Pubdate: Thu, 03 Dec 2009
Source: Fort Collins Coloradoan (CO)
Copyright: 2009 The Fort Collins Coloradoan
Contact: http://www.coloradoan.com/customerservice/contactus.html
Website: http://www.coloradoan.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1580
Author: Christie Long

WEED WARNING: POT, PETS DON'T MIX

Now that Breckenridge has legalized possession of pot  for personal
use and medical marijuana dispensaries are  popping up faster than
mushrooms in a wet cow pasture  in Fort Collins, I figured it's time
we had a little  heart-to-heart talk about the subject.

I'm not here to weigh in on the subject of whether pot  should be
legalized for recreational use by humans. As  a veterinarian, I'll
leave that for the folks on the  editorial page. But as marijuana
becomes more  accessible, it's inevitable that more pets will be
poisoned by it.

Marijuana poisoning typically occurs by accident in  dogs when the dog
gets into someone's stash. The  chemical in marijuana -
9-tetrahydrocannabinol or THC -  produces toxicity in dogs when they
ingest it. Signs  typically occur 30 to 90 minutes after ingestion and
  include those who have seen a Cheech and Chong movie -  listlessness,
incoordination, stupor, dilated pupils  and a slow heart rate.
Occasionally, gastrointestinal  (GI) signs such as vomiting and
diarrhea occur.

Marijuana ingestion is rarely fatal, even at high  doses. But the
symptoms of toxicity can be quite  severe, including seizures that are
difficult to  control. If the ingestion has occurred within 30
minutes of the animal being seen by a veterinarian,  making the dog
empty its stomach by inducing vomiting  may significantly decrease the
effects of the  ingestion. Unfortunately, one of the properties that
makes marijuana a viable drug for use in human  medicine, nausea
control, can often make it difficult  to induce vomiting in a dog that
has ingested it.

Here's the catch: People who have marijuana in a spot  where it might
be accessible to a nosy canine might  also have been partaking of the
substance themselves,  potentially rendering them slow to react to the
  situation. The sooner the dog can be taken to the vet,  the better
for the dog. And the single most important  thing to remember is to
come clean with the  veterinarian and tell them if there's a chance
that the  animal's symptoms could be attributable to marijuana
ingestion. The veterinarian is under no obligation to  report the
incident to law enforcement. Most don't care  about your personal
substance habits; they just want to  help the animal.

Treatment for marijuana ingestion is similar to that  for other
toxins. Activated charcoal is given by mouth,  often every four to six
hours, in order to absorb the  THC that is in the GI tract and prevent
it from getting  into systemic circulation. Therapy with intravenous
fluids also helps to clear the toxin from circulation.  Some dogs need
sedation to control agitation and must  be kept quiet in a darkened
environment away from loud  noises.

Because intoxication with marijuana is such a  bewildering and
potentially dangerous situation for  animals, hopefully it goes
without saying that animals  should never be encouraged to ingest it.

Christie Long is a veterinarian at the VCA Fort Collins  Animal
Hospital. Once a  month, she will answer
questions from her readers  regarding pet health issues. 
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jo-D