5 Dogs Die After Accidentally Eating Skin Cancer Cream, FDA Says

An important warning to all pet owners that are using fluorouracil, a medicine used to treat skin cancer.

According to NBC News, the Federal Drug Administration has announced that five dogs have died after accidentally eating this medication, which is also sold under the names Carac, Efudex and Fluoroplex.

“In one case, two dogs began playing with a tube of fluorouracil and one punctured the tube before their owner could retrieve it. Within two hours, the dog that punctured the tube began vomiting, experienced seizures, and died 12 hours later,” the FDA said.

“People using this medication should use care when applying and storing the medication if they are also in a household with pets, as even very small amounts could be dangerous to these animals,” the FDA added.

While the ingestion of this medicine has only led to the death of dogs, the medicine should still be kept out of the reach of other pets, like cats.

“If an owner applies fluorouracil cream to an afflicted area and touches their cat, the cat may accidentally ingest the medication when grooming itself and suffer adverse events,” it said.

Pet owners using this medicine should make sure to safely throw out any materials used to apply or remove the cream, and keep the medication inaccessible to animals.

If your pet does happen to ingest fluorouracil, take them to a veterinarian immediately. You should also seek medical attention for your pet if they begin to vomit, seize or show any other signs of illness.