Second Hand Smoke - Your Dog is at Risk

This article originally appeared on my ongoing series of articles for Flexcin International, Inc as Second Hand Smoke - Your Dog is at Risk While second hand smoke has always been advertised as a risk factor for children in smoking homes, people often neglect the fact that it also has a negative impact on dogs. Approximately one in four dogs loses their life to cancer and living in a smoking household almost certainly increases the chances for developing the deadly disease.  Are you putting your dog at risk?

What is the real risk?

According to Scottish scientists, a recent study has found that dogs with tobacco smoking owners may be forced to inhale the equivalent of up to fifteen cigarettes a day through indirect exposure.  The researchers found that dogs living in a smoking environment had high levels of nicotine in their hair and coat.

What scientists found in their second hand smoke study

For the study, the researchers in Glasgow analyzed the coat of 38 dogs. 23 of the dogs had been exposed to second hand smoke in their home environment. Of the dogs that were exposed to tobacco smoke, their coats were found to have levels of nicotine from 1mg up to 11.3 mg. The higher figure is equivalent to inhaling about 11-15 cigarettes per day.

What does this mean for my dog?

These figures show without a doubt that exposure to second hand smoke can have a significantly negative impact on a dog’s health and increase the chances of developing cancer during their lifetime – at a 50% survival rate.

The symptoms of lung cancer in dogs

• weight loss
• lethargy
• cough
• difficulty breathing

What can you do about second hand smoke?

The treatment is one of the most expensive concerning health conditions and veterinarians almost always recommend having the pet euthanized. If you or someone you know smokes around their pet, remember that it can negatively impact your companion’s health. Try to be more cautious for their sake and your own. Check out what A-list celebrity’s new pup is susceptible to second hand smoke here. Thank you for reading this article.  Your questions and comments are completely welcome (I’ll respond). Please feel free to communicate with me through Twitter (@PatrickMahaney) and follow my adventures in veterinary medicine by liking Patrick Mahaney: Veterinarian Acupuncture Pain Management for Your Pets on Facebook. Copyright of this article (2012) is owned by Dr Patrick Mahaney, Veterinarian and Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist. Republishing any portion of this article must first be authorized by Dr Patrick Mahaney. Requests for republishing must be approved by Dr Patrick Mahaney and received in written format.