Secondhand smoke is a danger to pets

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Secondhand smoke is a danger to pets

July 21, 7:30 PM

If you are trying to convince a smoker you know to quit, it may help to tell them they’re harming their pet’s health. A study published in the journal Tobacco Control shows a significant percentage of pet owners who smoke would make an attempt to quit if they were told that secondhand smoke was a danger to their pets.

Researchers from the Henry Ford Health System’s Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention asked some 3,293 adult pet owners to fill out a survey on the internet. 21 percent of those who took part in the survey said they were currently smoking and another 27 percent lived with at least one smoker.

40 percent of both smoking and non-smoking pet owners who took the survey said that if they were told about the dangers of secondhand smoke to pets, they would either try to quit smoking themselves or they would ask the smoker they live with to quit or to smoke outdoors.

Secondhand smoke is indeed dangerous for pets. A study in the American Journal of Epidemiology found dogs who live in a house with a smoker have a 60 percent greater risk of lung cancer. Long-nosed dogs like collies and greyhounds are twice as likely to develop nasal cancer when they live with a smoker. And a study by veterinarians at Tufts University found cats who live with a smoking owner are three times as likely to develop lymphoma.

Pets face risks from tobacco not only by breathing it in, but also by ingesting particles lodged in their fur as they groom. Tobacco smoke can cause allergic reactions in dogs and skin and respiratory problems in birds. And pets who find and eat discarded cigarette butts can be poisoned by the tobacco.

Veterinarians recommend pet owners who smoke do so outside. Use air filters inside to help keep the air free of tobacco smoke. Regular house cleaning and bathing of your pet can help remove toxic tobacco particles from the places where your pet sleeps and plays and from their fur. And be sure to discard your cigarette butts in receptacles your furry friends can’t ingest them.

http://www.examiner.com/x-15114-Cincinnati-Pet-News-Examiner~y2009m7d21-Secondhand-smoke-is-a-danger-to-pets