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MU College of Veterinary Medicine to Open Cancer Center in Wentzville

October 26th, 2010

Story Contact: MU News Bureau, 573-882-6211, munewsbureau@missouri.edu

Tracey Berry, BerryT@missouri.edu, (573) 884-2215

COLUMBIA, Mo.  – The University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine will bring its educational, research and outreach services to the St. Louis area with the opening of a new facility in the spring of 2011.

Mizzou Animal Cancer Care will offer advanced care for veterinary cancer patients. The University Board of Curators on Monday finalized the purchase of a building at 1092 Wentzville Parkway, in Wentzville, Mo., which will house the cancer care facility.

The center’s services will include diagnostic and treatment options, such as computed tomography and radiation therapy, for dogs and cats that are referred by their regular veterinarians. Neil Olson, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, said the new center will make cancer treatment more convenient for pet owners in eastern Missouri, southeast Iowa, southern Illinois and even Kentucky who have, in the past, brought their pets to the College’s Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital in Columbia, Mo.

“Pet owners increasingly choose a level of intervention for their animals’ care that is comparable to that available to people,” Olson said.  “Aggressive cancer therapy for dogs and cats sometimes requires radiation treatment over several days and sometimes even weeks and months. Spending a long time in a vehicle is hard on any animal, harder still on sick pets, but owners may not want to leave their animals behind at the teaching hospital in Columbia to drive home. This new care center will facilitate our ability to deliver state-of-the-art cancer intervention therapy while making it easier for both the patients and their owners.”

Olson said the 9,579-square-foot building purchased to house the new Mizzou Animal Cancer Care is a former medical office where human radiation oncology services were provided. The existence of a radiation-containing vault within the building made it ideal for its new purpose as a veterinary cancer care office.

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