STORY AT-A-GLANCE A study involving Scottish terriers revealed many more insights into how environmental factors like cigarette smoke influence disease development The three-year study compared dogs that got bladder cancer and those that didn't, looking at different factors to see which ones increased the risk Dogs living with smokers were six times more likely to develop bladder cancer than dogs not living with smokers In households where humans smoke, dogs may be exposed to second-hand smoke from the cigarette and exhalations, as well as third-hand smoke made up of particular material that contaminates furniture, carpet and other household materials Cotinine, a nicotine metabolite, showed up in the urine of some dogs living with non-smoker owners, leading the scientists to suggest it may have been due to smoke residues on clothing It probably doesnt come as a surprise that exposure to cigarette smoke leads to cancer in dogs, much as it does in humans
Similarly, non-progressive aortic root dilatation was infrequent (~ 9%) as well as aortic ectasia (only 2 adult males) and tricuspid valve prolapse and bicuspid aortic valves were sporadic findings, thus suggesting that regular routine echocardiograms to assess for valvular diseases and aortic root dilatation may not be strictly necessary unless warranted by presence of symptoms or family history
Recognized and recommended by leading members of the medical profession
By this time, he claims, over three thousand Algerians had disappeared
