The cages are spaced apart across the room and positioned so that cats are unable to see one another . Each cage is divided into two areas , accessed by the cat through an open doorway . Cats are provided with a box to hide in and higher shelves to sit on ( Figures 2 and 3 ).
Feliway diffusers ( Ceva Animal Health ) are used to help reduce the cats ' stress , but the extractor fan must remain on whenever capsules or treated cats are on the premises to remove any aerosolised radiation . The room is temperature controlled for the cats ' comfort . All cats are monitored regularly via webcams when staff are not in attendance .
Treatment
The capsules are delivered by courier late on Friday morning , having been transported overnight from Sydney . Each capsule is packaged in a lead container inside an outer container that is appropriately labelled with the standard radiation warnings and the dose of the capsule at the time it was prepared ( Figure 1 in Part 1 ( p . 38 ).
The calibrated dose of each cat ' s capsule is higher than the prescribed dose to allow for radiation decay during transport . The VS and another staff member administer a capsule to each cat within 1 hour of arrival , to minimise the time the capsules spend on the premises prior to treatment .
Protocols related to working with RAI are strictly followed by the Melbourne clinic staff and include :
• Procedures for the administration of I-131
• Safe radiation practices in the radiation room
• Iodine-131 spill decontamination procedures
• Radioactive waste management plan .
Figure 2 . The author ' s cat Zorro , who underwent treatment with RAIT , settles into a cage , with a shelf seen above / behind .
These protocols are specific to the clinic and align with local ( Victorian Department of Health ) requirements . Each treatment facility will have its own protocols that are relevant to them , but all will follow the general principles of radiation safety as described in Part 1 of this article .
Discharge and home care
Currently , recommendations for the safe discharge of veterinary RAIT patients in Australia are derived from human recommendations : ‘… the ambient dose equivalent rate at a distance of 1 metre from a patient who is undergoing treatment with a radioactive substance should not exceed 25 μSv / hour at the time of the patient ' s discharge from hospital … The above recommended level … has primarily been derived from considerations of iodine-131 in the treatment of thyroid disorders ’ [ 5 ] .
Figure 3 . A 16-year-old cat called Montana resting in a box in her cage .
Cats are given an injection of maropitant on the afternoon of their admission , to reduce the risk of them vomiting the I-131 capsule , but are otherwise left to acclimatise to their surroundings on Thursday . They are given a small meal on Friday morning prior to treatment .
Radiation readings are taken from each cat the following Thursday ( 6 days post treatment ) ( Figure 4 , overleaf ). High readings may necessitate a longer period of isolation , but most cats have readings of ̴2 – 4 μSv / hour , well under the recommended maximum of 25 μSv / hour .
The main priorities for clients following their cat ' s discharge are the safe handling and disposal of waste ( urine and faeces ), limiting close contact with the cat and maintaining a safe distance . This includes not allowing the cat to sleep in the same room as humans ( contact with other pets in the home is generally unrestricted ).
44 Veterinary Nursing Journal