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The Saratogian Published on 2/22/2006

Campaign gives smokers paws to consider

SARATOGA SPRINGS -- The Southern Adirondack Tobacco-Free Coalition has a new spin to get people to quit smoking: pets.
The new campaign -- 'I love you no matter what ... but your cigarettes are hurting me! -- is geared toward pet owners. The coalition is partnering with the Capital District Veterinary Medical Society, which covers 11 counties.

Janine Stuchin, project manager of the Southern Adirondack Tobacco-Free Coalition, said many households in Saratoga County don't have children, but 83,000 households have at least one pet.

'Our new campaign is taking the message in a new direction,' Stuchin said.

Dr. Christopher Brockett of the Saratoga Veterinary Hospital in Wilton got involved with this campaign through one of his clients, Margaret LaFrance, program coordinator of the Southern Adirondack Tobacco-Free Coalition. Brockett brought Merlot, an 11-year-old Rhodesian Ridgeback, with him to the press conference.

Brockett said this type of public awareness campaign has never been done on this scale and hopes it's fruitful for all involved.

About two-thirds of all households in the United States have a pet.

'There are many people in the community that don't realize smoking affects their pets,' LaFrance said. 'We want to get the message out loud and clear that smoke does affect our pets.'

She said any pet that is kept indoors is very susceptible to secondhand smoke. Animals have a smaller respiratory system than humans. She said 25 percent of people surveyed didn't think smoking affected their pet's health.

Stuchin said after the campaign is done, they will conduct another survey for comparison.

Animals that live in a smoking household have a greater chance of developing cancer, Brockett said. Malignant lymphoma affects cats and there is no successful treatment available. Lung cancer is more common in canines.

'In the last several decades, the relationship between pets and people have changed,' he said. 'They are now a member of the family.'

Brockett said some pets receive gifts at Christmas and birthdays. He owns two dogs and three cats and has two saltwater aquariums.

'These animals are our friends,' Brockett said. 'Our main objective is to get more humans to quit smoking.'

He said reptiles, rabbits, birds and fish can also be affected by secondhand smoke. He said it's probably not good for them because it's not good for anyone else.

Cherisse Brizendine, program coordinator for Glens Falls Hospital's Tobacco Cessation and Education Services, said some former smokers noticed improvements in their pets' health once the household air cleared. One person's dog stopped getting ear infections, and another person's cat didn't sneeze anymore.

'Our hope and bottom line is that smokers find this message to stop smoking,' Stuchin said. 'Different messages motivate smokers to quit; hopefully, this motivates some smokers to quit.

'They'll continue hearing this message for a while.'

Contact the Southern Adirondack Tobacco-Free Coalition at 581-1230 or go to www.tobaccofreeadirondacks.com. Call the New York State Smokers' Quitline at 1-866-NY-QUITS (1-866-697-8487). The Glens Falls Hospital Web site is www.glensfallshospital.org. To contact the Saratoga Veterinary Hospital, call 587-3832.