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For pets' health, stop smoking 

Valentine's Day is a traditional time to show love for the special people in our lives, but what about our pets?

"Our animals give us their unconditional love, and in return, we can show our love for them by quitting smoking on Feb. 14," said Jayme Bottke of Tehama County Health Services Agency in a press release.

During the month of February, veterinary offices in Tehama County and throughout the North State are asking clients about tobacco use in their homes and informing pet owners that they can protect their pets from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke if family members quit or choose to smoke away from their animals, reported the agency.

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Tails of Seattle | Veterinary Q&A: Secondhand smoke and our pets 

Dr. Clare Knottenbelt is a professor at the College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, where her recent research involves assessing hair nicotine in dogs exposed to secondhand smoke. She answers this week's questions.

Question: What role does secondhand smoke play in a pet's health?

Answer: It has been difficult to prove many associations with secondhand smoke (SHS) in pets because we can't ask the pet themselves. However, we know it can increase the risk of some cancers.

In addition, the smoke sticks to the pets' hair, which means when they groom themselves the smoke will be eaten as well as breathed.

As vets, we can tell when an owner smokes because their pet smells strongly of stale smoke. I met one owner who realized the effect that smoking was having on her cat when she found the cats bed was stained with nicotine.

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Can secondhand smoke cause cancer in cats and dogs?  

Unfortunately, this is a complicated question, and there is rarely a single cause of cancer. Although it is difficult to establish a clear cause and effect between something such as secondhand smoke and cancer in pets, the evidence for environmental factors being involved is mounting in veterinary medicine.

One study revealed only a slight increase in the development of lung cancer in dogs living with a smoker, and this risk did not increase with greater secondhand smoke exposure. There is actually more evidence linking secondhand smoke with other types of cancers in pets. Cats living in a household with a smoker have been shown to have an increased risk of developing both lymphoma and cancer of the mouth (squamous cell carcinoma). Regarding lymphoma, the risk became even greater with increased time and amount of exposure to the smoke.

It is suspected that cats are at greater risk of problems from secondhand smoke because the smoke settles on their fur which is then ingested during their fastidious grooming habits. This results in ingestion of the carcinogens with high concentrations in the oral cavity.

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Does second-hand smoke affect dog, cat health?  

Q. Are the effects of second-hand cigarette smoke as harmful to cats and dogs as they are to humans? I have never seen this discussed anywhere?

This is a variation of one of the most commonly asked questions by pet owners once they are given a diagnosis of cancer in their family pet: How did this happen? Unfortunately, this is a complicated question and there is rarely a single cause of cancer. Although it is difficult to establish a clear cause and effect between something such as second-hand smoke and cancer in pets, the evidence for environmental factors being involved is mounting in veterinary medicine. . . .

Despite all of these reports of possible environmental causes of cancer in pets, there have been no definitively proven links. Cancer takes time to develop; often extended periods of exposure to a carcinogen are needed in order for the damage to be done that can ultimately result in cancer. This means that pets may be less affected by these situations compared with humans who can potentially have decades of exposure to second-hand smoke and other dangerous substances.

However, it does make sense for pet owners to take any precautions possible to try to limit their four-legged family members' exposure to potential carcinogens. This preventative strategy combined with regular examinations by your veterinarian is the best way to try to ensure your pets stay healthy.

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Ask the vet's pets: Secondhand smoke increases risk of pet getting cancer 

Dr. Lee Pickett

Dear Christopher Cat: My veterinarian claimed she smelled cigarette smoke on my cat's fur, and she recommended I quit smoking or smoke outdoors. She said my smoking would give my cat cancer, but she strikes me as a nonsmoking zealot on a mission. What are the facts?

Christopher responds: Research results support your vet's recommendation.

When you smoke, most of the cigarette's toxins settle on the furniture and the floor. When your cat dozes there, the toxins cling to her fur.

Thus, she ingests the toxins when she grooms herself . . .

You already know that smoking increases your own risk of disease and makes your clothing and hair smell bad. So give yourself the gift of fresh air and thank your veterinarian for helping both you and your cat get healthy.

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Smoking affects pets, too  

Q: I'm attending group classes to help me stop smoking. We all know that second-hand smoke is harmful to our health. The instructor insists that it also is very unhealthy for pets. Is this true?

A:

Your instructor is right on this one. Second-hand smoke is unhealthy and harmful to any person or animal it reaches. Studies show that secondhand smoke kills thousands of nonsmokers every year, causing myriad of illnesses. And even though the number of affected pets isn't clear, we do have strong indications of what smoke can do them. For example, cats exposed to cigarette smoke show higher than normal rates of mouth cancer and lymphoma (cats pick up smoke particles from their fur as they lick to groom themselves). Dogs tend to develop a higher risk for nasal tumors. And birds are more susceptible to lung cancer (reminds me of the old phrase, "canary in a coal mine").

So if a smoker needs a little more urging, remind him or her that their house cat and favorite pooch do suffer from all that smoke, too. And the best thing anyone can do is to quit.

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• Ed Sayres: Resolve to Quit Smoking This Year for Your Pets' Sake 

Lama was right to worry that his smoking was endangering his cat. By quitting smoking, Lama likely extended the life of his cat as well as his own.

Researchers at Tufts' School of Veterinary Medicine conducted a study in which they found that cats living in homes with smokers are twice as likely as cats living with non-smokers to acquire feline lymphoma cancer. In homes where the cats were exposed to smoking for five years or more, the cats' cancer risk tripled, and in homes with two smokers, the cancer risk to the cats quadrupled.

Dogs who live with smokers are much more likely to get nasal cancer and lung cancer, both of which usually have a grim prognosis. Pet birds are hypersensitive to environmental contaminants and can develop pneumonia, lung cancer, and problems with their eyes, skin and heart when exposed to smoke.

It's not just the inhalation of the smoke that is dangerous to animals. The ASPCA's Animal Poison Control Center receives hundreds of calls each year about pets who have been sickened from ingesting cigarette butts or other tobacco products, such as chewing tobacco.

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Tobacco dog joins vehicle roadside check 

A SPECIALLY trained dog was used to check for illicit tobacco being smuggled into Halton.

Agencies teamed up to carry out road checks to identify overweight and unroadworthy vehicles in Widnes at the end of November.

Sixty vehicles were examined by Halton Trading Standards, working alongside Cheshire Police, licence agencies and fuel testing teams.

A tobacco dog was supplied by Wagtail to intercept any illicit

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VIDEO: Does Secondhand Smoke Affect Your Pets? 

Much of the research surrounding secondhand smoke has focused on the effects on children. Around 40 percent of children regularly breathe it in, greatly increasing their risk of numerous health ailments, mental health problems and for becoming smokers themselves.

But there's another demographic that could be breathing in secondhand smoke you might not have thought about: pets. Watch the video to find out how secondhand smoke hurts your furry friends.

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Secondhand smoke is harming pets 

A Davis County Health Department educator and a nationally recognized Davis County veterinarian, according to recent studies, contend secondhand smoke has serious effects upon pets within the household.

They hope that by educating pet owners who smoke about the dangers of secondhand smoke and the risk it poses to their pets, that it will encourage them to quit smoking.

Studies show nearly 30 percent of pet owners who smoke would try to quit if they learned secondhand smoke could harm their pets, while fewer than 2 percent would quit smoking for the sake of their children, according to Gloria Yugel, a community health educator with the Davis County Health Department.

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Booie, the smoking chimpanzee, dies at 44  

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A chimpanzee that kicked a smoking habit and used sign language to beg for candy has died at a California animal refuge.

Martine Colette of the Wildlife WayStation says Booie (BOO'-ee) was being treated for a heart condition when he died Saturday at 44. The chimp had been living at the animal sanctuary near Los Angeles since 1995, after he retired from a research lab.

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Woman's smoking may have caused fatal house fire  

Fire officials said a house fire Wednesday night that killed a West Mayfield woman may have started while the woman was smoking and using oxygen.

West Mayfield Fire Chief Lou Little said firefighters were called to the Jean Street home of Norma J. Finney, 75, around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, after neighbors saw smoke coming from the house. . . .

Finney's cousin Frances Holler said Finney had emphysema and required the use of an oxygen tank but continued smoking cigarettes despite family members' concerns.

"We tried to tell her to cut down on her smoking," Holler said. "She said she'd been smoking for 25 years, and she was going to do what she wanted to do."

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Couple and pets die in house fire  

A couple and their three dogs died in a house fire on Wednesday according to Glendale Police.

Glendale Police Department Public Information Officer Tracey J. Breeden said, Glendale Police responded to a house fire in the 12000 block on N. 62nd Drive about 10:20 in the morning. . . .

The victims which died in the fire were Glenn Lopes, 55, and his wife, Deborah Lopes, 52, along with their three dogs.

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Pets: Is secondhand smoke harmful to pets? Researchers say yes 

Today marks the American Cancer Society's 36th year that the Great American Smokeout takes place -- meaning people nationwide are making the attempt to forgo their daily habit for a day or for life in an effort to live healthier lives.

But kicking cigarettes won't just affect humans, it can promote a healthier environment for pets, too.

Obviously, pets breathe the same air that we do, and are exposed to environmental toxins that their human counterparts are. What you might not know, is that they are vulnerable to the effects of secondhand smoke, just as humans of any age are.

Some pets, cats in particular, are at double the risk of getting cancer if they live in households with people that smoke. One specific type of cancer, malignant lymphoma, seems to be directly connected.

Feline malignant lymphoma is the most common type of cancer found in cats.

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The Great American Smokeout is for Pets Too!  

Not accounted for in these statistics are those family members affected by second-hand smoke: adult non-smokers, children and, yes, the family pets.

Pets suffer from second-hand smoke

Studies from the United States, Brazil and Scotland demonstrate the impact of smoking on pets worldwide. Dogs and cats absorb measurable amounts of nicotine metabolites into their bodies when they live in a home with smokers. The more smokers and smoking in the household, the higher the levels of nicotine metabolites found in the family pets. Not only can the metabolites be measured, but if the lungs themselves are tested, deposition of carbon material, a byproduct of smoking, can bee seen. . . .

The most common tumor in cats is lymphoma and the risk of developing lymphoma is tripled in cats living in a smoking household.

In dogs, environmental tobacco exposure increases the risk of nasal cancer and lung cancer.

I hope I have convinced you to quit smoking today, and keep your whole family healthy. Remember, the Great American Smokeout is for pets too!

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