Many say they would quit smoking for pet

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Some smokers say they are more likely to quit smoking for the sake of their pets' health than their own, U.S. researchers suggest.

Nearly 3,300 people responded to an online survey available through the Michigan Humane Society, Pet Supplies Plus pet stores and Henry Ford Health System in Detroit.

Lead author Sharon Milberger, interim director of the Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention at Henry Ford Health System, reported that the survey indicates that:

-- 28.4 percent of smokers say knowing that smoking was bad for their pets' health would motivate them to kick the habit.

-- 8.7 percent of smokers say knowing that smoking was bad for their pets' health would motivate them to ask their smoking partners to quit.

-- 14 percent of smokers say they would tell their partner to smoke outdoors.

The survey, published in the British Medical Journal Tobacco Control, also says that among non-smokers, more than 16 percent said they would ask their partner to quit and 24 percent say they would tell their partner to smoke outdoors.

However, few smokers realize what impact their habit is having on the health of their pets, Milberger adds.