Our pets share our homes, lifestyles, and sometimes even our food and beds. For many pets, this close contact with humans can include exposure to secondhand smoke from cigarettes and other air pollutants. This may have serious health consequences for our animal companions.

So, how significant a risk is passive smoking for our pets and should we be concerned?

Smoking is well understood to come with negative health outcomes for people. Between 80 and 90% of lung cancer cases are associated with exposure to cancer-causing componds from first-or second-hand smoking.

Passive smoking is also linked increased risks of other forms of cancer including breast and colorectal cancer, heart and respiratory disease.

Children’s oral health, development, and future health outcomes are also negatively affected by exposure to secondhand smoke.

More than 50% of bladder cancer cases in humans are attributed to cigarette smoking, making exposure a significant risk factor. The recent identification of passive smoking associated with dogs developing bladder cancer........

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