Secondhand Smoke Harms Your Pet – Would you stop smoking to save your dog’s health?
Filed under: Cat Stuff, Dog Stuff, Pet Health & Care, Veterinerian
Would you quit smoking for your pet’s health? New survey findings suggest that 28% of adult pet owners would try. The study is from the Henry Ford Health System Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention and appears in Tobacco Control.
Of interest to me were the cited studies that linked pet health and secondhand smoke. (Sorry, no word on pets who actually smoke.)
- Dogs: Nasal cancer, lung cancer, allergic reactions
- Cats: Lymphoma, oral cancer
- Birds: Eye disease, respiratory problems, dermatitis
I know, I know. This study was only a survey, and all these links between pets and diseases are association studies, but this is your pet we’re talking about.
When nonsmoking pet owners were asked if they would request that people who lived with them stop smoking, 16% said yes, and 24% said they would ask them to smoke outside. Get ready for some battles.
Will knowing the risks of secondhand smoke to your pets change your way of handling smokers in your house?
By James Hubbard, MD, MPH
My Family Doctor Blog
[Originally posted February 11, 2009, James Hubbard's My Family Doctor Web site.]
Originally posted 2009-11-15 18:22:16. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
