Pot and Pets: Should Dogs Get High?

slimvictor

slimvictor

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Miles, a 12-year-old Labrador retriever mix, was slowly dying of cancer. His owner, after seeing the effect that narcotic painkillers such as tramadol were having on Miles, decided to try something else: medical marijuana.

Within hours of taking a tincture of marijuana from a medical pot dispensary in Los Angeles, Miles' appetite returned, he stopped vomiting and began walking and running around. "It couldn't have been a coincidence," his owner told the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

As marijuana's once-ironclad restrictions become more relaxed, and researchers begin to find more therapeutic uses for the formerly banned substance, pet owners around the world may be wondering: Is pot good for my pet?

Pot's health effects

Since 1970, marijuana has been classified by the federal government as a Schedule I controlled substance, meaning it has no recognized medical uses and a high potential for abuse, placing it in the same category as heroin and LSD.

Many medical authorities, including the American Medical Association and the National Association for Public Health Policy, scoff at pot's Schedule I designation. So do legions of people who openly buy the drug at pot dispensaries in the dozens of states and countries that allow medical use of marijuana.

But veterinarians warn that marijuana -- despite its potential therapeutic benefits -- isn't always a good choice for dogs, cats and other animals.

Two dogs died in Colorado from marijuana toxicosis after ingesting butter laced with medical-grade marijuana, according to a 2012 report in the Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care.

cont at

http://news.discovery.com/animals/pets/pot-and-pets-should-dogs-get-high-131220.htm
 
Two dogs died in Colorado from marijuana toxicosis after ingesting butter laced with medical-grade marijuana, according to a 2012 report in the Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care.
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Yeah we had a similar problem when a dog ate a cookie he stole out of a friends hand bag, he's such a sniffer dog and eats anything, so he found it and unwrapped it and ate it and was really stoned for ages, but didnt die. Another time my dads 2 dogs got into the compost heap (which is in a big black thing and fenced off) where he's dumped the left overs from making canna butter and the dogs got into it and ate it all, dad called the vet thinking they were dying and not knowing why they were so sick and the vet checked them over and asked if there was any chance they may have got into any weed, and dad was pretty embarrassed lol. They both lived. It was a lesson for both of us tho, really look out for that stuff happening with dogs. It can hit them really hard as the dogs just cant resist eating more and more food, well our dogs cant anyway.

I dont have a problem with cannabis being used in small amounts for dogs tho, especially ones with cancer, I've said it in another thread before on this subject that I have given my dogs small amounts of canna-cookies for calming effects when we have had major thunder storms and they get really freaked out. The vet gave me some pills for them but I find the pills make them way too groggy and they walk into walls and fall over all over the place, even on less than half a pill, so I find a small amount of cookie is better for their anxiety.
 
pot>pharmaceuticals is my hunch

but has any actual research on the topic been done? im not sure if any potential toxicity from feeing thc to pets outweighs the side effects and addiction profile of giving pets pharmaceuticals
 
I'm confused by the fact that in the discovery article (http://news.discovery.com/animals/pets/pot-and-pets-should-dogs-get-high-1312201.htm) it states that two dogs died from marijuana overdose. I was under the impression that overdosing on marijuana was nearly impossible due to the way that the endocannabinoid system works. This begs the question, does it work differently in animals? or is the information bunk, considering I couldn't find a source for it in the discovery article? I don't know enough about the subject to draw a conclusion I'm afraid, but still, I'm questioning the claim that two dogs died as it stands due to the fact it is coming from not a very good source and is not backed up.
 
Overdosing on marijuana/cannabinoids is nearly impossible for a human, to be sure. But part of that is because of our... larger mass, and more powerful liver than your average dog or cat. This is why small doses of nicotine kill insects but not humans.

From the MSDS for THC:

666 MG/KG ORAL-RAT LD50;
482 MG/KG ORAL-MOUSE LD50;
525 MG/KG ORAL-DOG LDLO;
29 MG/KG INTRAVENOUS-RAT LD50;
42 MG/KG INTRAVENOUS-MOUSE LD50;
128 MG/KG INTRAVENOUS-MONKEY LDLO;
373 MG/KG INTRAPERITONEAL-RAT LD50;
168 MG/KG INTRAPERITONEAL-MOUSE LD50;
Click to expand...

525 mg/kg is high, but not unreasonably so.

For a 75 lb (34 kg) lovable dumb Labrador that would be 18 grams of THC - 6 and a half ounces (180 grams) of 10% THC weed, or 2.5 ounces (72 grams) of 25%THC chronic. That's a lot for a dog to eat, and more than most people typically have around at one time. For something much smaller, like a 11 lb terrier (5kg) the lethal dose could be 2.5 grams THC - 25 grams, or about an ounce of 10% THC, or less if it was more potent. (The densest chronic tops out at about 25% THC, so a worst case scenario is: a little under a half ounce could be lethal to a small dog. Don't leave those nugs laying around.)

It's entirely reasonable to imagine that a small dog could eat some brownies with a lot of weed in them, or some hash, and die without medical care. It seems unlikely that larger breeds would suffer the same fate, unless they ate an entire grow-op.

Dogs with pre-existing liver or kidney problems could have correspondingly lower LD50s due to reduced metabolism and excretion.
 
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my dog is getting on in years and has days where its hard for him to move because of his joints and arthritis.my parents give him a half of a low dose asprin pill on his bad days and ive never liked that they do that id much rather give him a tiny amount of weed than that shit
 
I see no problem on medically helping an animal in need with marijuana, it really is a gift to this world as far as theriputic properties.

Never have I been a fan of the guy who has a whole party blow hits in his dogs ears to the point it passes out tho. Shit gets me pissed off you shouldn't get something high that can't tell you no or control its dose independently.
 
Thanks for the summary seiko! luckily I have a labrador so don't have to worry too much... I'm still skeptical of the fact they died purely due to lack of sourcing, but that's just me. I agree with rappergonebad though, that is animal cruelty in my opinion.
 
At the dispensary i go to down the road from my place there is this lady that makes special dog treats that are gluten-free, sugar-free, and she puts very small doses of RSO in them. She has autism and has a passion for dogs and she felt that dogs should be able to experience the anxiety-relief it provides.
 
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