Why tobacco smoke is harmful to a dog - possible pet diseases from tobacco smoke

Why tobacco smoke is harmful to a dog - possible pet diseases from tobacco smoke

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Active smoking in humans provokes a lot of pathologies and diseases of internal organs. The first target is the respiratory system. Passive smoking has no less harmful effect on the body. A person who smokes a cigarette in an enclosed space harms not only his body but also the organisms of the animals around him.

Why tobacco smoke is harmful to a dog - possible pet diseases from tobacco smoke


Heavy smokers often try to avoid smoking in places where there are small children, knowing about the dangers of tobacco smoke and substances in the air as a result of tobacco burning. In addition to small children and other nonsmokers in the area, pets, especially dogs and cats, also have negative consequences from tobacco smoke. Animals unable to stand up for themselves and leave home are forced to be poisoned with smoke, which adversely affects all functionally important structures of the body.


It does not matter how many cigarettes a day a person smokes - one pack or several pieces. Chemicals and there are about 4 thousand of them, are in the air. Among the most dangerous substances that provoke the development of serious diseases are formaldehyde, resins, and carcinogens. They accumulate on surfaces in the home (carpets, wallpaper, and furniture), as well as on the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract.

Why is tobacco smoke harmful to a dog?


In the media, the topic of the harm of tobacco smoking is disclosed from all sides. Cases of harm are described not only for the body of the smoker himself but also for people who are not voluntarily forced to inhale harmful vapors. But few people know about the dangers of secondhand smoke for pets. Among the most dangerous consequences for dogs with regular inhalation of tobacco smoke are:

- Malignant neoplasms. At the Center for Epidemiology, a lot of studies have been carried out, according to which about 65% of domestic dogs living in a house with a smoker are susceptible to the development of lung cancer. Along with lung cancer, malignant pathologies are recorded in the area of the mucous membranes of the nasopharynx. Of the 4,000 chemicals released into the environment by the combustion of tobacco and paper from a cigarette, 43 can trigger the development of cancer.

- Allergic reactions. Many dogs suffer from allergic reactions, including cigarette smoke. Signs of a smoke allergy include skin lesions, itching, irritation, and scratching. Against the background of primary irritation, secondary infection with pathogenic bacterial microorganisms develops.

- Possibility of fire. Any dog actively waving its tail can create a fire hazard. To knock coal out of an ashtray from a cigarette butt is a matter of a few seconds. In addition to the fact that the animal may burn itself, there is a risk of a fire in the house.

- Swallowing cigarette butts or whole cigarettes. Dogs are naturally curious animals, especially as a puppy. They try to try everything to the teeth, thus, knowing the world around them. A cigarette accidentally eaten by an animal can do much more harm to the body than it might seem at first glance. Nicotine poisoning is very dangerous and can cost your dog his life. Signs of intoxication of the body with nicotine are - a change in the rhythm of breathing (it becomes frequent), attacks of nausea and eruption of gastric contents, strong trembling and weakness in the body, coordination problems, severe drowsiness, and hypersalivation. With large doses of nicotine, convulsive phenomena, the pulse becomes threadlike, the frequency of contractions of the heart muscle increases, up to its complete stop. The toxic level is a dose of 5 mg nicotine per kg of body weight. One average cigarette contains 25 mg. Based on this, a small dog, chewing and swallowing 1 cigarette, may die.

Possible diseases of the dog from tobacco smoke

Pets really suffer from dangerous pathologies developing in the body against the background of secondhand smoke. Dogs have a keen sense of smell, so any pungent odors can have a detrimental effect on the functioning of the olfactory organ.

Animals with a long nose living in a house with a smoker, such as collies, are 3 times more likely to get cancer in the nasal passages than their relatives who rarely come into contact with tobacco smoke. Carcinogens released into the air during the combustion of tobacco are deposited on all surfaces, including the skin and wool. Unfortunately, when diagnosing cancerous changes in the nasal passages, animals live no more than 12 months.

Dog breeds brachycephalics, on the other hand, have too short nasal passages, which leads to problems with filtering air, especially saturated with tobacco smoke. Dogs of the pug breed, French and English Bulldog, are prone to the development of lung cancer several times higher than their long-nosed counterparts.

Constant contact with tobacco smoke and combustion products does not always lead exclusively to oncology. More often animals suffer from allergic reactions, bronchial asthma, inflammatory processes in the area of the eyes, and pulmonary structures. Dogs living in a house where it is constantly smoked are characterized by heavy breathing, coughing, and hyperventilation of the lungs often occur. These pets are usually lethargic and depressed.

The task of the dog owner is to protect the pet from harmful effects as much as possible. The best solution is to completely quit smoking.

If this is not possible, all measures must be taken to minimize the pet's contact with tobacco smoke. For these purposes, you need to stop smoking in the house, setting aside a separate room for your habit. It is desirable that the house has good ventilation or special filters are installed, but without air ionization.

On walks, dog owners, especially small puppies, need to be as careful as possible. It is forbidden for the dog to pick up any objects from the ground, especially cigarette butts. Otherwise, you can face serious consequences in the form of intoxication of the body, up to the death of the pet.

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