How Does Secondhand Smoke Impact Your Pet?
We all know about secondhand smoke. It’s the aroma and cloud of smoke given off as you walk past someone who is smoking or an area where someone has smoked. We know the side effects of secondhand smoke are even worse than the actual side effects of firsthand smoke, but did you know that secondhand smoke can be just as deadly to your pet’s health as it is to your own? Only recently, in 2010, did scientists and organizations against tobacco begin to study the side effects of secondhand smoke to our pets. According to a 2014 article by CBS News, secondhand smoke can cause lung and nasal cancer, malignant lymphoma in cats, as well as allergy and respiratory problems in both cats and dogs much like it does people.
According to the Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights, cats are more susceptible to secondhand smoke because of their grooming habits. We know that cats are constantly licking themselves while grooming, and when exposed to secondhand 
smoke particles, the particles land on their fur and when the cat licks itself while grooming, said cat inevitably is ingesting those harmful chemicals. Some of those chemicals include the following according to The National Cancer Institute: arsenic, benzene, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, ethylene oxide, nickel, and vinyl chloride. Other ingredients suspected of causing cancer are: formaldehyde, benzo(a)pyrene, and toluene. Dogs that have longer snouts are also more susceptible to an increased risk for developing lung cancer because of the larger surface area that is exposed to those chemicals, but they can also develop cancer in the snout as well. Organizations like Truth Orange have only recent begun airing campaign videos to get big tobacco companies to stop selling their hazardous products because of what it is doing to the health of our pets. Check out some of their campaign videos here:
Freedom from Smoking Online, an extension of the American Red Cross, has given these startling facts about pets and secondhand smoke exposure:
- Dogs that inhale secondhand smoke are 3x’s more likely to develop lung or nasal cancer than dogs living in smoke free homes
- Dogs can experience allergic reactions to secondhand smoke such scratching, biting, and chewing their skin. Sometimes these symptoms can be confused with flea symptoms or a possible food allergy.
- Cats have a higher rate of oral cancer when exposed to secondhand smoke and a higher rate of feline lymphoma
- Cats can also develop respiratory issues, lung inflammation, and asthma as a result of being exposed to secondhand smoke
It’s not just cats and dogs that can have health issues when exposed to secondhand smoke. People that smoke and have birds for pets may see their winged friends developing eye problems and respiratory issues such as coughing and wheezing. They can also get contact dermatitis from sitting on the hand of a smoker and picking up the nicotine on their feathers, which causes them to then pull their feathers off.
Even more hazardous to our pets’ health is when they actually ingest tobacco products. According to Modern Dog Magazine, cigarette butts are ‘especially dangerous’ because they contain 25% of nicotine found within the cigarette. Ingesting tobacco products can cause gastrointestinal issues as vomiting, diarrhea, drooling, and trembling. Other symptoms may include excitement, constricted pupils, odd behaviors, seizures, and at its worse, death.
Many pet owners realize too late the dangers of secondhand smoke on their pets, such as pet owner Shirley Worthington in the CBS story whose beloved dog bichon frise, Tigger, died of cancer due to daily exposure of secondhand smoke. However, there are ways to keep your pets’ safe such as washing your hands before touching your pet or anything they may come into contact with, and if you suspect your pet has eaten a cigarette or other tobacco product, call your vet or emergency clinic immediately. The simplest way to keep your pet safe though is to stop smoking and keeping them away from areas where they could potentially inhale secondhand smoke, including the smoke emitted from the new e-cigarettes.
Do you or someone you know have a pet who has developed symptoms of secondhand smoke exposure? What are you doing to keep your pet safe from secondhand smoke? Tell us in the comments below!