Dogs in smoking households passively puff more than 3,000 cigarettes a year

We have all heard the popular health warning that "smokers are liable to die young", it seems this warning also concern our furry pals. A new study has claimed that dogs living in smoking households inactively smoke more than 3,000 sticks of cigarettes a year. When 2,000 pet smokers took a pet insurance survey, it was found that the average smoker had nine cigarettes a day at home while his pets were nearby. This means that dogs can be exposed to 3,285 cigarettes a year. This number could increase if more than one person smoked at home.

Previous research has found that dogs living with smokers are sixty percent more likely to develop lung cancer and that cats are more likely to have malignant lymphoma. The recent study found that twenty-two percent of respondents smoke at least fifteen cigarettes at home daily, which means that their pets can be exposed to 5,475 sticks of cigarettes a year. They also found that seventy-eight percent of smokers with pets acknowledged knowing that their pets could be affected by second-hand smoke, but sixty-eight percent said they would consider quitting this habit if a veterinarian told them the smoke was making their pets sick.

One dog owner, Michelle Tuft Smith, a 52 years old woman, from East London, who smokes 20 each day, claims she is quitting for October because she does not want her dog Blanche to develop breathing complications. She claims she always smokes in her garden or while walking with her two-year-old bulldog, a breed that is likely to develop breathing complications. One in five owners in the study admitted that their pets ate tobacco or cigarettes last year. In addition, fifty-two percent of those questioned said that their pets spent at least 23 hours at home, which meant they could be exposed to protracted chemicals and bacteria in the air.

According to Veterinarian Surgeon Robert J. White Adams, “Research has shown that dogs living with a smoker are sixty percent more likely to develop lung cancer." It's sad to learn that pets inhale second-hand smoke and other chemicals for more than 23 hours from over 3,000 cigarettes a year. "

Andrew Moore, the manager of pet claims at MORE TH> N, appealed to pet owners to quit Smoking and that passive smoking is as hazardous to pets as it is to humans. It increases the probability of them developing cancer and other health problems. "We encourage pet owners who smoke to avoid doing so around their pets or indoors to reduce their exposure to second-hand smoke." Our dogs give their lives to us, therefore, it is important to appreciate them by keeping them healthy and happy.’