Answering the Why of Veterinary HBOT: The Inspiring Tale of 2011 Horse of the Year Neville Bardos

Seeing that today's hyperbaric oxygen therapy news remains clogged with pickups and followups to the KESMARC Ocala tragedy, we feel it's only right to post a much more upbeat story we've had bookmarked since mid-January. With our best wishes for a full and speedy recovery to veterinary physiotherapist Sasha Moneley, who was seriously injured in the blast.

Why do veterinarians take such significant risks to treat equine athletes in hyperbaric chambers? Because it works. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) played a leading role in the inspiring story of Neville Bardos, named 2011 Horse of the Year by the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) and a leading contender for the London 2012 Olympics. Fire killed 6 of 11 horses in Neville's barn last May. He was successfully treated with HBOT for smoke inhalation. Read "Fire Survivor and a Possible Olympian: A Horse Named Neville" in the New York Times, which includes a beautifully photographed video and slideshow. And definitely check out this stirring video tribute on the USEF Facebook page.

[Photo: Josh Haner/New York Times]