What are the radiation treatment side effects?
Unfortunately, radiation therapy will affect some normal tissues that cannot be excluded from the radiation field (the area scheduled for irradiation). The amount of damage will depend on the daily dose of radiation, total radiation and how much of the tissues is being treated. Immediate side effects of radiation therapy usually include inflammation of the oral cavity, inflammation of the nasal cavity, shedding of the skin, and eye dryness. These immediate side effects usually disappear 2-8 weeks after therapy and can be treated with antibiotics, pain medication and/or artificial tears if needed. If the mouth inflammation is severe and the dogs are unable to eat, short-term feeding tubes may have to be inserted to support the proper nutritional intake. Late side effects of radiation therapy are more long lasting but can be prevented with proper planning. The affected areas can include the eye lens (cataracts), eye cornea (inflammation, dryness), eye uvea (inflammation), eye retina (ble
