Why is the hospitalization time only 48 hours?
A special benefit of the CTC is our short stay of 48 hours. We planned our program to minimize the time the patient spends away from home. There is no regulation for a treated cat to remain hospitalized for a specific time. The regulations state that patients must remain hospitalized until their radioactivity reaches a safe level that poses no danger to family members, other pets or to the general public. State regulations are variable, e.g. New York and California are stricter than Florida with regard to the allowable exposure limits. All safety plans must meet state and federal regulations and are intended to protect members of the public from undue radiation exposure. The safety plan of a licensed facility, the dosage of radioactive iodine and the allowable exposure limit determine the length of stay. A rare patient will have to stay longer when they suffer from a malignancy and require a much higher dose of radioactivity to cure their disease.
