New treatments for pets at the Clinique Vétérinaire Universitaire (ULiège): radiotherapy and extracorporeal therapies

The Companion Animal Clinic at the ULiège University Veterinary Clinic is expanding its range of treatments and, from the end of 2023, will be offering veterinary radiotherapy as well as a range of extracorporeal therapies such as haemodialysis, plasmapheresis and haemoperfusion, treatments that are unique in Belgium and rare in neighbouring European regions.

The CVU is now able to offer owners radiotherapy for their pets thanks to a partnership with Liège University Hospital, from which the CVU has taken over radiotherapy equipment previously used for human care. This equipment is difficult to move around, which is why veterinary radiotherapy treatment is provided in a building at the CHU in Liège. The mobile extracorporeal therapy equipment also comes from the CHU, with treatment being provided in the CVU's emergency and intensive care departments.
 
Pets are playing an increasingly important role in our society, and many owners consider them to be family members in their own right. As such, they demand cutting-edge treatments for their pets. This medicalisation is leading to an increase in the life expectancy of our dogs and cats, which inevitably leads to the development of cancerous pathologies. Veterinary oncology is therefore booming in Europe, following in the footsteps of North America. As in human medicine, treatment is tailored to each patient. Ideally, the therapeutic approach should be multimodal, with surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy being the 3 mainstays. Radiotherapy can significantly improve the quality of life and life expectancy of treated animals and, as such, is part of the veterinary therapeutic arsenal.

There is a gap between the radiotherapy care on offer and the demand from pet owners, which is growing all the time for these specific treatments.  Until recently, access to radiotherapy equipment was non-existent in Belgium. The ULiège Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, and more specifically the Companion Animal Clinical Department, receives around 1,300 new cancer patients a year, which represents around 500 potential cases of radiotherapy.
 
Since November 2023, the CVU's Companion Animal Emergency and Intensive Care Department has been treating canine and feline patients with extracorporeal therapies such as dialysis and plasmapheresis. This range of treatments provides better care for patients suffering from intoxication, acute kidney disease or immune-mediated diseases (haemolytic anaemia, thrombocytopenia, polyradiculoneuritis or myasthenia gravis). This involves using machines specifically developed to purify blood by eliminating undesirable components or those present in abnormal quantities. Depending on the technique used (haemodialysis, haemofiltration, haemoperfusion, plasmapheresis, etc.), it is possible to target the type of component (metabolites, toxins, antibodies, proteins, cells, etc.) to be eliminated.

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