Post-chemo Questions For Those Who've Been There

[Tracey]

Our vet was telling us we have to watch out for Cosmo's pee and poo for the next week, basically treat it like hazmat. Was wondering how others have dealt with the #1's and #2's, particularly those with other dogs. We were told to use gloves if she has any accidents in the house. I usually use a plastic bag on my hand to pick up poo outside but maybe that's not sufficient? Also, where she peed I hosed off with soapy water. Anything else I should do?

 

Also wonder about food and water bowls. After dinner I picked her bowl right up so no one else would get into it. But not sure how I would keep them segregated in their water bowls, or do I even need to worry about this?

 

And one last thing; Cosmo's not a drool-y dog, but is there any concern about their saliva?

 

Appreciate any advice. Thanks!

[GreyTzu]

I was not told anything at all in relation to this when Dylan was receiving chemo.

[Bluesky]

I was told to use a mixture of bleach and water to dilute the chemicals in the soil after urination. Also to try to get her to go in the same area every time.

 

Also not to let her lick us.

Edited August 7, 2009 by Bluesky

[MaryJane]

When my dog had chemo they gave plenty of fluids to flush it all out at the hospital. They had to follow hazmat procedures at the hospital but, I didn't have to do anything different at home.

 

I guess they have different procedures for different chemo drugs

 

Edited to add -- my dog spent all day at the hospital

Edited August 7, 2009 by MaryJane

[Guest EmbersDad]

no warnings at all with ember.

[Bevd]

We were told to wear gloves to dispose of solids for a few days after each chemo session (I still have about 4504985048594 plastic gloves) and rinse away urine too.

 

I'd not worry too much about anything else though Tracey

Edited August 7, 2009 by Bevd

[RobinM]

I never heard of this either. Polli went through 6 chemo treatments and there was never any issue with pee/poop.

[Guest twilliams]

Yes, I was given a warning about toxic urination, vomit and poo and was told to wear gloves when cleaning. I bought a box of disposable gloves. The poo was picked up with a poo bag and sealed in a plastic shopping bag. Urine I just hosed down as good as I could. Skipper was on pred and probably peed 50 times a day. There was one particular bush Skipper liked to pee around. It was a white gardenia. The next spring it had red blooms!!

[Madeara]

I wasn't told that either but did read it somewhere. I always picked up the poo and watered down the pee when I could. She never threw up.

 

We did not experience any problems

[Guest TaraCoachCougar]

I asked the tech today after treatment about the saliva since I usually shove Cougar's meds down his throat. She said no worry on that. Something about it would come from kidneys or someone. It was pretty wild and I was distracted with all the other things going on in there, but she said no worry on the saliva.

[Guest K9Cookies]

Our vet didn't tell us to take any precautions, but I read about it in several different books. I used gloves if I had to clean up pee inside the house. Outside, we cleaned up right away, and did our best to rinse the areas when we saw Bonnie pee.

 

We didn't do anything different with water bowls, but we did wash and sanitize the food and water bowls on a daily basis.

[Guest RooCroo]

It depends on the medication used for chemo. When Sissy had chemo (IV vinblastine and cisplatin), we were told to avoid skin contact with feces for 48 hours after each treatment. (I picked them up with a shovel and disposed of them in a double plastic bag), but no instructions about urine. Someone told me that urine could be toxic as well, so just in case I dug up the wet spot with a shovel and buried the urine-soaked dirt in an unused part of the yard. Of course, this would make a big mess if you have a lawn, which we don't. I never cleaned up with clorox, because I figure it wasn't germs I was getting rid of, but chemicals. I wore rubber gloves and used dish soap and water, followed by water rinse, for cleanups in the house.

Edited August 8, 2009 by RooCroo