What are the effects of smoke, including second hand smoke on
our pets?
My-Dog.info > Dog Health
There are different levels of severity of smoke injury. Acute
injury results from smoke inhalation when an animal is trapped in
a house or brush fire, or otherwise inhales large amounts of
smoke over a short period. Secondly, chronic injury resulting
from low-grade exposure to smoke can occur, as in situations
where the pet lives with heavy smokers (termed side-stream or
second hand exposure) or they are exposed to indoor combustion
sources (coal or kerosene heaters). The response of the pet to
smoke is very similar to the responses humans have to this toxic
mix.
Smoke Inhalation
Exposure to a large intake of smoke results in increased
breathing efforts due to swelling in the upper airway, and faster
and deeper breaths to try and increase the uptake of oxygen
across the injured lung lining cells. The bronchi tend to spasm,
and the irritation results in production of a lot of mucus,
leading to cough. Sometimes tissue fluid also builds up in the
lungs. Damaging components include the heat itself, the
irritating particles, and carbon monoxide inhalation. Once the
initial damage occurs, the abnormal lung environment is often
colonized by bacteria, leading to secondary bronchitis or
pneumonia. If damage is extensive, airways may be permanently
dilated, there may be scarring, and there may be a chronic cough
due to difficulty clearing the mucus. Sometimes the little hairs
that act as elevators to clear secretions, (called cilia) are
stripped away and this can lead to permanent accumulation of
secretions in the lower airways.
Second Hand Low-grade Smoke Inhalation
Cigarette smoke has many carcinogenic compounds (e.g.,
nitrosamines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) and these can
settle in the airways, and be absorbed particularly easily
through the delicate membranes in the alveoli (breathing sacs).
Chronic exposure to smoke has been proven to increase the
incidence of lung and throat cancer in humans. A weak
relationship between dogs living with a smoker, and increased
risk of lung cancer was found in a case control study almost 10
years ago. A recent case control study did find that household
exposure to coal or kerosene heaters increased risk for sinonasal
cancer in dogs. Sinonasal refers cancer of the nose/sinus
cavities. Another case control study a few years ago established
that if exposure to cigarette smoke over time is equal between
dogs, long nosed dogs (dolichocephalic) like collies are at a
higher risk for nasal cancer.
It is wise to minimize the exposure of dogs and cats to smoke,
both direct exposure and indirect exposure.
Reprinted with permission from www.animalhealthcare.ca
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