Filter Your Air for Dog Cancer

Readers of The Dog Cancer Survival Guide by Dr. Demian Dressler and Dr. Susan Ettinger, his oncologist co-author, often focus on things to do for their dogs.

Deciding what to feed, which conventional options to use, using supplements, or mind-body strategies are all important decisions.

As the editor, I hope you’ll also take note of the lifestyle changes you can make — like sleeping in a totally dark room, using glass or ceramic bowls to feed your dog, and giving filtered water.

Another thing to consider:  filter your air for dog cancer.

Why? Poor air quality is a huge problem, as those of us who live in Hawaii (where Dr. Dressler practices and our book publisher is located) are sometimes reminded in a rather dramatic fashion. Here’s a video of the VOG, or “volcanic SMOG” that is released whenever a volcano is active.

Of course, when a volcano opens up fissures right down the middle of a subdivision, as pictured in the video above, it’s quite obvious that the air is being polluted. You can imagine why I thought to pull out my whole-room air purifier* after watching video footage of those huge plumes of volcanic gas.

The sulfuric acid and carbon dioxide and other chemicals released by the volcano spreads through the air, and the immediate surroundings can be deadly. If the trade winds aren’t blowing the VOG out to sea, it spreads up the island chain, and can be found even as far away as Oahu, a full 200 miles across the ocean.

On “VOGgy” days on Maui I get headaches, fatigue, and a sore throat. VOG is no joke, and constant exposure to it and its cousin air pollutants is downright dangerous, both in the short-term and the long-term.

Dangerous to us and to our dogs.

I should be filtering my air a LOT more often than I do.

As Dr. Dressler points out in his book, environmental pollutants in the home is a big problem for dogs, and can absolutely increase the likelihood of cancer developing. If your dog doesn’t seem to be “bothered” by second-hand smoke, he or she is simply being amazingly polite. And even third-hand smoke hurts, as Susan Harper points out.

And so does SMOG — pollution from industry and vehicles that pumps the same particulates I’m so concerned about into the air all over the world. In fact, even household cleaners, paint, laminate flooring, and carpets can release toxins into the air, making our indoor air sometimes even more polluted than the air outside!

And once a dog has cancer, these air-borne carcinogens can be a real burden on an already overtaxed immune system. So, yeah, you should filter your air for dog cancer. 🙁

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The winter months tend to make the problem worse, because we almost never open the windows! If you can, do open them once in a while, even just for a few minutes.

And when spring arrives and summer arrive, do open your windows and freshen up out that stale winter air.

Any time of year it’s important to vacuum well, clean the walls and the windows … do a deep spring cleaning to get rid of any residue.

And then, unless you are really confident you live in a place with clean outdoor air, consider getting an air filter. It’s well worth the cost of the electricity — for your dog’s health, and for yours.

I’m tired of feeling discouraged about how many things in our environment can harm our dogs — and I hate to be afraid of the very air we breathe. But guilt and fear don’t help us or our dogs — so instead, I’m focusing on what DOES help, which is doing better, when we know better.

Best wishes to you and your dog.

Molly

Editor, The Dog Cancer Survival Guide

* Affiliate link. Please see our disclosure policy for details.