Effects of Cigarette Smoking on Dogs by Oscar Auerbach

In one experiment, scientists placed the butt of a smoked cigarette into a fish tank that contained two-week old fathead minnows, and 50% of these fish died within 5 days. Nicotine can also cause muscle spasms, rigid fins, color loss, and even death in fish. As nicotine is water soluble, it can infect the water in a fish tank and eventually poison the fish.

These animals can also breath in toxic chemicals found in cigarette smoke. However, even non-furry animals-such as birds, lizards, turtles, hermit crabs, and even fish-can be affected. These pets may also lick their owners’ skin or other clothes that contain chemical particles found in cigarettes. Third-hand smoke can fall onto the fur of certain animals that may be kept as pets, including ferrets, rabbits, mice, guinea pigs, hamsters, and chinchillas, in addition to dogs and cats. If pets eat cigarette butts lying around, they can also contract an illness and eventually die. Studies have also found that cats who live with smokers have a two- to four-times increased risk of developing oral squamous cell carcinoma, an aggressive mouth cancer. With their short noses, they have less defenses to filter smoke’s particles, which instead can go directly to their lungs. For the latter type of dogs-including Pugs, Bulldogs, Beagles, and Brittany Spaniels-they have a higher risk of getting lung cancer. Long-nosed dogs are more likely to experience sinus problems than short- or flat-nosed dogs. If smoking around dogs, they can experience sinus problems. Pets can breathe in second-hand smoke through their lungs.

Second-Hand and Third-Hand Smoke Around Pets

Pets can also ingest harmful chemicals found in cigarettes and their smoke, which include the following: In addition to smoking around dogs and smoking around cats, smoking around other animals can hurt them too. Pets can be even more susceptible to cigarette smoke’s harmful effects, due to their grooming habits and the likelihood that they are home more than humans, which is especially true for indoor pets. 7 What One Should Do in Case of Pet Poisoning The Influence of Smoking on Pets

Effects of Cigarette Smoking on Dogs by Oscar Auerbach