What Pet Owners Need to Know About Marijuana


With medical marijuana seeming to take off in most states, there is always the question of pros and cons of pot. The discussion is now on the side of pets. People who own pets will always want to know what kind of effects does pot has on their pets.

It is common for pets to eat anything in their way. You might have hidden your stash of pot somewhere in the house and the pet finds it. What happens when the pet eats it up? The cats and dogs are the most curious and it is the reason they often end up high on the owner’s supplies.

Over the years, we have experienced increased emergency visits to the vet of pets that are high on pot. Since pot has been legalized, there was bound the need to have provisions for treating pets that might accidentally eat the owners pot. A hospital in Colorado dealing with emergency cases of animals has stated that it can treat up to 5 dogs a day that ingested marijuana.

As much as it might be fun watching a high dog or cat trying to find its footing, cannabis is toxic to the pets. This is according to the ASPCA animal poison directory. It is not just toxic for the pets; it can also be bad for horses. If you think giving your horse some weed to stimulate it, then you might end up hurting it even more.

So, how do you know your pet has ingested marijuana? Some of the common symptoms of such a scenario are that there will be lack of coordination in the walking of the pet. Other symptoms include lethargy, hyperactivity, dilated pupils, vomiting and depression. When your dog shows such symptoms, you have to take it to the vet immediately. Some serious effects of pot on animals if eaten in large quantities can include low heart rate, and respiratory depression. As much as death is rare, it cannot be ruled out.

There is more danger if the pet ingests baked goods such as cakes laced with marijuana. The reason is because of the additional ingredients in the goods such as chocolate, which is toxic to dogs mostly. The baked products could also have potential allergens that can trigger allergies in the dog or any other pet. It is advisable that you get to treat the pet with prescription medication offered by the vet. Make sure to keep the medication away from pets and children this time.

Let us say you just stumbled upon your pet in the act of sampling your pot stash, what should you do? It is advisable that you induce vomiting immediately before taking the pet to the vet. “Marijuana is known to be anti-emetic, which means that it stops vomiting. You have to induce vomiting quick before the high kicks in” advises Tina Wismer, a medical director of the ASPCA. As you can see, time is of the essence as once the animal is affected, inducing vomiting is not going to help at all.

Most people would opt for using hydrogen peroxide as a home remedy for inducing vomiting in the pets. Make sure to consult with the vet when determining the right dosage for the pet to induce vomiting. This is supposed to be done during the routine checkup as you never know when such information could come in handy.

But could cannabis be still important for treating the pets? There have been cases where a dog or cat owners gave their pets a little marijuana as a way of helping them cope with pain. Most of the time these are older pets who might have chronic pain from repetitive ailing. There has been little research on just how well to use marijuana for pets. It might take more time but we are eager to see it being used maybe for pain conditions.

What you need to know is that there is a difference between the human and veterinarian products. Products meant for pets are not supposed to make them high. This means that the THC component that gives you the feeling of being high has to be reduced or removed. Some experts who have worked on cannabis claim that the CBD component in cannabis can be safe for both humans and pets. Only with further research, it is when the pets can be exposed to such cannabis-related products.

What you need to know is that the FDA has not approved the use of marijuana for animals. This means that pet owners have to be careful with their stash. If the pets can reach the stash, it also means that the children can also do the same. Just make sure that you can have a nice place to keep the stash away from children and pets. Always talk to your veterinarian before using some products meant for the pet.