Outpatient treatments take 1-2 hours. Because of the anesthesia required, outpatients should not be feed after 8pm the night before treatments, but water may be provided throughout the night. Pets may be sleepy for several hours following each treatment. During treatment the oncologist will monitor the effect of the radiation on the cancer as well as on normal tissue. Most side effects that occur during radiation therapy, although unpleasant, are usually not serious, and are almost always limited to the area being treated.
Many animals develop skin changes in the area being treated.
A redness of the skin may develop near the end of, or after, radiation therapy. This may progress to a dry or moist skin reaction, which resembles a severe sunburn or blistering rash. Hair loss in the treated area is common and may persist for some time, but regrowth occurs in most patients. The color of the regrowing hair and skin in the treated area are likely to change. This will usually only occur if portions of the abdomen are irradiated.