^Your posts don't make sense. Also, you are arrogant, and your tone is very disrespectful. You posted some PubMed links showing that marijuana (and tobaco) is extremely bad for dogs. OK, I buy it.
Then you refered me to fastandbulbo's post. It's pretty much the same idea...getting your pet stoned is generally pretty bad. (His posts were from before this thread was merged with an older one. I haven't even been a member here long enough to catch up with all of these old posts.)
But what's that got to do with my point: That some animals get high on purpose?!
Here's a fairly obvious example for you that everybody knows. (Sorry it's only observational evidence, which you dismiss as "bullshit.")
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Veterinary Q & A: Crazy for Catnip
Your Guide, Janet Tobiassen Crosby, DVM From Janet Tobiassen Crosby, DVM,
Your Guide to Veterinary Medicine.
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Is catnip safe for cats?
Please see the archive for more Q & A topics.
What is Catnip, anyway? Is it a drug?
Catnip is a perennial herb belonging to the mint family Labiatae. Catnip is known in scientific nomenclature as "Nepeta cataria". The plant is a weed-like mint that is now native in North America and Canada after being introduced from its native Mediterranean soil.
How does Catnip work?
The active ingredient in Catnip is called Nepetalactone. The response to this chemical is mediated through the olfactory system (vomeronasal organ) that cats have a special receptor for. From Kooky Kat Catnip Company:
Nepetalactone induces a harmless physiological reactions in some cats. This reaction has been studied extensively, and has been found to induce a psychosexual response in both male and female cats. One might say that catnip has an aphrodisiac effect.
I bought a Catnip toy for my new kitten, she didn't seem to care. Is this normal?
Yes, particularly if your kitten is less than 3 months old. Very young and senior cats do not respond as much, or at all, to Catnip. Also, 10-30% of the cat population does not respond to Catnip at all, at any age. This is due to genetics - some cats are genetically "programmed"* to respond to Catnip, some aren't.
My cat really goes crazy over catnip, is it dangerous?
Cats are unique in their response to Catnip, and the response can be very dramatic in some cats - rolling, licking, rubbing, drooling, jumping, running. Other cats appear to become very sedate after exposure. And, as mentioned above, up to 30% of the cat population does not respond at all to catnip. In any case, for all of the (sometimes entertaining) behaviors seen, Catnip is completely nontoxic to cats. If a large quantity of fresh Catnip is consumed, you may see some vomiting or diarrhea, but this is rare and self-limiting. If your cat experiences this, limit or withhold Catnip.
Is Catnip hard to grow?
In my experience no - it will take over your garden if not careful. It is a perennial, and if you are in Europe, the northern United States, or Canada it should be easy to find at your local nursery. I was advised to plant this in a buried 5 gallon bucket to prevent it from taking over the garden, but let I planted it as normal, and it is growing fine, returning each year.
fastandbulbous said:
For anybody who thinks getting dogs stoned is a good/funny idea
There is one component of cannabis (cannabichromene) that is toxic to dogs. Small doses cause loss of balance and vomiting, but large doses can prove fatal. Giving cannabis to dogs is stupid and pretty much amounts to animal abuse. Dogs respond to other drugs of abuse pretty much in the same way as human, the only exeption being opiates. Dogs metabolize opiates faster than humans and therefore, on a mg/kg basis, require a slightly higher dose. That's why 'Small Animal Immobilon' (etorphine) sometimes gets used for dogs for things like dental extractions; the equivalent dose in humans would cause an OD and possibly death.
Cats respond to cannabis pretty much in the same way as humans (ie toxicity is so low that it's effectively non-toxic), but again the difference occours with opiates. In cats, opiates act as stimulants so that use of certain opiates in cats has to be done very carefully as too much causes agitation and can lead to spinal convulsions (the preferred opiate for treating severe pain in cats is pethedine/demorol as it doesn't cause the same reaction as morphine, but even so, high levels of the metabolite, norpethedine, has the same effects as it does on humans ie convulsions. Opiates also cause the agitation/stimulation effect in horses.
Unless you know something about vet. pharmacology, giving drugs to animals is tantamount to abuse.
That said, I have one cat that makes a point of seeking out cannabis and consuming it. I once had some fresh (as in straight off the plant and requiring drying) buds that had been left in a carrier bag on the kitchen table; after emerging from the shower, I found said cat with head in the carrier bag. After calling his name, he emerged with a fresh bud between his teeth, which I removed. Since then I've had to be careful not to leave any cannabis where he can get at it as he has developed a taste for the stuff. The only time I have intentionally given him any was when he was in pain after an operation on his hip and seemed in so much discomfort that he had stopped eating - tiny amounts restored his appetite, but as soon as he was eating without the aid of cannabis I stopped givin him any (about 3 days). Equally I have a cat with IBS that gets loperamide to control his gut spasms and diarrhea. I checked in a vet. pharmacology text book that it was safe before starting the treatment.
When it comes down to it, giving drugs to animals to get them stoned is irresponsible - if you want your animal to be happy, show it more attention and get it some of its favourite food; leave drugs for medical treatment of animals
