SMOKING...It Will Take Your Breath Away!

Smoking Around Your Dog is another one of the 7 mistakes that can take years off your pet's life. It seems to go without saying that smoking is a health hazard but what many people fail to realize is what a threat it poses to pets. In the U.S., there are 71 million pet owners. About one-fifth of those are also smokers.

Smoking is not just an extremely unhealthy and expensive habit, it's a powerful addiction. As you may have guessed, sImply having knowledge about the risks of smoking unfortunately does not usually lead to a change in behavior. Of the many reasons to quit smoking, the most common one is personal health and I think we all know someone who refuses to kick the habit even after a life-threatening health scare.

But what about quitting for the sake of your furry family members? If you won’t quit for yourself, will you do it for them? I was pleasantly surprised to learn that a recent survey, conducted by the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, found your pet’s health might be one's strongest motivator. Of the 3,293 U.S. pet owners surveyed, 28 percent said they would try to stop smoking based entirely on the knowledge that it was extremely harmful to their pets.

This would imply that educating pet owners about the risks it poses to their innocent animal companions could have a significant impact on reducing smoking rates, thereby greatly improving the health of both people and their pets alike. So here goes! This is my attempt at getting all you pet owning smokers to "KICK-BUTT" with some startling research and information that may surprise you: Studies Confirm, Tobacco Smoke is Very Bad News for Fido:

• Even very small amounts of inhaled smoke can have damaging effects on your pets. Just as secondhand tobacco smoke is toxic to humans, your dog and cat are even more at risk.
• A Colorado State University study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, found a higher incidence of nasal tumors and cancer of the sinus in dogs living in a home with smokers, compared to those living in a smoke-free environment. The nasal/sinus tumors were specifically found among the long-nosed breeds such as retrievers and German shepherds. Unfortunately, dogs with nasal cancer do not usually survive more than one year
• Another study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that dogs in smoking households have a 60 percent greater risk of suffering from respiratory diseases like asthma, bronchitis, and lung cancer.
• The same study showed higher lung cancer rates in short to medium nosed dogs who live with smokers, such as boxers and bulldogs. Their shorter nasal passages made it easier for cancer-causing particles to reach the lungs.

Most of us have been hearing about the hazards of second-hand smoke for years. But chances are, you haven’t heard much about third-hand smoke. This is what you smell when a smoker gets into an elevator with you after going outside for a cigarette, or when you jump in an Über where people have been smoking. Your nose is giving you a huge warning to stay away!

A recent study from Harvard Medical School, published Journal of Pediatrics, found additional health risks associated with what they termed “third-hand smoke,” describing the invisible yet toxic brew of gases and particles which cling to a smokers’ hair, clothing, cars, carpeting, furniture, and the like, lingering long after the second-hand smoke has cleared the room.

This Harvard study found small children to be uniquely susceptible to this toxic residue, and even more so can be said for your pets. The reason being, not only is your pet breathing smoke-filled air, but they are lying directly on the carpet, dog beds, blankets, furniture, or your lap as well as picking up anything clinging to it, -and most likely popping it in their mouth. Then they groom themselves, ingesting whatever toxic particles are present.

Unless you have a "doggie-door" your pets can’t escape from polluted air. Simply opening windows or running air conditioning or fans is not enough. Sadly, most animals are trapped, helpless victims of their owners’ habits. In addition to inhaling carcinogens, your smoking habit can harm pets in some other surprising ways:

• By ingesting cigarette or cigar butts, which contain high levels of nicotine and other toxins.
• By drinking water that contains cigar or cigarette butts, where nicotine has become concentrated.
• By ingesting nicotine replacement gum and patches, or cigarettes, cigars or snuff.​

The toxic level of nicotine, for both dogs and cats, is 0.5-1.0 mg of nicotine per pound of body weight. In dogs, 10 mg/kg is potentially fatal. One cigarette contains 15-25 mg of nicotine, depending on the brand. The butt of a cigarette has a surprisingly large concentration of nicotine for its size -- 4 to 8 mg.
Signs and symptoms of nicotine poisoning in your dog or cat include:

• Tremors, twitching, or seizures
• Drooling
• Constricted pupils
• Auditory and visual hallucinations
• Excitement, racing heart (but slow heart rate with small doses)
• Vomiting and diarrhea

If you suspect your pet has ingested nicotine, call your vet immediately or the Animal Poison Control Center at:
888-426-4435.

Fortunately my addiction is not to cigarettes but to "bad carbs", so I am not going to try and pretend I understand the difficulty in trying to quit. While you are doing your best to clean-up-your-act here are some things you can do in the meantime to protect your pet:

• Follow the advice of the ASPA and “take it outside.” Smoking only outdoors will prevent a large share of smoke particles from settling into your home or car, reducing your pet’s toxic load. Remember smoke particles cling to everything inside a home, so that favorite blanket Fido lies on, or the doggie bed and chew toy are coated with cigarette residue if anyone smokes indoors.
• Use a high-quality air purifier in your home to help remove excess toxins. Remember to change filters as recommended by the manufacturer.
• Thoroughly wash your hands after smoking, and prior to touching your pets.
• Change your clothes after smoking, and, prior to coming in contact with pets. If possible wash clothing right away--or at the very least, air it out outside.
• Wash your hair after you smoke, especially if you have a pet (or a child) that will be in close proximity to you.
• Keep ashtrays clean and outdoors if not in use. Don’t leave them for your pets to find.
• Dispose of cigars, cigarettes, nicotine gum, patches, snuff, smokeless tobacco, etc. in receptacles that can’t be accessed.
• And don't assume e-cigarettes are a safer alternative to smoke around your pet, as the FDA has found they too contain a number of potentially toxic chemicals.

I hope if you've thought seriously about quitting smoking you will now be more motivated. I'd love to hear how it's going. Good luck!👍🏼🐾