Goldie asked
Do you have any knowledge if this product is ok for my cat? At this stage I am willing to try anything for his nose cancer.
Answer
I unfortunately am not a veterinarian but I do have access to various professional references on pet medications. All the information I have for you is not from my personal experience but strictly from my medical reference. There are no veterinary specific products that contain Aldara and all investigative use has been with the commercially available products intended for humans. I certainly apologize that I cannot be of more help, but I can at least share what I have found. I truly wish the best for you and your cat. I know first hand how difficult and mentally trying it is caring for and dealing with a sick pet.
I was initially unaware that Aldara (Imiquimod) has been used on animals for many different indications. According to my reference, it may be useful for the following indications:
- Herpes Virus Dermatitis
- Squamous Cell Carcinoma
- Actinic Keratosis
- Solar Carcinoma
Imiquimod stimulates the patient′s own immune system. It historically is used to treat mainly viral infections but it does have some use possibly in cancers. Many of these indications I listed above are based upon anecdotal evidence (personal accounts), as there are very few scientific studies published for veterinary use.
Dosage information and adverse reaction information is hard to come by. Use in animals is still rather limited and ongoing research on this agent is being performed. Doses and treatment regimens will vary depending on the disease treated and tolerance to the drug. At present, dosing ranges from applying a thin film once daily to 2-3 times weekly or every-other-week. Treatment duration and frequency may need to be adjusted depending on patient response and adverse reactions.
If you were to use Aldara cream, it should be administered while wearing gloves. It is generally advised to avoid getting it in the eyes on mucous membranes. A big problem with treating an area such as the nose is that your cat would most likely attempt to lick the drug off. While there are low chances the drug would be absorbed systemically, we just don't know the issues of ingesting the drug by mouth.
Again, there really isn't much information on possible side effects, but local skin reactions are common with imiquimod therapy and include application site reactions in humans. Redness, burning, tenderness, pain, irritation and erosion have been known to occur.
For those curious, here is some additional information on Aldara:
Imiquimod is a topical agent for the treatment of many different skin conditions including actinic keratosis, basal cell carcinoma, and external genital and perianal warts. Imiquimod does NOTnot eliminate HPV, it simply helps active infections. Despite destruction of HPV warts, latent or subclinical HPV infection can persist and recurrence of visible warts is common.
