Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Human skin creams and their toxicity risk to dogs and cats
By Tater, Kathy Chu et al.·Published in Veterinary dermatology·2019·Veterinary Information Network, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Dermatological topical products used in the US population and their toxicity to dogs and cats.
Plain-English summary
Many pet owners may not realize that some skin creams and ointments meant for humans can be harmful to dogs and cats. A review of data found that over 61,000 cases of pets being exposed to these products were reported, with nearly 38% showing symptoms like vomiting or lethargy. Human medications, especially prescription creams, were involved in many of these cases. To keep your pet safe, it's important to store these products out of reach and be cautious about using them around your furry friends.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Many dermatological topicals are available for human use and may be toxic to dogs and cats. No epidemiological studies have been performed in the US population on the use of dermatological topical prescription drugs, and their toxicosis to dogs and cats. OBJECTIVES: Summarize the variety of dermatological topical prescriptions potentially used by pet owners in the United States (US), and describe the epidemiology of dog and cat exposures and toxicities. ANIMALS/SUBJECTS: A dataset of 10,170 individuals from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) representative of 311,065,381 US residents. There were 61,169 dog and cat cases with exposure to dermatological topicals from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) database. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Prescription medication data were analyzed from NHANES 2011-2014 survey respondents. The APCC database was searched for records of dermatological topical drug cases between January 2001 and January 2018. RESULTS: Prescription dermatological topical medications were used by 1.33 ± 0.21% of the US population. Dermatological topical products (177, veterinary and human) resulted in 61,169 exposure calls to the APCC. Clinical signs developed in 38% (22,910). A human-labelled product was involved in 15% (3,463) with 74% (2,545) involving a prescription product. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Pets in households with humans receiving dermatological prescription topicals may be at risk for toxicosis. Multiple human-labelled dermatological topicals can cause death or major illness to dogs and cats at low dosages. Increased public awareness, especially attention to home storage practices for human-labelled dermatological topicals, may reduce the risk of exposure and toxicosis to dogs and cats.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31608529/