Content
- Passive smoker
- Risks that passive smoking animals run
- Irritations
- Lung Diseases
- Cancer
- Chronic Sinusitis
- Cardiovascular Alterations
- How to avoid
We all already know that cigarettes cause health problems, but smoking can also drastically affect health. your best friend's health, and in a silent way.
Currently in Brazil 10.8% of the population smokes and, even with a drastic drop in that number in recent years due to awareness campaigns, this figure is still high. Cigarette smoke can contain about 4.7 thousand harmful substances, including Nicotine and Carbon Monoxide, which cause serious damage to the body when inhaled. If you would like to know more about this health problem that affects your pets, continue reading this article by PeritoAnimal: Animals - passive smokers!
Passive smoker
Passive smoker is anyone who indirectly can inhale or come into contact with cigarette smoke and, consequently, with the harmful substances that compose it. A passive smoker can take as many risks as the smoker himself, and that's exactly where our best friends, pets, come into play.
It is customary for pets to always tend to be with their owners, whatever situations or environments where they are. For them, the important thing is to share every second with their great idol.
The air in an environment where a smoker is located can contain triple the amount of nicotine and carbon monoxide and up to 50 times more carcinogens than the smoke that the smoker inhales. This is explained by the presence of the cigarette filter that ends up filtering out most of these compounds. Read on to learn more about "animals - passive smokers".
Risks that passive smoking animals run
If we analyze the respiratory system of animals, we will see that it is very similar to that of humans and thus it is not difficult to understand that they can also suffer the same damage to their health as a smoker. Just like humans, animals that frequent an environment with cigarette smoke are also inhaling and coming into contact with all the substances present and these substances will, over time, cause damage to the body.
Irritations
Irritations are typical clinical signs of passive smoking animals: coughing, eye irritation, conjunctivitis and lack of appetite due to nausea, and may be the first manifestations of an exposure to cigarette smoke. These signs can be more serious when the environment where the animal is located is closed or when the concentration of smoke is high, as in the case of passive smoking animals.
Lung Diseases
The appearance of respiratory tract diseases is common in these animals, with different types of clinical manifestations due to the accumulation of toxic substances in the lungs and the alteration of the normal functioning of Organs respiratory organs. THE Bronchitis and Asthma they are complications that usually appear in the long term and if not treated in time can become serious and sometimes even deadly. Check out the symptoms and treatment of asthma in cats in this article.
Cancer
This dreaded disease that can also affect Pets can also be a consequence of inhaling smoke for a long period of time. By accumulating toxic compounds in the lungs, the cell's genetic material can undergo an alteration, thus causing a disordered and uncontrolled growth of the cells, leading to the formation of malignant tumors.
Chronic Sinusitis
Chronic sinusitis is very common in smokers due to the destruction of respiratory mucosa cells by the toxic compounds in cigarette smoke, and it would be no different in animals. The respiratory mucosa of animals is more sensitive, making it more susceptible to the onset of sinusitis and related complications.
Cardiovascular Alterations
In the same way that a smoker tends to develop cardiovascular disease due to the habit of smoking, so do passive smokers. Over time, the heart tends to have more difficulty pumping blood and the arteries become less elastic, these changes lead to heart failure and vascular failure, which can be complicated by other factors such as age and concomitant diseases.
How to avoid
The most correct would be to nip the evil in the bud, quitting the cigarette - your health and that of your pet would be greatly improved. However, when this alternative is not possible, it is always advisable to keep the animal away while smoking, and to carry out this act in an open and ventilated environment, with the aim of not concentrating the smoke inside the house.
Another important factor is always to keep furniture clean, as toxic substances can accumulate on flat surfaces that animals can have direct contact, through the skin or by licking. Now that you know that animals are passive smokers too, don't hesitate to protect your best friend from this worldwide problem!
This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.