Immobilization of domestic animals in a bed of fluidizable solid particles
OwnerThomas S. Hargestinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Method and apparatus for immobilizing at least a portion of a domestic animal for treatment in which the portion of the animal is submerged in a fluidized bed of solid particles, and the bed de-fluidized to immobilize the portion of the domestic animal for a desired period of time. The invention may be employed to immobilize a large domestic animal, such as a horse, up to the chest of the animal, for post-operative care, and to immobilize a body portion of an animal, such the leg, for purposes of X-ray photography.
Claims10
A method of immobilizing at least a portion of a domestic animal for treatment, comprising the steps of
- (a) creating a fluidized bed of solid particles,
- (b) submerging at least a portion of the body of a domestic animal in the fluidized bed,
- (c) de-fluidizing the bed of solid particles to immobilize said portion of the animal in the solid particles for a desired period of time,
- (d) re-fluidizing the bed of solid particles, and
- (e) removing said portion of the body of the animal from the fluidized bed.
Apparatus for immobilizing at least a portion of a domestic animal for treatment, comprising means for creating a fluidized bed of solid particles of sufficient size to submerge at least a portion of the body of a domestic animal therein, means for de-fluidizing the bed of solid particles to immobilize the portion of the animal in the solid particles for desired period of time, means for re-fluidizing the bed of solid particles, and means for removing a portion of body of the animal from the fluidized bed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.