Second-Hand Smoking & Your Pet - Your Pet's Good Health
A baby cannot talk, yet few people would dare to light up and smoke in a baby’s presence. However, most pets are not afforded this courtesy and can suffer serious consequences from second-hand smoke.
Oh those habits we have! Yes, most of us have at least one, some of us – many. The topic of this feature will focus on the unhealthy effects that second-hand smoke presents to your pet.
One of the unusual facts about pets is their inability to talk. Yes, they do speak to us, but it’s in their own language. A savvy pet owner will closely watch their pet for body language in an effort to determine the pet’s mood, needs or desires.
With that said, a pet can’t tell someone, “Wow, your smoke is tearing my little eyes, throat and lungs up in a bad way. I feel like I’ve swallowed a bar-b-q grill filled with tobacco!”
One of the bad things about smoking is that it’s hard to be done in a private manner. When a smoker smokes around any living thing – people, animals, even plants and trees, the living thing absorbs the harmful smoke. Many smokers do take precautions in protecting their pets. Some may not be aware of the risks involved.
Second-hand smoke contributes to a multitude of pet ills. As a smoker exhales, the air is filled with noxious (poisonous) fumes that create problems for a pet that inhales them. This is a small list of the potential dangers facing a pet subjected to second-hand smoke:
- Eyes can become irritated due to the smoke’s effects on the tiny blood vessels found within the eye. This is a paramount point. We’ve all had dry scratchy eyes and know how uncomfortable that is. Pets suffer the same discomfort.
- Smoke can damage the sensitive lungs in a pet. Small pets are at extreme risk. In addition, the noxious fumes can set off a cold that can lead to more serious, sometimes life-threatening conditions. As a note, both young pets and old pets have weak lungs.
- Smoke inhalation can irritate an animal’s throat. Again, small pets are equipped with a shortened esophagus that can be easily irritated.
- Smoke inhalation can contribute to certain forms of cancer.
- Just as smoke effects a smoker’s skin and their surroundings (furniture, rugs, curtains, etc.) the smoke also effects a pet’s living quarters and gets into the pet’s fur and skin.
- Some pets are allergic to smoke.
- Just the odor of smoke may be offensive to an animal, just as in some humans. Some animals, such as dogs, have very acute senses of smell, and smoke levels that may be inoffensive to people can be extremely offensive to animals.
- Nicotine is a highly toxic chemical and some pets may suffer the effects of nicotine poisoning if exposed to high concentrations.
Bottom line: If you smoke, try to make it a practice to go outside before lighting up. Your pet will appreciate it, even if they are not able to verbally say so!
This article is not intended to offend smokers in any way. It is intended to bring about an awareness of this perhaps ‘never-before-addressed’ subject. It is our hope to present a healthy lifestyle for all pets that will carry through for the entirety of their life. If you know anyone that smokes, please try to make them aware of the dangers that second-hand smoke presents for their pets. Any loving pet owner would never intentionally endanger the life of their beloved pet!
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