The Influence Of Pollution On Dog Health
Human activity is one of the main causes of environmental pollution today. The negative influence of pollution is not only relevant to human life, but also to canine health, as well as to millions of other organisms.
Most studies that address the effects of environmental pollution focus on humans. However, little by little, experts are bringing new results about the global impact of an irresponsible consumer society.
The probability of being exposed to a dirty environment is high considering that all urban centers have several sources of pollution. Emissions from factories and automobiles, as well as excess waste, are just a few examples.
In addition, in the domestic environment, tobacco, accumulation of dirt in air conditioners, lack of ventilation and poor hygiene can also affect the health of dogs and other occupants.
First studies on pollution and domestic animals
From the second half of the 20th century onwards, there was a greater awareness of environmental pollution and its lethal effects. Such damages, studied only in man, were incorporating new findings that showed the true impact of human mismanagement.
In the field of dog health, as early as 1967, researchers Ragland and Gorham concluded that dogs that lived in Philadelphia were more likely to suffer from tonsil carcinoma than those that lived in rural areas.
The main culprits were radon, which was later banned in some industries, and tobacco.
Later, other authors added bladder cancer, mesothelioma, and lung and nasal cancer as frequent diseases associated with anthropogenic emissions. In addition, they stated that dogs less than one year old, the elderly or those with chronic bronchitis were more likely to become ill or have worsening of their previous pathologies.
Recent Studies on the Influence of Pollution on Dog Health
Currently, to the well-known harmful effect of tobacco, experts have added a set of chemical compounds included mainly in cleaning products.
So, even though this sounds paradoxical, the use of floor cleaners, glass cleaners or even air fresheners can, at the same time, contaminate the domestic air. Proof of this was the study carried out by the University of Massachusetts and the Tufts College of Veterinary Medicine.
Analyzing the relationship between the use of garden pesticides by the owners and the development of diseases, a higher probability of canine lymphoma was confirmed . More specifically, in the 700 families that purchased these pesticides, 33% of dogs contracted the disease.
However, it is in open spaces that the real threat can be found. So much so that the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, based on studies of air quality in Mexico City, has signaled the link between pollution and brain damage.
This conclusion was postulated after studying the formation of amyloid plaques and other protein formations, characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease, in dogs that were exposed to polluted local air.
Recommendations for protecting the health of pets
Although environmental pollution is a society-wide problem, individual measures can be taken to improve air quality in outdoor and domestic spaces.
Thus, it is interesting to change the filters of artificial ventilation systems, avoid dangerous chemicals, not smoke and frequently vacuum dust and animal hair.
Good hygiene and consumption habits are essential for the dog’s health and, without a doubt, for all living beings. Therefore, the human being, as victim and primarily responsible for pollution, must act accordingly and not intensify it.
