Doxorubicin, marketed in the United States as Adriamycin, is an antineoplastic antibiotic. First produced in the late 1960s by Italian pharmaceutical researchers, it's made from an engineered strain of the Streptomyces peucetius organism naturally found in the soil of Italy's southeastern Apulia region.
Because it inhibits abnormal cell growth, doxorubicin is used as an injectable chemotherapy agent administered intravenously to destroy cancer cells. Its toxic properties, however, can cause serious side effects.
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Considerations
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According to the Animal Hospital of Antioch, while doxorubicin has been associated with significant side effects and death when used in dogs, its usefulness as a chemotherapy agent outweighs the risks involved.
Before receiving doxorubicin, a dog will get a series of blood tests to determine its risk of side effects. If the dog is an acceptable candidate, it will undergo a series of painless intravenous injections, usually every three weeks.
Heart and Kidney Damage
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Approximately one of every 20 dogs treated with doxorubicin experiences heart damage. Your vet will perform a cardiovascular evaluation before administering the drug to your pet. Doxorubin has a cumulative effect on the heart, so the number of treatments your dog gets will be limited. Once it has received the maximum, the dog will have to stop getting it regardless of how effectively it has controlled the dog's cancer.
Your vet will also test your pet's kidney function by running urine and blood tests prior to each of the injections. If a problem surfaces, he will flush the kidneys to protect them from more damage before treating the dog.
Low Blood Cell Counts and Tissue Damage
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A decrease in white blood cell numbers is normal following the administration of doxorubicin. It's not an indication that your pet has developed an infection. Your vet will nevertheless perform a blood cell count prior to each treatment, appropriately decreasing the doxorubicin dose if the count shows abnormalities.
Your dog won't experience tissue damage with properly injected doxoubicin. Even the smallest leakage into surrounding tissue, however, can produce serious harm.
Because doxorubicin is toxic to DNA, exposed tissue may not heal. Immediate treatment includes flushing the area, administering cortisone and using special bandages to protect it.
Digestive Problems and Hair Loss
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Your vet can prescribe medication if your pet experiences temporary nausea, loss of appetite or diarrhea after the injection.
Hair or whisker loss occurs very rarely in dogs on doxorubicin, but regrowth of the hair shaved from their injection sites is very slow.
Dealing With Side Effects
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Have plenty of fresh, palatable food available for your pet all day long to encourage its appetite. Warming the food slightly may make it more appetizing. A dog experiencing nausea might do better with small meals of baby food. This may also help with diarrhea, as will meals of lamb and boiled rice or boiled chicken.
If your dog simply refuses to eat for more than a day, there could be a painful underlying problem.
Dehydrated dogs often lose their appetites. If you think your pet isn't drinking enough, tempt it with chicken or beef broth, or talk to your vet about setting up a home IV schedule. Also consult with your vet if the dog drinks and urinates excessively for more than five days. Avoid contact with your pet's urine for two days following treatment.
Warning
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A 1997 UC Davis study tracked 34 dogs being treated over four months with both generic and proprietary brands of doxorubicin. Thirteen acute reactions, including vomiting, elevated heart and respiratory rates, skin rash and hives, resulted from the generic brand, and none from the proprietary brand.
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