by Bob Roehr
Puss, pooch, and birds all suffer from the secondhand smoke of their owners, according to a growing body of literature that has looked at the issue, says Carolynn MacAllister, a veterinarian with the Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension Service.
Cats are twice as likely to develop malignant melanoma if they live with smokers as with nonsmokers. This form of cancer kills three out of four felines within a year of its onset. Cats also are more likely to develop mouth cancers.
MacAllister says cats' grooming habits contribute to their risk. "Cats constantly lick themselves while grooming, they lick up the cancer-causing carcinogens that accumulate on their fur" and deposit relatively high concentrations of those chemicals into their mouths.
Long nosed dogs suffer higher rates of nasal cancers as the carcinogens accumulate along those mucus membrane passageways. They seldom survive more than a year. In contrast, short nosed dogs do not filter the carcinogens as effectively, as a result, more of those deadly chemicals reach their lungs and they are more likely to develop lung cancer.
"A bird's respiratory system is hypersensitive to any type of pollutant in the air," she says. Living with a smoker makes them particularly vulnerable to pneumonia and lung cancer. That is particularly true because caged birds cannot engage in vigorous flying that helps to clear the lungs of toxins.
"Curious pets can eat cigarettes and other tobacco products if they aren't stored properly." MacAllister warns, "This can cause nicotine poisoning, which can be fatal."
Smokers themselves are 50 percent more likely to develop dementia than nonsmokers, according to a recent study of 7,000 people 55 or older that was conducted over seven years in the Netherlands.
"Smoking increases the risk of cerebrovascular disease and oxidative stress, which can damage cells in the blood vessels and lead to hardening of the arteries, said lead researcher Monique Breteler, MD, at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam.
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a more immediate risk from smoking. A four-year study of 7,684 men in China, ages 35-74, found a statistical link between the number of cigarettes smoked and ED. It estimated that almost a quarter of all ED could be attributed to cigarettes.
And the habit is expensive, even before figuring in the added cost of Viagra. A study from New York City estimates that the average pack-a-day smoker burns up $2,500 a year with their habit.
It showed that low income persons are more likely to try to quit smoking than those with a high income (68 vs. 60 percent), but they are less likely to succeed in doing so.
Many private health plans and local health departments have developed programs to help people quite smoking. They often include free or reduced rates for counseling sessions and interventions such as nicotine gum or the patch.
