RSPCA TO PROSECUTE SMOKERS?

As part of the review of legislation concerning dogs, a new proposal has been released with the intention of banning smoking in pet owners’ homes. A spokesperson for DEFRA is quoted as saying “Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, if a pet owner knowingly exposes a pet to a risk of disease, they are committing an offence. Smoking in the presence of a pet will inevitably expose the animal to known irritants and carcinogens, which are likely to cause both disease and suffering to the animal.”

Local authority and RSPCA officers have already been instructed to investigate possible instances of smoking in pet owners’ homes. If smoking is proven to have taken place, the pet owner will be given two options: surrender of the animal into local authority care, or confiscation of all smoking materials.
Harvey Locke, vet and President Elect of the British Veterinary Association, said: “Household pets can become very ill because of their owners smoking in the home. There is evidence that passive smoking in dogs causes chronic bronchitis and can aggravate feline asthma in cats. Animals don’t have a say about where they live. We would urge the public to think about the effect smoking is having on their pets and for them to not to expose animals to second-hand smoke or to any smoking products.”
Dogs are twice as likely to develop a cancerous tumour when living with a smoker – the most common forms relate to second hand smoke including cancer of the nasal passage and lungs.
Cats can swallow smoke and soot when they groom themselves. The risk of developing feline lymphoma cancer is also two and a half times more likely for cats living with smokers.
Birds cannot filter the air that they breathe in, causing smoke to become trapped which blackens their lungs and can lead to pneumonia and secondary infections.
DEFRA accepts that implementation of the new proposal may be problematic, and liaison with local police forces, with powers of arrest and detention, is expected to be necessary in some instances.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/peterwedderburn/100032384/smoking-to-be-banned-in-pet-owners-homes/