Jump to full article: Thousand Oaks (CA) Acorn, 2009-09-03
Intro: Anyone who is both a smoker and a pet owner can do one very important thing to protect the animal's life and his own: 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 or animals.
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"While most Americans have been educated about the dangers of smoking to their own bodies and their children's, it is also important that pet owners take action to protect their beloved domestic animals from the dangers of secondhand smoke," said Dr. Cheryl G. Healton, president and CEO of the American Legacy Foundation, the national independent public health foundation dedicated to keeping young people from smoking and providing resources to smokers who want to quit.
"Nicotine from secondhand smoke can affect the nervous systems of cats and dogs," said Dr. Sharon Gwaltney-Brant, medical director of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' Animal Poison Control Center. . . .
The groups hope pet owners who smoke will be motivated to quit once they learn about the dangers to their pets.
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