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Quit, for the Cat’s Sake
The next time you’re ready to light up, consider your feline friend. A Tufts University Veterinary School study found that secondhand smoke can more than triple a cat’s chance of contracting lymphoma, a lethal form of cancer. The researchers suspect that cats take in an extra dose of secondhand smoke when they groom themselves. “Since cats generally hang around the house a great deal, and they lick and groom themselves continually, they’re probably getting a fairly strong dose,” says Tuft’s Dr. Anthony S. Moore. Dogs probably don’t face the same degree of risk because their grooming responsibilities fall to you, say Moore, though breathing in secondhand smoke is obviously not doing the pooch any good either.
Winterize your dog
On Walks
Shovel your walking paths. The deep snow is difficult for older and smaller dogs to walk and can aggravate conditions such as arthritis in older pets.
Use a non-chemical, non-salt product, such as ordinary clay cat litter, for traction on ice.
For walking on sidewalks of salt-using neighbors, outfit your dog with booties or carry it over those areas.
Thoroughly wipe off your dog’s paws and stomach hair after a walk or outdoor playtime. Ice balls, rock salt, and sand can irritate dogs’ skin. Trim the hair between toes and paw pads to lessen the likelihood of picking up these irritants.
Keep your dog on lease during a snowstorm; if it loses sight of you, it may lose its scent and get lost.
Keep you dog away from frozen ponds, lakes and rivers; the ice may be thinner than it looks.
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