Brandon Vet Center Offers Radiation Therapy For Pets With Cancer

BRANDON, FL — In the past, a cancer diagnosis for a pet was often a death sentence. But a newly opened veterinary facility in Brandon offers technology that allows pets to be treated for the disease.

Fetch Specialty & Cancer Veterinary Centers, 717 W. Robertson St., offers a variety of cancer treatments for pets including chemotherapy, immunotherapy, surgery and an advanced form of radiation therapy known as Stereotactic Radiation.

SRS/SRT is a non-surgical radiation therapy that delivers a higher dose of radiation in a fewer number of treatments to a targeted area -- mostly tumors that cannot be surgically removed.

The therapy allows for the safe removal of brain, spinal, nasal, lung, adrenal, urogenital and bone tumors. SRS/SRT is a faster and more precise approach to destroying cancer cells with minimal damage to the surrounding healthy tissue. It provides more rapid tumor shrinkage, faster pain relief and very often longer disease control for large, non-resectable tumors.

"SRS/SRT greatly reduces the number treatments over conventional radiation protocols, while maximizing the delivery of radiation directly to the tumor," Fetch co-founder and board-certified radiation and medical oncologist Dr. William Ratterree said. "We are the only specialty practice in the Tampa Bay area to be able to offer this advanced type of cancer treatment to the neighboring communities. It is a cost-effective way to add longevity and quality of life to our beloved pets with cancer."

Fetch is a family-owned specialty veterinary practice that opened in March.

The 8,000-square-foot facility holds five exam rooms, a full-service ICU, two surgery suites, a chemotherapy suite, a 16-slice helical CT, color flow ultrasonography, video endoscopy/bronchoscopy, digital radiography and radiation therapy.

The center is open 24/7 for emergency and critical care, and accepts appointments Monday through Saturday for medical oncology, radiation oncology, surgery (soft tissue, orthopedic and neurosurgery) and diagnostic imaging (X-rays, ultrasound and CT scans).

Call 813-603-8000.