Abstract:
Provided is a method for treating animals, such as livestock, by exposing the animals to an airborne suspension of finely divided mineral salts. Treatment is effected upon inspiration of the mineral salts or skin contact with the mineral salts. The animals are accommodated in a treatment chamber with a substantially sealed limited confined volume and has a pressure difference airflow means, a dispensing means for the mineral salts and dessicant(s) in the walls and on the floor of the treatment chamber. The treatment chamber is a stationary installation or adapted as a trailer to treat animals during a journey or to transport the treatment chamber to the animals location, for example, a zoo or to apiaries.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    This invention concerns a treatment method for animals and apparatus for performing the method. 
         [0002]    The method is intended for horses and greyhounds but may be beneficial to livestock generally and cattle in particular. A large proportion of the body weight of a racehorse and greyhound is skeletal muscle. They have large lung capacity to match because the combination permits them to run at speed. To maximise and maintain speed, the respiratory system must work perfectly and performance depends on the airways maximising the flow of air to the lungs. Any constriction leads to panting and reduction in performance. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    The extent and frequency of impairment is only evident to trainers who are in constant contact with the horses and dogs in their care. When skin ailments are active they are visible as rashes, surface ulcers, wounds, bruises, swelling and the like and topical or systemic treatment can be planned. When respiratory problems are spoiling the animals performance or recovery from training the cause is often discernable. Heavy panting may indicate blockage of airways with mucus or sputum. While infections by bacteria may be treatable with antibiotics, these frequently disturb the animal through side effects. If the infection is viral the position is less treatable because there are relatively few anti-virals. So there is a need for a treatment which is rapid in effect and simple to administer. 
         [0004]    A veterinary inspection is a usual step and the introduction of a diagnostic camera helps to show to what extent the airways are not performing as they should.. This sort of inspection may be done between training sessions. Once the airways are shown to be the source of slow speed rather than body pain or systemic infection then localised treatment can be planned. 
         [0005]    Trainers like treatments which are rapid in effect so that time lost in training is minimised. This is particularly so when a horse is recovering from travel fatigue. This condition is common and can subtract severely from a training program. This shows as general debility and may last for weeks. 
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
       [0006]    The apparatus aspect of the invention provides a chamber for temporary accommodation of one or more animals to be treated with means to cause an airstream in the chamber and dispensing means for adding finely divided mineral salts which form a suspension when dispensed into the airstream. 
         [0007]    The dispensing means may include a comminuter for reducing the crystalline or amorphous salts to a particle size suitable for air suspension, namely  5 - 150 . 
         [0008]    The airstream may be created by a fan such as an axial flow fan. 
         [0009]    The chamber may have surfaces which resist deposition of the salt particles. 
         [0010]    The chamber may have a desiccator which can be covered and uncovered in order to remove excess water vapour from the air. 
         [0011]    The chamber may have floor cleaning apparatus for example a mobile manure scoop. 
         [0012]    The method aspect of the invention provides a method of contacting the cell surfaces of livestock which are in contact with the atmosphere with finely divided mineral salts in airborne suspension, including the steps of confining the animal in a chamber and exposing the animal to an airstream which contains the suspension, whereby the salts are inspired and optionally repeating the exposure. 
         [0013]    The method further includes a dispersing finely ground mineral salts in an airstream created in a chamber containing an animal to be treated and keeping the animal in the chamber for a period sufficient for the salts to be consumed by inspiration of the animal or deposited on the animals skin. 
         [0014]    A mixture of salts are preferable. The dose may vary according to the severity of the condition 5 g, 10 g, 15 g and 20 g/m&lt;3 &gt;being the preferred range. The frequency may also vary according to the severity and may be daily or 1-6 sessions per week. The sessions may last 15-45 minutes. 
         [0015]    Periodically the air in the chamber may be exposed to a desiccator in order to reduce the humidity caused by the expiration and perspiration of the animals. 
         [0016]    The walls, floors and ceiling tend to become coated with the salts particles and those which contain water of crystallization such as magnesium salts cause moist surfaces to persist. Some salts are deliquescent and these produce a water film on the floor. It is useful to dust the chamber floor with common salt, preferably sea salt and a desiccating agent such as calcium chloride. 
         [0017]    The salt for airborne suspension may be phosphates, sulphates, chlorides and fluorides of sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium and iron. 
       Advantageous Effects of Invention 
       [0018]    1. Respiratory problems clear up and a return to training occurs sooner. Bleeding and mucus production in the airways diminishes. Attacks of pharyngitis moderate. 
         [0019]    2. Travel sickness is dispelled. 
         [0020]    3. Skin complaints are alleviated. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0021]    The embodiment of the invention is now described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 
           [0022]      FIG. 1  is a plan of a therapy chamber for three horses with adjoining staff and record space. 
           [0023]      FIG. 2  is a side view of the chamber in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0024]      FIG. 3  is the salt dispensing apparatus. 
           [0025]      FIG. 4  is a plan of a chamber for a larger number of horses. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0026]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the treatment chamber  2  is a room  5  m×4.5 m with a partition wall  4  which divides the staffroom  6  from the animal area  8 . Door  10  allows access from the staffroom to the animal area. Door  12  acts as entrance and exit to the animals. The floor is concrete and a strip lm wide  14  is covered with chemical desiccant to a depth of 20-25 mm. This is a mixture of vermiculite, perlite and calcium chloride. 
         [0027]    The ceiling  16  and upper walls  18  are covered with panels  20  which are coated with desiccant but which after initial use become coated with a second layer of treatment salts. 
         [0028]    Gate  22  pivots left and right and fastens to the frame of door  10 . Shorter gate  24  divides the animal space into a second and third stalls for accommodating two more animals. Collar ties  26  hang from the gates to restrain lively animals. A fluorescent light  28  illuminates the chamber. 
         [0029]    Partition wall  4  has an aperture  30  through which air is blown by the salt dispenser  32  mounted on the wall of the staffroom  6 . Desk space and record keeping containers  34  occupy one wall of the staffroom. 
         [0030]    Referring now to  FIG. 3 , the wall mounted salt dispenser  32  has a storage compartment  36  beside the axial flow fan  38 . Above the fan is a grinder  40  having an electrically driven screw which is fed by a reservoir  42  of about 1 kg capacity. The screw reduces any lumps to a fluent crystalline mix which falls into a collector drawer  44  beneath the grinder. 
         [0031]    The contents of the drawer are transferred to a measuring cup (not shown) and then tipped into a comminuter  46  which has electrically driven cutting blades. A restrictor causes the crystals to fall by gravity into the blades&#39; path in a steady stream. The blades propel the powder produced by the comminuter upwardly into the airstream generated by an axial flow fan  38 . 
         [0032]    The fan is of 500 l/min capacity. The airstream blows the powdered salt into the animal area  8  where it circulates returning through the door  10  which is left ajar. 
         [0033]    In practice, a batch of 60 g is prepared and increments of this powder are allowed to rise intermittently into the air flow over a period of minutes once the breathing rate of the horses has fallen to normal. The treatment continues for  15 ,  30  or  45  minutes and is repeated daily. 
         [0034]    The electronic timer  50  allows the operator to select the treatment period. An air conditioner circuit (not shown) is controlled by a thermostat to adjust the chamber temperature. Humidity is kept low by the removal of desiccant. Buttons  52  select 15, 30 or 45 minute exposure. Buttons  54 ,  56  cause temperature and humidity to be shown on screen  58 . 
         [0035]    Three treatments on three days suffice to dispel travel sickness. A useful optional adjunct to the treatment is a negative-ion generator  60  on the opposite wall  62 . 
         [0036]    Referring now to  FIG. 4 , for large scale use, such as riding schools and racehorse training centres, a larger chamber is more suitable. The chamber shown is  7  m×7 m divided by rails  64  into spaces for individual horses. 
         [0037]    The rails are in two rows divided by a central gap  66 . At one end of the gap there is an axial flow fan  48  of 1000 l/min capacity which directs an airstream toward the opposite wall  58  through gap  66 . The air circulates and reaches the space  68  behind the fan. 
         [0038]    In a non-illustrated variant, the chamber is a trailer-mounted box like a horse box so that it may be towed by a vehicle to reach the animal, for example a zoo animal. In a further adaptation the mobile chamber is capable of treating one or more animals in the course of the journey. The chamber may alternatively form the body of a truck. 
         [0039]    Treatment of camels with conventional medicines may affect the liver and other organs so salt therapy delivered in a quiet chamber like ours offers no harm and the ability to treat the whole animal. 
         [0040]    The trailer may also be taken to apiaries so that hives may be stacked inside the box. 
         [0041]    In a further embodiment of  FIGS. 1 to 4  there is described a treatment chamber having a primary confined volume for treating one or more horses in a limited volume. The confined volume is substantially sealed in an operating condition, and the treatment chamber provides a means of dispensing salt crystals in an airborne suspension into the confined volume effective to allow dry contact with skin and inspiration during respiration cycle. For example, a fan and exhaust are useful as a means to produce a pressure difference airflow. 
         [0042]    In order to allow effective contact with the skin and dispersement of salt crystals into the pulmonary system of the horse or horses in the confined volume to be treated, the treatment chamber further comprises: a confined volume defined by walls, floor and ceiling structures having a deposit of embedded granular salt, dessicant or drying agent thereon; a humidity controller for substantially maintaining the humidity of the confined volume of the treatment chamber between 15 and 40% relative humidity; a temperature controller for maintaining the temperature of the confined volume of the treatment chamber between about 20 to 40 degrees C.; a pressure controller for maintaining air pressure in the confined volume of the treatment chamber between 700 to 1000 Hpa; an airflow generator for creating an airflow stream at a rate of 500 L/min up to 1000 L/min into the confined volume of the treatment chamber; a dispenser including a comminuter and timer for delivering a predetermined amount of salt in a predetermined size at a predetermined timed interval over a treatment period, into the airflow stream to form an airborne salt suspension; wherein the physical parameters of the confined volume including temperature, pressure, airflow, humidity are controlled to allow effective contact of dry salt particles with skin of the horse or horses to be treated, and allow access to lungs for recovery of horses in the confined volume. 
         [0043]    By controlling the ambient conditions within the confined volume of the treatment chamber, a horse or horses to be treated can be exposed to sufficiently dry salt granules and/or pulverised particulates, which improve recovery times and airway obstructions such as mucus. 
         [0044]    In this embodiment, the treatment chamber provides a confined volume which allows control of environmental factors therein to deliver salts such as rock salt, sea salt and other type of salts and mixtures thereof, in an effective form to enhance treatments for skin aliments and inflammatory airway obstructions caused by allergies and intense activity. Applicant has found that recovery time of a horse exposed to the treatment chamber, for example following exercise/training, allows the horse to recover relatively quickly. 
         [0045]    Without being bound by theory, the ability of the suspended salt to contact skin and disperse into the lungs from an airborne suspension relies on the ability of the salt particulate/granule to remain in airborne suspension. Therefore the higher the relative humidity of the confined volume, the more likely the suspended particles will precipitate from the airborne suspension. In a treatment environment where animals such as horses for example are perspiring heavily and expirating frequently following exercise, the ambient atmosphere is subjected to high levels of moisture and condensation, which will adversely affect delivery of salt particulates in an airborne suspension. 
         [0046]    The applicant has found that it is not unusual for the confines of the treatment chamber to absorb and adsorb liquid in amounts exceeding  20  litres per animal during expiration and perspiration. The walls, floor and ceiling are therefore replaced from time to time and replenished with fresh salt embedded surface to assist control of relative humidity within the confines of the treatment chamber. 
         [0047]    It is to be understood that the word “comprising” as used throughout the specification is to be interpreted in its inclusive form, ie. use of the word “comprising” does not exclude the addition of other elements. 
         [0048]    It is to be understood that various modifications of and/or additions to the invention can be made without departing from the basic nature of the invention. These modifications and/or additions are therefore considered to fall within the scope of the invention.