Posts Tagged ‘Effects’
Passive Smoking and its Effects on your Pets
Surprising as it may seem, passive smoking has negative effects not only on people, but also on animals. Therefore, in recent years, numerous researchers, scientists, and vets have been warning smokers against the dangers they may be inflicting on their pets. Here are some of the risks to which four-legged family members may be exposed.
A study, carried out by vets in the United States, reached the conclusion that cats, whose owners smoked were prone to feline lymphoma, a form of cancer that kills 3 out 4 cats within a year of its diagnosis. The researchers found out that such cats were twice as likely to develop the disease when compared to cats with non-smoking owners. Furthermore, it was discovered that if two people living in the house smoked, the risk for the cat to contract cancer was four times as big.
Dogs are similarly endangered by passive smoking. Researches have established that the development of canine asthma, nasal and lung cancer may be prompted by exposure to secondhand smoke. So, if someone in your household smokes, watch out for your dog coughing, wheezing, or having difficulties to breathe. These are all bad signs for your pet’s health. Passive smoking is particularly dangerous for puppies, which have weaker immune systems and are, therefore, more susceptible to infection.
But the risk of getting ill as a result of involuntary smoking is not restricted to cats and dogs. In fact, other pets such as rabbits, guinea pigs, or any bird species are no less vulnerable to the dangers of secondhand smoke inhalation.
So what is to be done? One thing you can do if you are a smoking pet-owner is to avoid smoking in the room where your pet lives. This, however, is only a partial solution as 85% of the smoke is invisible, and you can never be completely sure that it doesn’t affect your pet. You can also try smoking outdoors, but this will be rather uncomfortable for you, especially in the winter months. There is also third option: you can simply quit smoking; it is this solution that will benefit both your pet and you the most.