OK, here’s the marijuana column I couldn’t write not that long ago. Cannabis is legal in California for both medicinal and adult recreational use.
Under state law, adults 21 or older can use, carry and grow cannabis (marijuana, weed, pot, bud, grass, reefer, ganja, Mary Jane, smoke, herb). You can buy and possess up to an ounce (28.5 grams) of cannabis and up to eight grams of concentrated cannabis.
But the impacts are not so precise.
According to the Animal Poison Control Center, there has been a staggering 765% increase in calls about pets ingesting marijuana after legalization.
The Pet Poison Helpline also saw an increase of more than 400% in the number of calls it took about marijuana-related incidents over a six-year period after legalization.
So this is where our dogs come into the picture. Marijuana is toxic to dogs, as well as cats, horses and other animals.
Our dogs have had a drastic increase in marijuana poisoning since legalization.
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the potent psychoactive substance in marijuana, and dogs have a much more severe reaction to it than humans.
Symptoms are typically visible within 30 minutes to an hour after ingestion of the drug, or sooner if inhaled.
Products with THC are toxic. CBD products are not toxic at correct dosages prescribed by a veterinarian. Baked goods that use marijuana-infused batters and oils are more toxic than the regular marijuana flower because of the higher concentration of THC.
This is not your parents’ pot from college or their brownies. Marijuana is much stronger now.
Your dog can also suffer poisoning from eating any part of the actual plant (including the leaves, seeds, stems and flowers); from smoke inhalation; consuming hashish oil; or even from eating the feces of an individual who has ingested cannabis.
The minimum lethal oral dose of THC in pets is fairly high; however, deaths have been noted after ingestion of foods containing highly concentrated cannabis, such as medical-grade THC. In fact, fatalities were very rare until the development of medical-grade products.
No one knows the toxic dose of marijuana in dogs. We do know that the more ingested (more milligrams of THC), a greater potential for toxicity.
So how do you know if your pal is stoned? If you see your dog eat your stash, take him to your veterinarian. The veterinarian can give an injection called an emetic that will make him vomit up the pot.
Do not be concerned about how you will look or legal factors. Veterinarians are there to make your dog better.
If you don’t know why your dog is acting abnormal here is a list of symptoms when a dog ingests weed or edibles:
Being sensitive to sounds, sensitive to motion and touch (overcompensates, acts fearful), being uncoordinated, having dilated pupils, having some trouble moving, trouble eating, lethargic, and having urinary incontinence (dripping urine).
In studies, half of the dogs with marijuana toxicity dribbled urine uncontrollably. My guess is that marijuana would not be as popular if 50% of people dribbled urine when they were high.
Your dog may need to be hospitalized and put on IV fluids until it can walk on its own and eat.
Marijuana is toxic to cats, too, but 90% of cases are dogs. Cats may experience all the same symptoms as dogs but may also have seizures, drooling, vocalizing, breathing slowly, twitching, agitation and coma. and may develop long-term complications from consuming marijuana.
Please don’t confuse catnip with marijuana. They are not the same plant.
You need to lock up your edibles because dogs will search them out. Even though their brains are two-thirds smaller than ours, the part of the brain that processes smells is seven times larger in dogs than in humans. Sometimes it seems as if dogs are smarter than humans, too.
If your edibles have a chocolate coating or are a sugar-free candy with xylitol, they are more than twice as toxic.
CBD oil does not contain THC. In fact, most CBD products are derived from hemp and not from marijuana.
CBD is used because of its anti-inflammatory properties, cardiac benefits, anti-nausea effects, appetite stimulation, anti-seizure activity, anti-anxiety impact and for possible anti-cancer benefits. Have your veterinarian prescribe your pal’s dosage of CBD.
Green Nile, started by my veterinarian friend, Dr. Trina Hazzah, is a great source for a consultation regarding your dog and CBD (cannabinoids) dosing and treatment regimens.