A skin cancer cream usually used to cure skin cancer and prevent cancer has killed five dogs after accidentally swallowing some. Because of this the Food And Drug Administration is warning pet owners to keep it out of reach. The cream is called fluorouracil and is sold under the brand names Fluoroplex, Efudex and Carac.
The FDA said that one case wherein two dogs were playing with the tube and one dog punctured the tube before the owner could retrieve it. After two hours the dog who punctured the tube began vomiting, experienced seizures and died 12 hours later. In a separate case, a dog found his owners fluorouracil tube and ingested some of it. The owner then realized that the dog has ingested some of the medication and rushed the dog to the veterinarian. However the dog got sick and was euthanized.
The FDA also cautioned that pet owners that are using this medication should be extra careful if they are in a household with pets, for even a very small amount ingested could be dangerous to the animals. According to the NBC, the drug is known to to kill fast- growing cells that cause cancer or the pre-cancerous skin growths. The FDA noted that though there are no reported cases of cats ingesting the skin care cream, they could also be at risk.
If the pet owner applies this skin cancer cream and touches their cats, their cats may accidentally ingest the medication while grooming itself. According to the Fox, FDA advises pet owners to keep the medication in a place that's out of reach for pets. To clean the textiles that may retain traces of the medication. And to ask their health care provider on the right way to cover the treated area. If pets shows symptoms of exposure, pet owners are advised to consult a veterinarian immediately.
