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Mittelschnauzer is in smoke (symbolic image).
© C. Steimer/Imago
Scottish Terriers are prone to cancer.
A new study shows that they are more likely than other dogs to develop cancer if they live in a smoking household.
Scottish terriers exposed to cigarette smoke at home were six times more likely to develop bladder cancer than their counterparts in non-smoking homes, a recent analysis has found.
The long-term study, published in the
Veterinary Journal
, followed 120 Scottie dogs for three years.
The breed is known for its high rate of bladder cancer: Scottish Terriers have a 20 times higher risk than most other breeds, and most dogs that develop bladder cancer have the most invasive form of the disease.
The researchers conducted surveys of dog owners and analyzed the dogs' urine for a nicotine metabolite that indicates exposure to cigarette smoke.
During the study period, 32 dogs developed bladder cancer.
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Scottish Terriers living in homes with smokers were six times more likely to develop cancer than control dogs, with seven of the 32 dogs suffering from bladder cancer living with smokers.
Urinalysis showed that the dogs that lived with smokers had smoked a pack of tobacco a day for an average of 10 years, while the dogs that didn't develop cancer had smoked a pack of tobacco a day for just 1.5 years.
Another significant risk was living within a mile of a swamp or wetland - areas where pollutants can accumulate or are treated with insecticides.
Dogs living near wetlands were 21.23 times more likely to develop bladder cancer than controls.
Older age and previous urinary tract infections were also associated with a higher risk of cancer.
Scottish Terriers are prone to cancer
“We know that the genetics of Scotties play a large role in their susceptibility to cancer,” Deborah Knapp, a veterinarian at Purdue University who led the study, said in a news release.
"If we were to do this study on mixed breed dogs, we would need hundreds of dogs to detect the same risk, which is likely present, just harder to detect because these dogs are not already genetically predisposed to getting bladder cancer," she added added.
Scottish terriers.
© Mauricio Ramos/Imago
Knapp said dog owners can reduce their dogs' smoke exposure - and potential cancer risk - by quitting smoking or smoking outdoors and removing smoky clothing before being around their pets.
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The study was funded in part by a grant from the Scottish Terrier Club of America.
Because of their high rates of bladder cancer and the fact that they share many of their owners' environmental influences, Scottish Terriers are considered a model species for studying the effectiveness of potential cancer detection and control in both dogs and humans.
To the author
Erin Blakemore
is a freelance reporter in Boulder, Colorado, and a frequent contributor to The Washington Post.
We are currently testing machine translations. This article was automatically translated from English into German.
This article was first published in English on March 2, 2024 at the “Washingtonpost.com” - as part of a cooperation, it is now also available in translation to readers of the IPPEN.MEDIA portals.