Passive Smoking and Our Pets
 

Now I do understand that in starting this thread I may be giving the "Anti Smoking Lobby" an open door to preach and dictate to all who are here on how filthy the habit of smoking is.

PLEASE PLEASE don't turn this thread into an anti smoking thread that is NOT the idea of it.

My friend is a cat lover and has recently rescued a cat from a house where the old person had died.
We do not know how old this pet is but she did discover it had difficulty breathing so took it to the vet.

After three weeks and various tests and medication the vet informed my friend that the poor cat had Emphysema and there was nothing they could do but to put the animal to sleep.

My friend was devastated and checking with neighbours of the old lady who died discovered the old lady smoked 80 cigarettes a day and the cat was always on her knee.

This made me think about my loved ones and as to how many pet owners smoked with their pet in the room.

Do we all understand that it is not just the human who suffers with passive smoking it is the animal or bird as well.

Now let me say that I am a reformed smoker of five years who also suffers with Emphysema but I have never in the past even considered that a pet can be effected......how stupid can I be. !!!!!
:(

I have been a smoker for 36 years. BUT I do not smoke in my house never have never will. I also have a senegal parrott he is 16 years old. Because of the bird I have wanted to sneek a smoke even more so with Andy and Scooter now. I want them healthy .

Ok, I won't !

I've been smoking for nearly 60 years now...
No Lung Cancer, Emphysema, or any other smoking related problems.
I've had animals (dogs/cats/birds) throughout that whole time, and
none of them have ever had any Respiratory problems.

Am I an advocate of smoking....ABSOLUTELY NOT !
If you don't smoke...DON'T START !
If you smoke, you probably should...QUIT !

But, I can't help but shake my head a little, on how smoking is
blamed on just about everything including hangnails.
You rarely hear of an equal, or greater number of people who have
never smoked, and never been around one (secondary) who have
Lung Cancer and other respiratory usually related to smoking.
It's not sensationalistic enough to sell papers and magazines !
And, I'm here to tell you, that luck has nothing to do with it.

Thank you for your contribution I hope it continues to be that way for you as for me it never so I pay the price just like the poor cat did.

I really did enjoy smoking my pipe and did not want to stop but life is better than death which is closer now than ever before.

We all hear stories like yours and I agree luck is not an element of it perhaps it is better to call it "chance".

My first wife died aged 56. She never ever smoked, drank or used drugs.
She was an active lady who spent many years nursing but she died at work of a heart attack. Chance again I suspect.

The fact is that smoking is the only cause of COPD (as far as I understand) which leads on to Emphysema which my mother died of and it was a long painful death as well.

I don't object to people smoking that is their human right but I do not think that smokers should attempt to simplify or make light of the fact that it does cause major medical problems not just for human being but also pets.

I have quoted a case which was a terrible thing to see. You quoted your own case of animals not being effected. OK, I agree not all are effected but IMHO my story was worth the telling.

I also used to smoke in my home until one of my cats was diagnosed with Asthma. Now we only smoke outside never in the house and nobody is permitted to smoke in my home. My wake up call came when I heard Olivia my 6 year old cat fighting for a breath although out of our 15 cats she is the only one who had the problem. Now we have 5 dogs and I told my friend Dont even think about lighting up in the house anymore. Now we are saving alot of money because we don't smoke that much and our home doesn't smell like an ashtray. When I think about what I was doing to my pets I could cry. I can't believe how stupid I was.

Thank you nice to know I didn't waste my time.

bWY39,

I am deeply sorry for the loses you have experienced, and
IMHO, your story was definitely worth telling.

Thank you so much ;)

I used to smoke around my cats and they didnt have any respiratory problems but I think each pet can be different like humans. I go outside now but Im also currently trying to quit.

My husband smokes cigars outside,not in the house. I am asthmatic and he is very aware that I can not sit downwind from him. We treat the dogs and birds the same way. So the dogs may be present but they stay upwind. If the smoke hangs in the air then Dad has to finish his cigar alone. I do think that some animals as well as people are more sensitive to smoke.

In reference to the comment that smoking is the only thing that causes COPD,it is not. People with asthma also experience COPD,it is scaring due to the really bad coughing fiits that someone with asthma can have or the continued battle with pneumonia throughout their lives. My mother suffers from this and so did several other relatives non of which ever smoked.

Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of COPD, but pollution/irritants, and even congenital predisposition do too.

Im sorry about the poor cat. I dont doubt the second hand smoke killed her. I feel the same way about parents who smoke inside their car or homes with their child rides the backseat.

I dont care if anyone smokes and agree its a very personal choice and right but your pets and kids have a right to live smoke-free given the choice, but it is unfair to make that choice for them!

Thank you I learn something new every day appreciated.

Thank you for this.

We went to visit our friend and we had to leave as we could not stand seeing the cat suffer like that.
I am in no way a cat lover but I could not see an animal gasping for breath like that poor cat did.

That is such a sad story and one more reason for smokers to stop. Poor little cat has to be so sick through no fault of its own. Think of all the suffering of people and creatures that has come from the use of tobacco.

My husband and I both smoke and hopefully one day very soon will get the courage to quit. We do only smoke outside since our son was born 6 years ago though. Before that we smoked inside and the only pet we had was my now 12 year old Beagle. She does seem to breath weird sometimes (she's also overweight with a thyroid condition though and almost strangled to death trying to crawl under a fence as a puppy) but I always can't help but wonder and blame my past inside smoking for her breathing. More than 3 different vets have checked her lungs and I've had a chest xray done, and they said she's fine, but it's something I still think about.

You're totally right though about smoking outside only, we smoke alot less than if we could just light up whenever we wanted to and I know that my pets and son aren't being harmed by my awefull addiction.

As I said in my opening post I do not want this to turn into a ban the smoker campaign but you do have a point.

Most smokers will give you reasons for them smoking ranging from "weight gain" to "don't have the will power". All will agree it is not a good thing to do.
The fact is they have a choice and that is the human right so we should never attempt to say they should not smoke.

Animals do not have that choice so we as so called responsible human adults should not force it on them.

In my ignorance, when I smoked for nearly 60 years, I never once considered my pet I am totally ashamed to admit that but it is the truth.
(fortunately non of my pets suffered with any medical condition)

If this thread has made one person think about smoking and their pet then it has been well worth posting.

bWY39, et All,

I apologize if my comment came across as insensitive, it's SO hard
to present a point of view on this type subject, when there are those
who have experienced such hardship.

I believe my initial reaction (not that you or anyone here has) is from
a preponderance of generalizations and assumptions concerning how
Smoking specifically effects one. I just snap and try to at least say
"let's look a the whole picture please" !!

Smoking Tobacco does one thing, and one thing only.
Tobacco contains narcotics. and
continued use of Tobacco, creates a habit.
And that's ALL that smoking does.

You can say that Tobacco contains carcinogenic material.
It sure does, but, so does the water we drink, the food we
eat and the clothes we wear. It's everywhere, and if you
consume/expose yourself to enough of any of these situations
you just may get Cancer. And, the onset of a problem, is not
any less or more obvious or catastrophic, than is that of the
result of Smoking.

Honestly, what we're talking about here, is an issue of susceptibility.
One's personal ability to resist the effects. It is unfortunate, that
we have created a world, which is replete with opportunities to resist.

I smoke for 10 years but myphysician boss hounded me daily in the nicest way until I stopped on 11-19-88. Got a treadmill and every time I wanted to smoke, I spent 45 minutes on it and after that, all I wanted to do was breathe in and out and collapse. Every time I would think about a cigarette after that, I would think about how much more difficult it would make breathing while on that dreadful treadmill and I would not smoke. I deciding my health and living well was way more important than the way nicotine and the habit of holding a cigarette made me feel for a few minutes. A lot of us smokers tend to be control freaks plus into instant gratification - that was me! Through quitting, I learned a lot about how to act when I can't control something(and would tend to light a cigarette) and I did not really need instant gratification so much. I learned to just deal with frustration and want better and just live through it without a cigarette or food or going shopping. It was a great thing that my old boss did for me. I will always thank him for what he did!!!

Thanks for starting a thread to alert smokers to the danger they are posing if they smoke near their pets. I am ashamed to say as a smoker early in life, I smoked with my kids in the car. For some reason, I had banished smoking in the house but not the car -- the car where they are cooped up with a small amount of air circulating and all that smoke trapped for them to inhale! I finally quit smoking and don't contribute to any second hand smoke damage now. But I do feel guilty when I think about the time I did! Thankfully my sons don't show any signs of damage! Quitting was one of the most difficult things I ever did in my life! I do not judge others who are at different points in their life, but I pray they all find the courage and perseverance to quit eventually and before it is too late for their own lungs or those of others who are forced to passively smoke.

My dear sweet husband lost his life to lung cancer. It is a horrible way to die. It robs a person of any joy and dignity they have near the end. He smoked from a very early age, he was sprayed down with Agent Orange on several occasions in country/Viet Nam, he was exposed to asbestos dangers on ships and older government buildings, and we had an accidental release at a local Chemical company. When we started adding up exposures, we figured my poor husband really did not stand a chance. He was robbed of many years he should have been able to enjoy life. We were all robbed of years of enjoying HIM!

If you smoke, keep trying to quit. It took me many tries! I am not sure I ever would have quit for myself. But my youngest son was persistent in wanting us to quit. My oldest son started to smoke and my middle son was experimenting with dip! I had to set a better example! We are all tobacco-free now, (over 11 years for me!), and I am so very grateful for that! Thank you Lord -- because I called on Him so many times and He got me through it!

Once again I thank you for your contribution.

It is in fact in contradiction to that which my doctor has told me when he gave me just 12 months left in this world.
He explained a lot about many different substances which enter my lungs via the smoke.

It is also in direct conflict with what the hospital said when my mother died and what the vet said when the cat had to be put down.

I respect your point of view but will have to agree to disagree in the friendliest way possible.

My final point is that our pets do not have the choice we have so why force it on them.

First let me say that I am so sorry that the poor cat had to suffer. Poor baby!

Next, the difference is we HAVE to drink water, eat food, and wear clothes to survive (loss of heat). We don't have to smoke.

You choose to smoke and that's your right but don't act like you're not taking any more of a risk than those that choose not to smoke.

That's all I can say on this topic. Peace out!

Once again I thank you for your contribution.

I firmly believe that no person should ever tell another that they should or should not smoke that is a choice they have the right to make. (for adults).

My concern with this thread is for our pets not the person.

Smokers will stop when they have a reason to stop but animals will passive smoke while they wait.

This thread really illustrates that so much of what a person does affects another person or a creature in some way.

After reading through again, I might owe an apology to the OP who did not want this to be a stop-smoking thread. Sorry if my last post was a "stop smoking" sort of post. It is very difficult NOT to sound that way after watching the man you love more than anything waste away from nicotine! It might not have been the only thing that did it, but it was a huge factor.

I just want all smokers to know that I judge NO ONE! I did my damage, I'm sure! It is no easy thing to quit. I do wish success for anyone who decides for themselves they are ready to quit! It is a very individual commitment! I don't think any amount of preaching or nay-saying will work on another. We each have to decide when it is time for ourselves. When I said smokers -- keep trying to quit -- it was responding to those who had posted HERE that they were trying or wanting to quit.

I do think we all need to be considerate of all around us (other people AND pets) that will passively take the same risks without making the decision for themselves though.

BTW -- as little as a year before my husband died, he felt like smoking was no problem for him. He never did get the emphysema-type problems some lung cancer patients get. His breathing was good. He could run, work hard, passed his stress tests with flying colors. The tumors in his lungs did not get huge until right at the end. But silently, tumors had metastasized throughout his body, in bones, in organs, everywhere. The pain in his hip is what kept him going to a doctor. We were shocked to find it was from lung cancer! So, be careful thinking all is well ....... lung cancer is an insidious beast!

I agree that just about everything nowdays contributes to raising our chances to get cancer; however, if not smoking decreases my chance even by 0.0000000001%, then I will most definitely err on the side of caution.

I cannot control my water supply, the environment or food supply but I can avoid the laundry of added carcinogens in a cigarette.

I guess we both shall continue to play russian roulette.

I dont aggree there are obvious ill effects of smoking. I know with myself i get winded easy and I just found out I have high blood pressure and Im only 45. It just hasnt caught up to you yet but it will. My mother smoked and she died at 55 of heart problems. After she died I definitely should have quit. Im ready to do it now though and live a healthier lifestyle

GEES... I JUST LOVE THIS FORUM...
or is it the people on it...;)

I've been on a lot of sites, where this would have become a
fight to the finish... instead of a respectful and courteous
exchange of ideas.

I lurked a little, before registering here, sorta testing the water
and saw how people here, treat people here.
I was compelled to join you !

And, I'm SO glad I did.

I stayed off any forum until YT from all the things I had head of how awful they can get. This one is very different from everything I have heard about how hard it is to try to follow some threads on some forums due to the things some people post and how vicious they get. I guess we Yorkie lovers are just sooooo classy, we aren't too mean! lol

I agree plus it is so nice to explore both sides in a respectful manner. Either it validates your side or opens the opportunity to see things in a different stance.

We can all agree to disagree without hurting each other. :thumbup:

I just think there is mutual respect on this forum. There have been some very difficult and controversial subjects discussed calmly and rationally on this forum. I know we can very much disagree with someone on something but we can always listen and consider their point of view and have respect for them for having it and voicing it