Another reason to quit

Secondhand smoke is bad for the lungs, whether it’s human lungs or animal lungs. (Can you believe cartoon characters used to smoke? No wonder kids started smoking!) Here’s some information the Oklahoma City-County Health Department sent out today:

While the effects of secondhand smoke on human health are well known, there’s also evidence that smoke-filled rooms can cause serious health problems for pets. “Most pet owners probably don’t realize that if they smoke they’re putting their pets at risk of debilitating and deadly diseases,” says Mary Pointer of the Tobacco Use Prevention Coalition.

The Oklahoma County Tobacco Use Prevention Coalition will host a booth at the Dachshund Dash this Sunday to provide information for pet owners about the dangers to pets from secondhand smoke.

Research over the past twenty years has found that dogs and cats living in households with smokers may be at significantly higher risk from a variety of cancers. “Secondhand smoke can cause oral and nasal cancers, as well as malignant lymphoma in animals,” says Oklahoma City veterinarian Dr. Richard Mauldin.

According to a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, dogs with long noses are the most vulnerable to developing nasal cancers associated with secondhand smoke. “That’s one of the reasons we are reaching out to dachshund owners,” Pointer says. “All pets may suffer health consequences from tobacco smoke exposure, but dachshunds and other long-nosed dogs appear to have a higher risk of nasal and sinus cavity cancers.”

Short-nosed dogs are at greater risk of lung cancer from tobacco smoke. “In short-nosed dogs…less filtration of cigarette smoke occurs in the nasal cavity than in long-nosed breeds,” says University of Massachusetts School of Public Health professor Elizabeth Bertone-Johnson, who conducted several studies on the effects of smoke on dogs and cats. That’s why collies, greyhounds and Dobermans are more likely to get nasal cancers, whereas pugs, boxers and bulldogs are more susceptible to lung cancer.

Other research shows that cats may also be at much higher risk from oral cancers related to household tobacco smoke. That’s partly because cats spend a lot of time grooming. When cigarette smoke settles out of the air, it can leave behind deposits of cancer-causing chemicals on floors, walls, furniture, bedding and cat fur. Scientists have identified more than 40 distinct mutagens and carcinogens in secondhand tobacco smoke.

To help celebrate “Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month,” the Oklahoma County Tobacco Use Prevention Coalition is making a special effort to help make the public aware of the dangers of secondhand smoke for pets.

“The best way to protect your pets from tobacco related diseases is to avoid smoking around them,” Pointer says. “And of course it would be even better to avoid smoking altogether- to protect your own health as well as the health of your pets.”

For more information on the coalition or secondhand smoke, please call (405) 419-4247. For free help with your effort to quit tobacco use, please call the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline at 1-800 QUIT NOW.

And moments later, this showed up in my inbox from the American Legacy Foundation and the ASPCA:

If you are a smoker and love your dog, there is one VERY important thing you can do to save Toto’s life and yours too: quit smoking. A growing body of research – including the Surgeon General’s Report – shows there are no safe levels of exposure to secondhand smoke – for humans and for animals.

An estimated 50,000 Americans lose their lives to secondhand smoke (“SHS”) annually and 4 million youth (16 percent) are exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes. A number of studies have indicated that animals, too, face health risks when exposed to the toxins in secondhand smoke, from respiratory problems to allergies and even cancer.

Toxins in secondhand smoke can cause lung and nasal cancer in dogs and malignant lymphoma in cats, along with allergy and respiratory problems in other pets. One recent study shows that nearly 30 percent of pet owners live with at least one smoker – a number far too high given the consequences of exposure to SHS.

In honor of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month this April, Legacy and the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) are challenging pet owners to quit smoking for their pets’ health. They are asking smokers with pets to “take it outside” or even better, kick the habit altogether.

“While most Americans have been educated about the dangers of smoking to their own bodies and their children’s, it is equally important that pet owners take action to protect their beloved companion animals from the dangers of secondhand smoke,” said Dr. Cheryl G. Healton, DrPH, President and CEO of the Legacy, the national independent public health foundation dedicated to keeping young people from smoking and providing resources to smokers who want to quit.

The ASPCA, one of the oldest and largest animal welfare organizations in the world, lists tobacco smoke as a toxin that is dangerous to pets. “Tobacco smoke has been shown to contain numerous cancer-causing compounds, making it hazardous for animals as well as humans,” said Mindy Bough, Vice President of ASPCA Animal Poison Control. “Exposure to secondhand smoke can cause many of the same harmful inflammatory changes in the airways and lungs of dogs as their human counterparts.”

“Nicotine—found in cigarettes and other tobacco products—is also highly toxic to animals if ingested,” said Bough. “A dog that accidentally eats tobacco may develop weakness, decreased breathing rate, and could possibly die. The ASPCA strongly recommends keeping your pet away from tobacco as well as secondhand smoke.”

Legacy and the ASPCA are optimistic that pet owners who smoke will be motivated to quit once they learn about the dangers of SHS to their pets. At the very least, smoke outside and preserve the lungs of your two- and four-legged family members.

Legacy provides resources and information to smokers who want to quit for good through a national campaign called EX® – as in EX-smoker. EX encourages smokers to approach quitting smoking as “re-learning life without cigarettes,” which may include putting that cigarette out the next time you take Toto for a walk! For more information visit www.becomeanex.org. To join or view the community of smokers who are quitting for their pets, visit: http://community.becomeanex.org/pg/groups/27185/quitting-for-our-pets/.

Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll

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