Pets can get cancer too. To alleviate the little critters from their illnesses, a veterinary hospital in Texas is now offering cancer treatment options for a variety of animals.
In an interview with KSAT, Dr. Jennifer Wiley of the South Texas Veterinary Specialists in San Antonio revealed that animals respond to chemotherapy far better than their two-legged owners. She said that dogs and cats only lose minimal hair, if none at all, during the course of the treatment.
"We give them doses and treatment that they tolerate really well," explained the veterinarian. "The goal is to make the pet feel better when they're on chemotherapy, rather than make them feel ill because of side effects."
Treatment varies for each pet. Some animals can be cured of their cancer while others go into remission. Wiley assured that pets who aren't totally cured would still be able to live comfortably after receiving treatment.
The veterinarian pointed out that the main goal is to relieve pets of any nagging ailment so they could play, eat and live normally. She concluded by saying animals with cancer don't know the nature of their sickness or that they have a terminal disease. They just want to live the life given to them happily.
South Texas Veterinary Specialists is the latest clinic to offer the revolutionary treatment for pets. Care Center in Ohio Care came before it, providing medical equipment which rids an animal's cancer rather than merely alleviating the pain.
Care Center is one of the few high-end veterinary hospitals in the US that offers stereotactic radiosurgery, aka SRS. It consists of high doses of radiation with sub-millimeter precision being directed to the animal's body, according to WVXU.
Dr. Doug Hoffman insists "SRS is changing the way people think of cancer in pets." Clinics that will be offering SRS are expected to open this year in Wisconsin, Illinois, Arizona, Phoenix and New Jersey.
