“The number of cases of dogs experiencing nicotine poisoning has doubled from 2017 to 2021,” a veterinarian has warned in an interview with TV2.
The cause of the problem is the increasing popularity of smokeless tobacco products and the discarded snus packets that dogs often come across on their daily walk.
Increasingly popular product
According to figures from the Sundhedsstyrelsen health authority, 11.4 percent of the 15-29 age bracket often or occasionally use smoke-free nicotine products – a rise of 2.3 percentage points compared to two years ago.
Just 10 mg of nicotine is enough to kill a puppy, according to veterinarian Vibeke Freiberg– a worry because the snus often come in bags with an odour that young dogs are drawn to.
Best rushed to the vet
“If your dog is unfortunate enough to accidentally ingest this nicotine packet, do not try to induce vomiting using saline or hydrogen peroxide, as this can cause other serious problems!” advises Freiberg.
“Instead, contact your vet immediately!”
Candy cigarettes also condemned
In related news, the sale of ‘candy cigarettes’ in Denmark has been drawing a lot of criticism – particularly in light of the government’s plans for tobacco-free future generations, which propose a lifetime ban on the sale of cigarettes to anyone born after 2010.
“Research shows that a product like candy cigarettes can help children develop a positive attitude towards smoking,” contends Kremlin Wickramasinghe, the head of the WHO’s European Division for the Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases, according to DR.
It is believed WHO intends to make candy cigarettes an illegal product sometime in the future.
