30 Apr Second-hand Smoke and Pets
Animals and Second-hand Smoke
Second-hand smoke, or passive smoking, that is exhaled plus the “side-stream” smoke created by the lit end of your cigarette. When friends and family breathe in second-hand smoke – what we call passive smoking – it is not just unpleasant for them, it can damage their health too.
Second-hand smoke isn’t just a danger for people’s health, living in a house with a smoker puts dogs, cats, and especially birds at greater risk of many health problems, including cancers.
Dogs exposed to second-hand smoke have more eye infections, allergies, and respiratory issues including lung cancer. A study at Colorado State University demonstrated that dogs living in smoking environments also had an increased incidence of nasal cancer.
Cats that live in a smoky environment are at greater risk of developing lung cancer. Felines that inhale second-hand smoke also have a higher prevalence of lymphoma (a cancer of the lymphatic system). Cats exposed to smoke are about 2 times more likely to develop lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph nodes that carries a poor diagnosis for survival. That rate increases with the length of time a cat lives in a smoky household.
Birds are other pets that are affected by second-hand smoke. Birds have respiratory systems that are extremely sensitive to airborne pollutants making them very likely to develop respiratory problems (pneumonia) as well as lung cancer when exposed to second-hand smoke. They also carry higher risk of skin, heart, eye, and fertility problems when housed in smoky environments.
Motivation to quit.
Our pets are a close part of the family and motivate us to keep healthy and take care of ourselves and them. Quitting smoking is another way to keep our pets safe. A study conducted at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit showed that 28.4% of smokers said they would try to stop smoking after learning that second-hand smoke was detrimental to their pets’ health. And 8.7% claimed that they would motivate their partners to quit, too!
Look after your pet and quit with us today.
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