Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Household chemicals linked to bladder cancer risk in pet dogs
By Braman, Samantha L et al.·Published in Veterinary and comparative oncology·2024·Department of Medical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Urinary and household chemical exposures in pet dogs with urothelial cell carcinoma.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that dogs with urothelial cell carcinoma (a type of bladder cancer) were more likely to swim in pools compared to healthy dogs. The dogs with cancer also had higher levels of harmful chemicals in their municipal water supply. Interestingly, the amount of arsenic found in household dust was lower in homes with dogs that had cancer. Based on these findings, it may be wise for dog owners, especially those with breeds at higher risk for this cancer, to limit their pets' access to swimming pools and consider using water filters to reduce harmful chemicals.
People also search for: dog bladder cancer causes · swimming pool risks for dogs · water filtration for pets · urothelial cell carcinoma in dogs · chemicals linked to dog cancer
Abstract
Urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC) has been linked to environmental chemical exposures in people, but these risk factors are not well understood in dogs with UCC. We hypothesised that household chemical exposures contribute to the risk of UCC in pet dogs. This prospective cross-sectional case-control study included 37 dogs with UCC and 37 unaffected breed-, sex-, and age-matched controls. Dog owners completed an environmental questionnaire and household samples were collected and analysed for arsenic (in tap water and room dust) and acrolein (in room air). Urine samples from UCC dogs, control dogs, and consenting owners were analysed for inorganic arsenic species, the acrolein metabolite 3-HPMA, and the phenoxy herbicide 2,4-D. Public data on chlorination byproducts (total trihalomethanes) in municipal drinking water were also compared between case and control households. Dogs with UCC were more likely to swim in a pool (15.2%) compared with control dogs (0%) (OR 1.69, 95% CI = 1.69-∞; p = .02). Dogs with UCC also had more than 4-fold higher reported municipal water concentrations of chlorination byproducts (median 28.0 ppb) compared with controls (median 6.9 ppb; p < .0001). Dust arsenic concentrations were unexpectedly lower in case households (median 0.277 ng/cm) compared with control households (median 0.401 ng/cm; p = .0002). Other outcomes were not significantly different between groups. These data suggest that dog owners, especially those of breeds known to be at higher risk for UCC, consider limiting access to swimming pools and installing water filtration units that remove total trihalomethanes.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38388159/