Association between indoor air pollution and respiratory disease in companion dogs and cats

Abstract

BackgroundIndoor air pollution (IAP) leads to important respiratory morbidity and mortality in humans. Companion dogs and cats share the same household environment with their owners and are exposed to IAP.HypothesisPets with respiratory disease are more commonly exposed to indoor air pollutants in their homes and to worse air quality than pets without respiratory disease.AnimalsThree hundred and forty‐eight animals (230 dogs and 118 cats) were recruited.MethodsDogs and cats attending the National Taiwan University Veterinary Hospital were prospectively enrolled over a 12‐month period. Questionnaires were collected from pet owners regarding the status of signs of respiratory problem of animals and air pollutants in their homes. Clinical assessment was performed by veterinarians on all animals included in the case‐control study and the presence/absence of respiratory disease and diagnoses were recorded. Individual exposure to particulate matter of 2.5 μm or less (PM2.5) was estimated in the domestic microenvironment of the animals.ResultsDogs with respiratory disease were more commonly exposed to incense burning than control dogs (30 versus 13%, P = .045), but household PM2.5 level was not different between dogs with and without respiratory disease [median 30.8 μg/m3, range 10.8‐214.2 versus median 38.2 μg/m3, range 5.4‐69.4, P = .57]. Signalment factors (age, body weight, and body condition score) instead of IAP factors were associated with respiratory disease in dogs using multivariable logistic regression. In contrast, household PM2.5 level was significantly higher in cats with respiratory disease than in control cats [median 38.6 μg/m3, range 17.8‐131.2 versus median 27.4 μg/m3, range 15.4‐70.0, P = .017]. Cats living in households with PM2.5 > 35 μg/m3 were more likely to have respiratory disease than those living in households with acceptable levels of PM2.5 (OR = 4.13, 95% CI 1.12‐15.27, P = .03).Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceThe link between IAP and respiratory disease in dogs is complicated. An unacceptable level of household PM2.5 (>35 μg/m3) is significantly associated with respiratory disease in cats. The effect of IAP on the respiratory health of companion animals warrants further attention.

Health and Environmental Risks of Incense Smoke: Mechanistic Insights and Cumulative Evidence

“…AuO-treated A549 cells exhibited 33 proteins with greater than fivefold expression and ALDH1A1 induced enhanced metastasis. No similar observations were noted for normal BEAS2B lung cells [ 77 ] Study of household incense exposure and aggravated respiratory complications in dogs and rats 230 dogs and 118 cats assessed for >12 months after incense exposure at National Taiwan University Veterinary Hospital, clinical treatments performed by veterinarians on all animals with an unbiased recording of respiratory disease status and diagnosis factors Dogs with respiratory disease were vulnerable to incense combustion, key role of body weight, no significant difference in the PM 2.5 exposure between diseased and normal dogs, age and body condition instrumental in incense risk, household cats with >35 μg•m−3PM 2.5 exposure more vulnerable than dogs to respiratory disease, milder outcomes in cats suggested to be due to distinctly programmed metabolic control or gene set-up [ 78 ] Direct consequences of smoking and inhaling herbal incense via smoking tool. Screening of cannabinoid toxicity via hypothermia, analgesia, and akinesia, suppressed locomotor actions in three animal experiments, human CB 1 -receptor expression changes n Chinese Hamster ovary cells, expressing human CB 1 G α16 and mitochondrial apoaequorin protein First experiment placed the mice in an activity chamber for 30 min before administering cannabinoid.…”

ANK2 Hypermethylation in Canine Mammary Tumors and Human Breast Cancer

“…Dogs have been highlighted as excellent animal models for human cancer [ 5 , 6 ], and this includes the use of CMT as a comparative model for human breast cancer (HBC) [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]. The expedited study rate due to faster disease progression and shorter lifespan, histological and mechanistic similarities [ 5 ], spontaneous disease occurrence, and exposure to similar environments as humans make dogs ideal models for comparative oncology [ 11 , 12 ]. The similar environments to humans that dogs often inhabit as companion animals are particularly interesting from an epigenetic standpoint, as environmental stimuli have been known to influence epigenetics [ 13 , 14 ].…”

Indoor Particle Concentrations, Size Distributions, and Exposures in Middle Eastern Microenvironments

“…Indoor air pollutant concentrations depend on the dynamic relationship between pollutant source and loss processes within buildings. Source processes include the transport of outdoor air pollution, which can be high in urban areas [11][12][13], into the indoor environment via ventilation and infiltration, and indoor emission sources, which include solid fuel combustion, electronic appliances, cleaning, consumer products, occupants, pets, and volatilization of chemicals from building materials and furnishings, among others [10,[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28]. Loss processes include ventilation, exfiltration, deposition to indoor surfaces, filtration and air cleaning, and pollutant transformations in the air (i.e., coagulation, gas-phase reactions).…”