The British Veterinary Association and British Small Animal Veterinary Association have been encouraging pet owners to avoid smoking for the benefit of their animals. This comes in the wake of the new legislation banning smoking in cars containing an under 18 years old passenger.

No one is calling for smoking in front of animals to be banned but the relevant bodies are using the timing of the legislation to remind owners that their pets also suffer with smoke in confined spaces; like cars and living rooms.

There is good scientific evidence that smoking does cause an increased risk of respiratory cancers in dogs and lymphoma in cats. Also however birds are very susceptible to airborne pathogens and pollutants. Toxins in smoke from tobacco and other substances regularly smoked will diffuse into water and could then effect fish.

A study sponsored by a pet charity showed that dogs that lived with owners who smoked in the house had high levels of nicotine in their hair, dogs that lived with owners who didn’t smoke had low levels and dogs that lived with owners who only smoked in the garden had intermediate levels. So there is a direct correlation between smoking and the presence of airborne toxins in the systems of animals.

It is now well known that one of the impacts of passive smoking is cancer. Imagine how you would feel if the cancer that ended the life of your own pet was due to smoking. Just one more reason to quit and stop rewarding the directors and shareholders of tobacco companies for killing us (and our pets) off I suppose.

The Angell Pets Team