  University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign  U of I logoCollege
of Veterinary Medicine  Back to search page.  Chemotherapy
Easier on Pets than on People  Pet Column for the week of
October 9, 2000  Office of Public Engagement 2001 S. Lincoln
Ave. Urbana, Illinois 61802 Phone: 217/333-2907 By Carrie
Gustavson Information Specialist  Cancer therapy is a rapidly
expanding discipline in veterinary medicine. For many forms of
cancer, chemotherapy is a treatment option to prolong the life
of your pet. But we've all heard of the very radical, toxic
therapies often given to human cancer patients battling cancer.
So the first question on many people's mind is: why would I want
to put my dog or cat through that?  "There is a lot of taboo
surrounding chemotherapy for pets," says Dr. Tim Fan, a
veterinarian who specializes in oncology at the University of
Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Urbana. "Many clients
have seen a family member or friend with cancer go through
chemotherapy."  The problem is that this perc