Safety tips for people and pets undergoing chemotherapy or other cancer treatments
By Kim Campbell Thornton
Andrews McMeel Syndication
When Brent Williams needed chemotherapy after a cancer diagnosis, one of his concerns was for the safety of his two cats. Would he need to handle them differently or -- worse -- not handle them at all?
If you are being treated for cancer -- or if your pet is -- you, like Williams, may have concerns about how the treatment could affect others around you, or if your pet’s treatment could be hazardous for you. Generally, risks are low, but safe handling procedures can reduce them further, no matter who’s being treated.
The good news for Williams and other human cancer patients is that the amount of active drug excreted by the body when a human or pet patient is receiving chemotherapy is “exceedingly low,” says Craig Clifford, DVM, a veterinary oncologist at Blue Pearl in Malvern, Pennsylvania.
That said, it’s always wise to take precautions. The website for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has the following recommendations:
-- Have another family member scoop the litter box or pick up poop. If that’s not possible, wear gloves (and a mask if you’re scooping litter) and wash hands thoroughly afterward.
-- Take pets who are sneezing, vomiting or have diarrhea to the veterinarian to make sure they don’t have an infection they could pass on to you.
-- Keep pet nails trimmed to avoid scratches. Cancer patients have weak immune systems and can easily develop infections from wounds.
-- Avoid coming in contact with reptiles, chickens, ducks and rodents, which can carry salmonella and other infectious pathogens.
Being treated with a topical chemotherapeutic? Prevent pets who love to lick from lapping at treated areas, which could expose them to a high volume of the drug, Clifford says.
What if your pet is the one receiving chemotherapy? Take precautions when handling oral chemotherapeutics. If you will be administering the pills at home, the clinic will likely send you home with special gloves to protect your hands when giving the pill. We wore them when giving medication to our dog Harper when she was diagnosed with oral squamous cell carcinoma nearly two years ago.
“When we talk about the exposure associated with it, it is very low, and we try to make the risk of exposure even lower,” Clifford says. “It makes sense to have an extra layer of protection by having them wear gloves.”
Afterward, carefully strip off gloves so they’re inside out, and dispose of them as directed. Don’t reuse them. Then wash your hands thoroughly.
Pets receiving intravenous chemotherapy can excrete drugs in their urine and feces for up to seven days. The North Carolina State Veterinary Hospital recommends having them urinate and defecate in an outdoor area that’s not used by other pets. Choose a sunny spot if possible; ultraviolet light is believed to inactivate many drugs. It’s also a good idea to dilute urine by rinsing the area with water afterward. Clean cat litter boxes daily. Double-bag litter, and dispose of it with the trash.
Wash hands for at least 5 minutes if you come into direct contact with urine, feces or vomit. If your pet has an accident in the house that you have to clean up, wear gloves, avoid high-pressure sprays and use disposable towels, the NCSVH advises. Double-bag solid waste, blot liquid waste dry and clean the area with detergent and diluted bleach.
Launder pet bedding, towels and toys separately from other laundry, and use bleach to be on the safe side. Wash pet bowls separately as well, using hot, soapy water.
Store oral or topical medications out of reach of pets and children. It’s generally OK to give oral medications inside a treat, but make sure they actually go down the hatch. Gently stroke your pet’s throat to encourage swallowing. Don’t give medications by opening capsules or splitting or crushing pills, which disrupts the protective film coating.
If you still have questions or concerns, talk to your pet’s oncologist, or your own.
Q&A
New times,
new collars
Q: What’s wrong with using a choke chain? It’s how I trained all my previous dogs, but the trainer I’m going to with my new puppy doesn’t allow their use.
A: We’re glad you found a trainer who uses positive reinforcement techniques. Choke chains, or slip collars, have been out of style in dog training for a while now, for a number of good reasons.
One is that they’re dangerous to dogs. People leave them on when they’re not walking or training the dog, and the collar rings can become caught on the tooth of another dog while they’re playing, on a fence or on some other item, and the dog chokes to death or, at best, is injured and traumatized.
Another reason is that they’re often used improperly. People don’t know how to put them on correctly or how to use them when they are on. If the moving part of the chain is under the neck, the chain doesn’t release easily when the leash is loose, meaning it is constantly tight around the dog’s neck. That’s ineffective and even cruel if the dog is pulling on the leash because he hasn’t been taught to walk on a loose lead.
We recommend collars that buckle or snap together for everyday wear, including for training. Your trainer will show you techniques that are both kind and effective, easy to accomplish by the average person and don’t require the tightening effect around the neck provided by the choke collar. For other dogs, a head halter or front clip harness can be helpful during training.
All of these options are unlikely to accidentally harm your dog, so feel free to toss your choke chain and go with your trainer’s recommendation. You can find more on collars and harnesses here: bit.ly/3Kb7Fay. -- Dr. Marty Becker and Mikkel Becker
Do you have a pet question? Send it to askpetconnection@gmail.com or visit Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker.
THE BUZZ
New books describe
career possibilities
-- Do your kids and their friends know their career options? That they can become veterinarians or doctors, for instance? If they don’t see professionals who look like them -- women or people of color or someone in a wheelchair, for instance -- they might not realize those fields are open to them. Veterinarian Cherice Roth tackled the problem by writing two children’s books: “What’s a REAL Doctor?” and “What Does a REAL Doctor Look Like?” Dr. Roth, now the chief veterinary officer for Fuzzy, a digital pet care company, was inspired by her own experience in veterinary school, where she was one of only three people of color. Books are a great way to show kids what’s possible in their lives.
-- Summer isn’t over yet. In many parts of the country, temperatures can remain high through September, and even temps in the 80s can put pets at risk if they don’t have opportunities to drink water or rest in the shade. Young, old and short-faced animals are at highest risk and should be exercised early in the morning or evening to help them stay cool. Pets such as rabbits, chinchillas and guinea pigs are also sensitive to heat, whether they live indoors or outdoors. If you’re trying to keep electricity costs low by raising the temperature indoors, be sure there’s a fan on to help circulate the air where pets are kept.
-- Cats are popular in Turkey, and there are two breeds native to that country. The Turkish Angora has a long, elegant body and a silky, medium-length coat that comes in many colors and patterns. Turkish vans are nicknamed “swimming cats” for their love of water. They have a medium-length coat that is white with colored markings primarily on the head and tail. -- Dr. Marty Becker, Kim Campbell Thornton and Mikkel Becker
ABOUT PET CONNECTION
Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet care experts. Veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker is founder of the Fear Free organization, co-founder of VetScoop.com and author of many best-selling pet care books. Kim Campbell Thornton is an award-winning journalist and author who has been writing about animals since 1985. Mikkel Becker is a behavior consultant and lead animal trainer for Fear Free Pets. Dr. Becker can be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker. Kim Campbell Thornton is at Facebook.com/Kim.CampbellThornton and on Twitter at kkcthornton. Mikkel Becker is at Facebook.com/MikkelBecker and on Twitter at MikkelBecker.