Today I visited the Radiation Oncology branch, which is where localized tumors in animals are treated with radiation therapy.
First, there was an owl that came over from the Exotics Department and received radiation therapy. Then, I traveled to the Equine & Farm Animal Clinic to watch a horse receive beta-radiation using a special tool that was essentially a radioactive wand because it had a piece of a radioactive isotope ore on one end. I learned about the difference between various types of radiation, some more complex than others (ex. electrons vs. protons vs. neutrons, surface-level vs. deeply penetrating, etc.).
Upon returning to the normal radiation room, I watched 3 dogs and a cat (Maggie the fluffy white/brown dog, Bundles the Chihuahua, Mogh the Pitbull, and Mylo the cat) receive radiation therapy. Each animal was anesthetized and its vitals were monitored while it received radiation therapy.
Lastly, today’s important petting job was Mogh the Pitbull and Carter the noisy dog. Because it was Carter’s last treatment, she got to “graduate” and go home wearing a celebratory red bandana!
Example of a dog receiving radiation therapy.