Pets and Cigarette Smoke

Cigarette smoke is injurious not only for people but for animals too, reported researchers. They found that, especially, pets which live in smoking households are more likely to become ill.

Veterinarians sustained that they observed that second-hand smoke is aggravating asthma and bronchitis in cats and small dogs. Pets can’t smoke that’s why they only inhale the cigarette smoke, that is mean that they are attacked by second-hand smoking. That’s why researchers said that even if in the house smoke all people except pets, they have to puff out for to protect the pets’ health.

"I would say, probably 25 percent of our patients, we see where they're coming from smoking households, and we do have to have that conversation with people," said Dr. Lisa Pasquarello, veterinarian at Cottonwood Animal Clinic. She advised smokers that if they want to keep their pet alive and healthy, they have to kicking the bad habit or smoke outside.

Pasquarello added that cats, especially, are genetically exposed to asthma. She said that cats are much worse in households that are smokers, and so the cats tend to be hospitalized more frequently and with much more serious respiratory situations. Not only cats but also dogs can have bronchitis because of cigarette smoke. And even the effects of second-hand smoke make it difficult to treat these animals.

Researchers found also that cigarette smoke can not only cause asthma and bronchitis but also cancer especially in cats. Pasquarello reported that dogs are also likely to have cancer, especially dogs with long noses such as Collies, Greyhounds and German Shepherds, probably because there is simply more tissue and cells exposed to cancer-causing particles called "carcinogens" as the smoke travels through their nose. Dogs with a short (Pugs) or medium nose are unfortunately not risk-free: in that study, they had a higher risk of lung cancer. Ironically, this may be because their shorter nose is less effective at filtering carcinogens before they reach their lungs. So ultimately, everybody dog breed is at risk, regardless of the length of their nose.

Pets are like children because they don’t smoke, that’s why smokers have to respect the health of their pets too.