Safe Handling of Chemotherapy at Home 

Introduction 

Chemotherapy drugs are given to destroy cancer cells. While these drugs are intended to target cancer cells, they can also affect normal cells. This causes some of the side effects experienced by people and animals after treatment.  

Little is known about the potential harm, if any, to people who care for a pet that is receiving chemotherapy. Therefore, unnecessary exposure to chemotherapy drugs and bodily wastes of animals that have received chemotherapy should be avoided.  

Most chemotherapy drugs are excreted, to some extent, in bodily wastes (such as urine and feces) as the actual drug, or potentially active metabolites, for approximately 72 hours. Therefore, bodily wastes should be considered contaminated with chemotherapy, and direct contact with these body fluids should be avoided for at least 3 days after chemotherapy treatment.  

Exposure to small amounts of chemotherapy drugs over a long period of time may present hazards to people who are not receiving the drugs for cancer treatment, such as doctors, nurses, and pharmacists.  

Using proper technique when handling or administering chemotherapy drugs or disposing of chemotherapy drugs and bodily wastes will minimize the risks to the caregiver.  

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Handling Chemotherapeutic Medications 

• Administer the drug only in the prescribed dose and frequency. 

• Prevent direct contact of the drug with your skin. Always wear disposable gloves (nitrile or latex) when handling your pet’s medication; “peel” the gloves off afterward so they come off inside out and dispose of them in a closed plastic bag (such as a zip-lock bag) and put the bag in the trash. Wash your hands with soap and water afterward. 

• Make sure your pet swallows the medication entirely and does not chew it or spit it out.  

• Never split or break tablets, and never open any capsules.  

• If you need to place the medication directly on a surface, use a disposable item (e.g., a paper towel or a piece of kitchen foil), then dispose of it afterward.   

• Store your pet’s medication away from food areas and in its original container.  

• Keep all medication, containers, and waste well away from children.  

• Lactating women and women who are or may be pregnant should not directly handle chemotherapy medication, should not be in the room when chemotherapy is being administered, and should consult the obstetrician or family physician.  

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Handling Contaminated Bodily Waste 

Part of the drug will be excreted by your pet in the saliva, urine, feces, or vomit. If your pet urinates or defecates outdoors, try to have him/her do so in a quiet area and on soil where urine will drain away quickly and where the drug and its metabolites will be inactivated by the sun and rain.  

• Take care that your pet does not urinate or defecate in high-traffic areas, such as around playing children. If possible, leash-walk your pet to one area of the yard for the first 3 days after chemotherapy treatment to decrease exposure of the yard to contaminated waste, and keep family, visitors, and other pets away from this designated area.  

• Any time you need to handle bodily waste, wear latex gloves, “peel” the gloves off afterward so they come off inside out, place the waste and gloves in a plastic bag (e.g., zip-lock bag), double-bag, dispose of it in the trash, and wash your hands. Always immediately take the trash out.  

• If you need to clean up an “accident” (urine, feces, vomit) in the home, wear gloves, use disposable absorbent materials like paper towels (or old towels you don’t mind throwing away), and put them in a plastic bag in the trash. Always immediately take the trash out. Bleach is the most effective cleaner for chemotherapy drugs. If bleach is not an option for the surface, other soaps or cleaners can also be effective.  

• If clothes or bedding are soiled, launder them separately from other laundry. Use bleach and double wash with hot water and detergent.  

• Children, lactating women, and women who are or may be pregnant should not handle the urine, stools, saliva, blood, or vomit of a pet that has received chemotherapy within the past 3 days and should consult with the obstetrician or family physician.  

• For cats, use dust-free litter and clean the litter box often. Dispose of litter in a closed plastic bag. Keep children away from the litter box. Completely change the litter 3 days after chemotherapy treatment.  

• If you, a family member, or another pet accidentally contacts bodily wastes, don’t panic. Wash off the contacted area with soap and water. Even with the drugs that are excreted in the highest concentration, excretion occurs over longer periods (hours to days), so the amount in any single urination or defecation will be a fraction of the dose your pet received, and the amount that actually gets on your skin is a small fraction of that; and only a very small percentage could possibly penetrate the skin. For any concerns, please consult your physician.

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Questions? 

Call the Oncology Service at Ally Veterinary Specialty Center at (781) 790-0805, or e-mail us for non-urgent matters at oncologyallyvetspecialist.com.  

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