I recently learned of a dog who died from ingesting a commonly used ointment for psoriasis. The topical is Dovonex which contains calcipotriol, which is a derivative of vitamin D. I use this ointment and did not know how toxic it is for cats and dogs.

I had a cat, Rocky, who loved the taste of this ointment and would try to lick it off me. I'd even wake up in the middle of the night with him licking my elbows. Of course I made him stop but I had no idea that this could affect his kidneys. He eventually died from kidney failure. I wonder now if it was from the Dovonex.

It turns out that some cats and dogs love the taste. I read of a case where a dog got the empty tube from the garbage can and died within days.

I talked to my vet about this today and he said that he just recently attended a toxicity conference and learned of this product which is way worse than rat poison. He said they have an antidote for rat poison but nothing for Dovonex.

I know about toxic foods and plants and to keep pills away from our pets but had not ever thought about my ointment, although I keep it in a drawer. I'm now researching this website to find all the potential poisons in my house:

http://www.petp.....m/poisons/

Kerren and Tripawd Kitty Mona