Does Cigarette Smoke Affect Dogs?

We're all familiar with the many campaigns about the health of smokers, warning of the risks they run and the amount of toxins found in cigarette smoke. However, no one warns us about how harmful it also is for our dog.

The dangers faced by secondhand smokers are just as numerous as those faced by the smoker themselves. That's why, from SoyUnPerro, we want to inform you about how harmful it is for a dog to breathe in cigarette smoke.

Dogs Turned Into Passive Smokers

Smoking doesn't just harm the smoker, but everyone around them — so if we smoke at home, the smoke will linger in the air and be breathed in by our dog and family.

Dogs' incredibly developed sense of smell means their perception of smoke can be up to a hundred times stronger than ours — imagine how disgusting it must be for them. The smell of tobacco is one of the smells dogs hate the most.

Cigarette smoke contains high doses of carbon monoxide, polynuclear hydrocarbons, and an incredible amount of carcinogenic toxins such as naphthalene, benzene, or toluene, among many others.

So if our dog breathes the same air in a room where someone is smoking or has been smoking, it will also be breathing in that whole huge amount of substances that are harmful to its health.

This is what's known as being a passive smoker — someone who doesn't smoke but is exposed to the dangers of tobacco by breathing its contaminated air. Be smart and considerate — please don't turn your dog into a passive smoker.

Illnesses Suffered by Passive Smokers

There's a wide variety of illnesses directly related to cigarette smoke, or rather, caused by contact with cigarette smoke or by breathing it in.

• Conjunctivitis caused by smoke coming into contact with the eyes, which creates constant irritation that can lead to eye infection. Cigarette smoke is extremely harmful to the eyes.
• Irritation of the respiratory system, causing conditions such as bronchitis, pharyngitis, and even some of the many types of cancer found in dogs. Including the best-known one, lung cancer.
• Heart problems, such as arrhythmias or heart failure, always linked to cigarette smoke, from breathing it in as a passive smoker.

And a whole host of illnesses we could go on discussing for over a hundred paragraphs, all of them directly linked to tobacco. Yes, we know your dog doesn't smoke, but a passive smoker suffers from these illnesses too.

How to Avoid Exposing My Dog to the Dangers of Cigarette Smoke

In a very simple and healthy way: quit smoking. Tobacco will kill you slowly, and think about it for a moment — is smoking really enjoyable? Does it give you any good flavor, like fruit or candy does? Or is it simply a habit you can't shake?

To protect a dog from the dangers of cigarette smoke, we need to prevent it from becoming a passive smoker. To do that, simply follow these guidelines:

• Don't leave your dog in a room where someone is smoking or has been smoking. Always prevent it from breathing in cigarette smoke.
• Don't smoke in the car if your dog is with you, even with the windows open. There's always some smoke left inside.
• If you're the smoker, get into the good habit of always smoking outside the house (on the terrace, by the window, etc...). Don't leave that foul smoke inside your home.
• Never, under any circumstances, let someone who's smoking blow smoke toward your dog.

And well, all the common sense you can muster will be needed. Although the most effective thing, is simply not smoking.