Exploring Radiation as a Treatment of Cancer for Dogs

Finding out that your dog has canine cancer is one tough experience. There is no easy way to hear the news. Likewise there is no easy way to deal with the ramifications. Consequently, it makes good sense to explore all of the available options to find what method of treatment is optimal in dealing with cancer for dogs. One of these options is radiation therapy. However, be forewarned that this approach is intense. In fact, the treatment of cancer for dogs is different from that of humans in some ways. Treating canine cancer with radiation therapy is extreme and will be tough on all involved.

Radiation therapy, as the name clearly indicates, is serious stuff. In fact, it is often characterized as menacing and intimidating. The concept is to shrink tumors by bombarding them with electrons, photos and good old-fashioned gamma rays. It should be noted that gamma rays are some of the most energetic rays known to nature. Or in other words, gamma rays pack a powerful pulse. If a gamma ray burst hit Earth from outer space, all life would end.

Radiation therapy destroys the DNA of cancer cells, and over time this can destroy the cancer as well. Yet, there are numerous problems with this approach in treating cancer for dogs. As the name would dictate, radiation therapy uses radiation. Clearly, this is very hard on any dog’s body and can have serious long-term health consequences. Additionally, it is extremely important to note that there are special considerations that must be made with using radiation therapy for treating cancer for dogs . The fact that dogs must be anesthetized in order to receive treatment greatly complicates the situation. Radiation therapy is usually given at least a couple of times a week or even every day. This could mean that your dog will have to undergo anesthetization several times a week for several weeks. The combination of anesthetization and radiation therapy may be more than many dogs can handle.

Clearly, radiation therapy is every tough. But it should also be pointed out that while radiation therapy might have sounded cool to people in the 1950s, it is deadly serious business. During the treatment of cancer for dogs, radiation therapy doesn’t just hit the cells that have canine cancer. Instead, all cells, regards of whether or not they are cancerous or healthy, are hit. Therefore, DNA is effectively damaged. There is little doubt that radiation therapy has been used successfully for years. However, it is also important to note that radiation therapy is very demanding physically. In terms of treating cancer for dogs, radiation therapy can be particularly tricky.