Is Smoking Around Your Pets Harmful To Their Health?

Does cigarette harm your dog or cat? We all know that smoking affects your health, but how about your furry friend? Many do not realize that smoking not only poses a danger to humans, it also poses risks to those around smokers, including pets. Cigarette smoke contains more than 4,000 chemical compounds and some of these are chemicals commonly found in the ingredient lists of floor cleaners, mothballs, paint strippers and pesticides.

Some recent studies have proved that exposure to these chemicals can put your pet’s health at risk. According to Telegraph, scientists at the University of Glasgow found felines are even more affected by second-hand smoke. This may be due to the extensive self-grooming that they do as this would increase the amount of smoke taken in to the body. Meanwhile, the researchers observed that canines living with smokers gained more weight after neutering than those in a non-smoking household.

The study showed that exposure to smoke in the home is having direct impacts on cats and dogs, including developing cancer. The researchers also looked at the testicles of male canines after they were sterilized and they found that canines in smoking homes are more likely to suffer from cell damage that could lead to shorter lives.

In addition, a study by the researchers at Oklahoma State University discovered that canines living with smokers are more likely to suffer from respiratory diseases and develop lung cancer than those living in a smoke-free house. A 2002 Tufts University study found that felines living in a smoking household are more likely to develop malignant lymphoma, which is the most common feline cancer, than those in a non-smoking household. Lymphoma kills 3 out of 4 afflicted felines within 12 months.

Pets are like small children. They breathe what we breathe. They tend to put whatever they can find in their mouths as well as sniffing about your furniture or your lap. That’s why your pet can be harmed by the toxic chemicals in your house. Although smoking outside the home can help a little bit, the effects of smoking were not eradicated.

This is because smoke residue often remains on clothes, furniture or skin. According to Dr. Karen Becker, your smoking habits can harm pets in surprising ways including ingesting cigarette or cigar butts which contain high levels of nicotine and other toxins. Even very small amounts of inhaled smoke can bring damaging effects to your furry friend.