Items left on the counter can be dangerous for curious dogs. Although pet owners are often concerned about their furry friend’s presence in food, leftover medications can also pose a threat, which is the topic of the latest news. Toxin Tails payment from the Pet Poison Helpline.1
Josephine the dog. (Photo courtesy of Pet Poison Helpline).
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Carson Gilchrist, who lives in Basalt, Colorado, shared that his mother had a prescription skin cream to treat cancer that she thought was empty, so she left it on the kitchen counter by the phone to remind him to order more. However, while they were out of the house, their dog Josephine pulled the container off the counter and chewed on it. Gilchrist explained in the statement: “At first we did not consider the contents as there was no warning on the container and we thought it was empty, but later that night she started throwing up and we realized something was wrong.”1 They called the vet, who recommended they call Pet Poison Helpline.
“We get thousands of calls involving animals stealing medication from a counter while their human isn’t looking, but these types of medications can be especially deadly, even in small amounts,” said Renee Schmid, DVM. , DABT, DABVT, a senior veterinary toxicologist at Pet Poison Helpline.1 Josie had ingested a cancer treatment containing a drug called Fluorouracil (5-FU) and calcipotriene, two of the most dangerous topical toxins for dogs and cats.1 It is used to treat human skin cancers (eg, superficial basal cell carcinoma and actinic keratosis).
“Although the intravenous form of 5-FU can be used in dogs for certain cancers, the topical version is highly toxic when ingested by dogs or cats,” Schmid said.1 She added that even small amounts can cause acute gastrointestinal signs (eg, vomiting, diarrhea), central nervous system signs (eg, tremors, seizures, etc.) and bone marrow suppression. “5-FU is rapidly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and clinical signs can often be observed within 30 minutes to 6 hours, with deaths being reported as early as 7 hours after ingestion. Immediate treatment is needed, and the prognosis for 5-FU ingestion is often dire, especially in cats, as they are much more susceptible to drug intoxication,” Schmid continued. Calcipotriene is quant it is a vitamin D analogue with a narrow margin of safety and ingestion can cause high levels of calcium which can lead to tissue mineralization and kidney damage leading to kidney failure and death.1
“The toxicology experts at Pet Poison Helpline told us that depending on the type of mediation and the amount potentially ingested, we needed to get Josie to the hospital immediately,” Gilchrist said.1 “The first night at Valley Emergency Pet Care it didn’t seem too bad. They were treating her with medical grade activated charcoal and giving her intravenous fluids. We took her to our regular vet the next day and she started to having severe seizures that they could not control.Things gradually got worse.
Josephine was then taken to Grand Valley Emergency Veterinary Care, a larger hospital 2 hours from her home. The family also considered taking her to Colorado State University Veterinary Hospital, but their vet was concerned that Josephine was having uncontrollable convulsions during a 5-hour drive. Josie continued to have seizures when she arrived at the hospital, the vet gave her a poor to serious prognosis. “The doctor warned us that this might not be a good outcome and told us to prepare for the worst,” Gilchrist explained.
“Throughout this process, each veterinarian spoke with the Pet Poison Helpline team to help determine the best course of treatment,” Gilchrist said. “People at Grand Junction managed to get her seizures under control, but there were still many other concerns, such as a low white blood cell count. Josephine remained in hospital for three more days, receiving intensive care with monitoring lab work, intravenous fluids, filgrastim for the low white blood cell count, levetiracetam for the seizures, antibiotics and liver protectants, and then we brought her home. She was on several medications after her discharged and we took her to our local hospital every three days for blood tests.As the symptoms improved we moved to once a week.1
Josephine has also shown positive signs and has started going off her medication. After more than a month, she regained full health.
“We couldn’t be more grateful to Pet Poison Helpline and all of the vets who treated Josephine,” Gilchrist said. “The only thing we learned from this experience is to take potential poisonings much more seriously. I wish there were more explicit instructions on the bottle of cream explaining that it is so toxic to animals Apparently, it can even be deadly if a dog just licks it off your skin.1
“Since most medications intended for humans do not contain warnings about their effects on animals, we recommend that you keep all your medications away, including those for your pet,” Schmid said.1 “Even medications specifically prescribed for pets can be dangerous if ingested in the wrong amount or by the wrong animal.”
Reference
A counter-surfing dog nearly died after ingesting cancer cream. Press release. Pet Poison Helpline. July 12, 2023. Accessed July 12, 2023. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/counter-surfing-dog-nearly-dies-after-ingesting-cancer-treatment-cream-301874779.html