The passive smoking more dangerous for animals than for men

Pets living in a smoking environment have also, health problems. Including cats, due to self-grooming their fur.

We know the harm of passive smoking, can cause asthma, lung cancer or a stroke in people who have never smoked. No wonder, since tobacco smoke contains 4000 harmful substances, at least ten proven carcinogens. But a new study underscores that living in a smoking environment also impacts on the health of pets.

"Greater risk than men because animals spend more time at home with their owner and closest carpets where carcinogenic particles may persist" said Professor Clare Knottenbelt, the Veterinary Hospital of the University of Glasgow (UK), in the Daily Telegraph.

"Our study in cats shows that they are more affected than dogs because of self-grooming their fur, because it increases the amount of particles ingested" she insists.

Dogs smokers grow

But dogs are not spared. Glasgow University researchers have discovered that when they live with a smoker owner, they gain more weight after sterilization in a smoke-free home. The study also focused on the testes of males after sterilization and the researchers found that a gene that acts as a marker of cell damage was higher in dogs living with smokers owners.

"Pet owners do not think about the impact that smoking can have on their pets. But these remain with them longer than children who spend their days at school" insists veterinarian.