Chemotherapeutic drugs are used in veterinary medicine to treat a variety of different types of cancers. Many neoplasms are responsive to the drugs that we have available. Use of chemotherapy often provides our patients the best chance at prolonged survival.
How does chemotherapy work?
Chemotherapeutic drugs stop, or slow the replication of cells. Unfortunately, these drugs are not yet sophisticated enough to only target cancerous cells; other rapidly dividing cells in the body (such as the cells of the gastrointestinal tract and the cells or the bone marrow) are affected as well. It is when these "normal" cells are affected that we see side effects of the drugs.
What are the side effects?
Most common side effects include vomiting and diarrhea, due to destruction of the cells of the gastrointestinal tract. Often, this will be transient and resolve without medical attention. If the cells or the bone marrow are affected, the number of white blood cells usually drops. If this happens, your animal is more prone to obtaining secondary infections, such as respiratory or bladder infections. These infections will need to be treated with antibiotics. Occasionally, in about 5-10% of our chemotherapy patients, an infection becomes serious enough that your animal may need to be hospitalized for intravenous antibiotics and fluid support. If there are specific side effects to be expected from a drug used on your pet, we will provide you with that information on the day of treatment.
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