Toxicosis and Mortality in Dogs and Cats Exposed to Human Topical Medications: A Scoping Review

This scoping review aimed to identify articles describing reported toxicoses in dogs and cats that were a result of human dermatologic topical medications. Of 2,658 identified articles, 27 met inclusion criteria and described 87 dogs and 65 cats. Implicated topical medications included vitamin D analogs (37.0%), 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) (25.9%), minoxidil (18.5%), estrogen (14.8%), and corticosteroids (3.7%). Commonly reported symptoms of toxicosis in cats and dogs included, but were not limited to: vomiting (44.1%), lethargy (36.2%), cardiac arrhythmias (28.9%), anorexia (17.7%), seizure (17.1%), and pulmonary edema or pleural effusion (13.8%). Thirty-seven total fatalities (24.3%) were reported. In order to prevent pet toxicosis and mortality from human topical medications, prescribers can raise awareness by discussing the potential for toxicity and fatality in pets exposed to human topical medications with patients.

Supplementary File 1:
- Methodology for this scoping review.
- Figure 1. Study selection flow diagram

Supplementary File 2:
- Supplementary Table 1. Articles Included in the Final Analysis and Study Characteristics.
- Supplementary Table 2. Overview of Reported Minimum Toxic and Lethal Doses of Human Topical Medications in Cats and Dogs.
- Supplementary Table 3. Guidance for Pet Owners Prescribed Topical Medications
- References for articles included in this study.