Wednesday, March 6, 2024

The More You Know – Smoking Harms Pets

 


Passive smoking is when we breathe in smoke from other people's cigarettes, cigars, or pipes. We are aware of the risks of passive smoking for people, especially children, but did you know that smoking can also damage our pets' health too?

Pets receive a larger dose of chemicals from smoking than you might think. All pets can develop breathing problems, eye irritation, and skin irritation when exposed to smoke and smoke residue. Pets living in a smoker's home not only inhale smoke, they lick or eat "smoker's residue" every time they groom their fur or feathers. 

Studies have found that: 

*Dogs living in a smoking environment are 3x more likely to develop lung or nasal cancers

*Cats living in a smoking environment are more than 3x likely to come down with mouth cancer or lymphoma (cancer of the immune system)

*Curious pets can become very sick when they eat cigarette butts, nicotine gum or patches. Small pets, puppies, and kittens can even die from eating them. 

What Can You Do? Best plan: Stop smoking for your pet’s health and yours! Tobacco Free Florida’s Quit Your Way program offers Floridians free tobacco cessation resources such as a “quit coach” to help you access a personalized quit plan. 

Call 1-877-848-6696 or visit https://tobaccofreeflorida.com/




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