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Smokers Put Pets at Risk

by: Marilyn Pokorney

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Copyright: 2005 Marilyn Pokorney

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Do you smoke? Need an incentive to quit? Do you have pets?
Then that beloved pet just might be the incentive you need
to stop.

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts have
discovered that pets are affected by second-hand smoke.

Cats living with a smoker are two times more likely to get
feline lymphoma than one that's not. After five years the
rate increases to three times as likely. When there are two
smokers in the home, the chances of a cat getting feline
lymphoma increases to four times as likely and after five
years, three times the rate of cats living in smokefree
homes.

Dogs living in a smoking household have a 60 percent risk of
getting lung cancer.

Long-nosed dogs, such as collies or greyhounds, are twice as
likely to develop nasal cancer if they live with smokers.

Pets of all sizes and ages are affected. But especially
small pets, the very young and the old.

Second-hand smoke contributes to a other pet ills as well.
As a smoker exhales, the air is filled with poisonous fumes.

A pets eyes can become irritated due to the smoke's effects
on the tiny blood vessels found within the eye.

Smoke can damage the sensitive lungs in a pet.
Additionally, the noxious fumes can cause a cold that can
lead to more serious, life-threatening conditions.

Smoke inhalation quickly irritates an animal's throat
because animals have a shorter esophagus than humans.

Just as smoke affects furniture, rugs, curtains, etc. the
smoke also affects a pet's living quarters and gets into the
pet's fur and skin. A cats hair continuously traps large
quantities of smoke particles just like drapery, furniture
and clothing. The cat sniffs and inhales these
concentrated particles from his fur while grooming which
leads to lymphoma in the nasal passages and intestines as
well as the chest.

Some pets are allergic to smoke.

Animals have a very acute sense of smell and the odor of
smoke is very offensive to them.

Nicotine is a highly toxic chemical. Some pets may suffer
the effects of nicotine poisoning when exposed to high
concentrations.

If a pet has respiratory allergies such as asthma, the
illness is going to be worsened by constantly breathing the
second hand smoke.

Respiratory illnesses such as asthma, bronchitis, and a
collapsing trachea are the most common possible causes of a
chronic cough in dogs. The constant irritation eventually
causes the trachea to lose its round open shape. It begins
to collapse resulting in even more coughing and irritation,
and to an untreatable, intolerable condition usually leading
to euthanasia.

So the next time you light up, think of the air that your
beloved pet is being forced to inhale.

Here is more information on helping you to kick the smoking
habit:

http://www.apluswriting.net/smoking/smokingpets.htm

About the author:
Author: Marilyn Pokorney
Freelance writer of science, nature, animals and the
environment.
Also loves crafts, gardening, and reading.
Website:

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