue in the media recently with many top athletes admitting to using low oxygen tents to boost their athletic potential. However, it seems that humans aren’t the only ones to benefit from this technology. Low oxygen tents have now been designed for performance horses and dogs to improve their chances on the racetrack.

IHT starts by placing the animal in tents with an artificially low oxygen environment. This deliberately decreases the level of oxygen in their bloodstream, so that the body is forced to produce more red blood cells, which are the cells responsible for carrying oxygen around the body. Therefore, when the animal races, the higher level of red blood cells increases the delivery of oxygen to the tissues, leading to better athletic performance.

Although there is currently little published research to support these claims in animals, initial and anecdotal studies have shown some improvement in performance indicators after using the low oxygen tents. Manufacturers of the animal tents also claim that it has other important applications in horses, such as acclimatisation for air travel and management of respiratory diseases including Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Exercise Induced Pulmonary Haemorrhage.

Reference: GO2Altitude

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