Can dogs be effected with 2nd hand smoking?

[vnguyen1l]

Occasionally I will spark a cancer stick in the house while daisy is around. Is it proven that 2nd hand effect dogs like how it would humans?

[erdog3]

Well we have been smokers in our house for years, I guess there is a lot of controversy over the subject, but we have always had pets, one poodle lived to 15 the other to nearly 18, our old lab till 10, but she died from snake bite.

None of them died from natural causes, or anything related to smoking. One was put to sleep from physical difficulties and the other had a weak heart, but at 18 who wouldn't.

Our cats well, one was 14, he died from accidently drowning in a water tank, and the other was nearly 16, natural death.
So if you are worried that lighting up will affect dramatically, Don't, so long as you don't deliberately blow the smoke in their face, i'm sure it does not have the same affect as us.
It also takes years for the damage to do what it does to us, dogs just don't live that long.

[vegangal]

I would think that secound hand smoking would have the same effect on animals as it does people. I smoke but I will go outside away from the animals and other people. I maybe wrong but it makes me feel better at least by doing so.

[weimlover0816]

[quote=ellierat]
So if you are worried that lighting up will affect dramatically, Don't, so long as you don't deliberately blow the smoke in their face, i'm sure it does not have the same affect as us./[quote]

Ahhh, a common misconception that second hand smoke is what the smoker exhales. NOPE!!! Because, once the smoker inhales, filters the smoke thru his/her lungs, and then exhales, most of the dangerous toxins have been eliminated (and are now in the smoker's body). Second hand smoke is actually the smoke that comes from the end of your cigarette when you are not inhaling. That is filled with carcinogens as it has not been filtered at all and is NOT good for anyone, people or animals.

I would believe that the second hand smoke affects dogs, cats, gerbils, mice, etc the same way it affects us. I mean, they do all the tests on animals BEFORE testing products on humans. I will get some info and post it here shortly....

[weimlover0816]

Second-Hand Smoke Raises Cancer Risk for Pets

(New York-WABC, March 24, 2004) — The harmful effects of second hand smoke on non-smokers has been widely reported. More than 53,000 non-smokers are said to die yearly as a result of second hand smoke. And, for more than 5 million children in smoking households, the symptoms of asthma are also dramatically increased. Now, researchers at the University of Massachusetts have discovered another victim of second-hand smoke -- your household pet. And it turns out your cat or dog may be at greater risk than even you or your child.

Dr. Attas, a veteranarian who makes house calls, spends a lot of her time assessing the home environment of her clients and their pets.

Frequently, she finds her clients are concerned about the well-being of their animals.

However, studies like the one conducted by the university of Massachusetts, indicate that even though pet owners that smoke may change their habits, the damage may already be done to their pets.

Cats living with a smoker are two times more likely to get feline lymphoma than one that's not.

After five years living with a smoker, that rate increases to three times as likely.

And, when there are two smokers in the home, the chances of getting feline lymphoma increases to four times as likely.

For dogs in a smoking household, they have a 60 percent risk of getting lung cancer.

[weimlover0816]

QuestionCan secondhand smoke harm my pets?

AnswerNot surprisingly, the answer is yes. Tobacco smoke contains more than 4,000 chemical compounds, 43 of which are known to be carcinogens. While many studies have shown that exposure to these chemicals can increase people's chances of heart disease, lung cancer, and other cancers, some recent studies have shown that these chemicals also increase the risk of these diseases to pets. Research performed at Colorado State University has documented that environmental tobacco smoke has a clear effect on dogs and their chance of falling victim to disease. Studies have shown that the more people smoke in a household, the higher their dogs' risk of developing certain kinds of cancer. Dogs with long noses are at an even greater risk of developing certain nasal and sinus cancer, as they expose more tissue to the carcinogens when they inhale.

CSU's research has also shown that the effects of exposure to secondhand smoke are lasting. Chemicals from cigarette smoke can be found in animals' bodies for a long period of time. In fact, measurable levels of carcinogens can be found in dogs' hair and urine for months after exposure.

Another study by Tufts University showed that cats exposed to secondhand smoke have an increased chance of developing a type of oral cancer commonly found in smokers--called squamous cell carcinoma--possibly because the carcinogens in smoke can settle on cats' fur and cats can pick them up as they groom themselves.

Even if they don't develop cancer, pets can have strong reactions to smoke particles in the air. Just like their human families, pets can develop respiratory infections, lung inflammation, and asthma when exposed to secondhand smoke.

http://www.healthypet.com/faq_view.aspx?ID=152&sid=3

[erdog3]

Sheesh Weim, had to come up with some facts to make me feel guilty too.

[lou3]

Lol. was just about to post and realised you guys beat me to it. Nice posts weimlover.

[Meisti]

If it has a lung, chances are it will be affected by carcinogens. Why wouldn't it?

[vnguyen1l]

oh god after reading this i feel horrible =(