Thunder Bay Nursing Student Links Smoking to Death of his Dogs
Cooper Rybak’s thought his dogs were nothing but healthy and happy animals, but for some reason that eluded him at the time, both dogs later developed oral cancer that caused their deaths.
The reason why the fatal disease struck both animals escaped him for years, but when he got the chance to work as a tobacco cessation nursing intern with the Thunder Bay District Health Unit, he finally understood why.
According to Rybak, his father was a heavy smoker, and he believes the habit was behind the death of his dogs.
At the launch of a campaign that requests smokers to step outside when lighting up organized by the Thunder Bay Health Unit, Rybak said that his experience as a nursing intern has taught him the dangers of second-hand smoke not only to humans, but to pets like dogs as well.
It’s been long known that second-hand smoke is far more dangerous than we think – even more dangerous than lighting one up itself. But no studies have been done on its effect on dogs.
According to Susan Trevisan, smoking cessation coordinator at the Thunder Bay Health Unit, oral and nasal cancer in dogs is likely caused by the habit of these animals to sniff the floors of their homes. The chemical residue left behind by cigarettes is potentially to blame, she said.
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