Smoking is a fatal habit that not only puts your life in jeopardy, but the lives of others around you as well. You have probably heard of the term second-hand smoke and are likely aware that it negatively affects people, but did you know that it can also affect your pets?
Protecting her pet Chihuahua, against an unhealthy environment
Research demonstrates that pets are equally as affected by second-hand smoke as humans. Dogs, cats, bids guinea pigs or your niece and nephew-tobacco toxins do not discriminate when it comes to the human animal divide.
Animals exposed to cigarette smoke are at a high risk for developing respiratory illnesses and cancer. Like humans, animals exposed to second-hand smoke can potentially develop the following medical conditions:
- Lymphoma
- Lung cancer
- Asthma
- Nasal cancer
- Nervous system disorders
In addition to the dangers of second-hand smoke, medical researchers at Harvard University were able to establish a third category of tobacco toxin transmission vis-à-vis animals and humans: third-hand smoke. Third-hand smoke is passed on to animals by smokers and non-smokers who have been exposed to cigarettes. Your nose always identifies third-hand smoke-think about that “smoker smell” that we have all had waft into our nostrils at one point or another. That is third hand smoke. Third-hand smoke is comprised of the poisonous particles and gases that remain on clothes, bags, hair and other materials touched by tobacco smoke. These poisons are then passed on to pets; young children are also particularly vulnerable to their toxins as well.
Another reason second-hand and third-hand smoke are particularly dangerous to pets is because they don’t get the chance to be mobile and in fresh air as much. Good dog owners walk their dogs a lot and let them out in the yard, but not all dog owners do. Most cats never leave the house and other inside pets are in the same boat. Thus, pets can be more entrenched in the toxins with little chance of escape.
If you are a smoker, then smoking cessation should be a top priority for your own health and the health of the friends and family that you love and care about. However, pets can provide you with the extra incentive to kick your tobacco habit for good. Most people don’t think that their cigarette smoking is bad for the dog or cat, but it is. Why continue with a habit that harms the creatures you have otherwise sworn to protect? Take the time to learn more about how to become tobacco free, by way of hypnotherapy smoking cessation for example, and increase the health and vitality of yourself and everyone around you.