Saw this article and wondered what everyone's thoughts are on it...

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/11/22/seen-at-11-medical-marijuana-for-your-furry-friends/

I don't think that's right, despite potentially helping cope with cancer, or the side effects caused by treatment. There just isn't enough research done on it as of yet to learn of any bad reactions, look how long it took and how many tests were conducted to legalize medical marijuana for humans. The same precautions should be taken for our dogs.

Pot turns cats into unpredictably aggressive animals after too much exposure, in my experience. I would hesitate to give access to an animal that was not terminal.

 Quote: Kristin Muntz

Pot turns cats into unpredictably aggressive animals after too much exposure, in my experience. I would hesitate to give access to an animal that was not terminal.

Would that be from second hand smoke?

A woman I know is a habitual dope smoker, and when she got her dog from a rescue 7 years ago, his behaviour changed from the laid back and sweet natured dog he was when she first brought him home, into a raving nutter.

She got in behaviourists, had numerous discussions with the rescue people, and suffered bites a plenty, to the point where she was considering returning him.

I suggested she put him in another room in the evenings, because he may well be stoned - this hadn't occurred to her, and she hadn't mentioned it to the aforementioned people - and while he didn't turn into Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm overnight, he calmed down a lot.

It's not something I would subject a dog to unless it was a medically formulated and prescribed, and every other option had been explored.

Bob, I've known a lot of folks who thought it was fun to get their animals intoxicated, it was more than token exposure if you'll forgive the pun. College kids some, of them anyhow.

The only reason it took so long to study the health benefits (and scientifically, there are NO negative side affects according to those studies) is because the federal government banned hemp in support of the high paying lobbyists of the lumber barons. Hemp (and cannabis) still remains a very valuable alternative to lumber but because billions of dollars are dumped into deforestation and tree farming they don't want it reversed.

I generally think the people who smoke 'medical grade' marijuana are pot heads hiding behind a prescription. I think they're pretty worthless and I don't support them. However, there are ways to extract the medicinal properties all while removing the THC (at least to a point) and THAT is what is beneficial.
The AVMA and the humane society (which we all know doesn't actually help the animals and only dumps their donated funds into lobbying) are hesitating because 'drugs are bad!' and the federal government has spent millions on anti-pot propaganda. Never mind the fact that all of the pharmaceutical drugs we have have side affects including death that are 'perfectly fine' because 'they're here to help.' No one dies from ingesting cannabis leaf oil capsules and that means there would be a severe decline in $$$ if pet owners suddenly found out they could help treat their pets at home instead of spending billions a year at the vet clinic.

 Quote: Lori Hall

Saw this article and wondered what everyone's thoughts are on it...

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/11/22/seen-at-11-medical-marijuana-for-your-furry-friends/

I'm afraid of intoxicating dogs, who have no idea why their brains or bodies are suddenly undependable and who can become frightened, bewildered, confused, anxious ...

Humans choose to become intoxicated, and they know more or less what's happening. Very different, to my mind.

But this is different from people exposing their dogs to pot smoke. "The cannabis given to pets is treated and administered in a way that does not make them high, Dubois reported."

I would try it if my dog was sick and not willing to eat and/or in pain but could still live a good life if she or he could just get through this painful stage (or treatment).



I was never very impressed by the warnings against pot for critically ill humans. To hear much more dire side effects, just watch TV ads pushing the pharma industry's outpouring at us.



All JMO, of course.

I don't think that dogs like to be "messed up". Dogs going under and waking up from anaesthesia don't seem to like the "high". One of the reasons that I think it took so long for veterinarians to get into pain relief for many procedures is that dogs sometimes act more unhappy with pain+a sedative than with pain alone. Of course there are newer better meds now. Dogs in general don't like the "high" of barbiturates and they don't like opiates.

But maybe they do like THC. I've seen some accidents with marijuana and dogs. I mainly remember vomiting.


I can't think of anything dogs do to "get high" on their own, in the way that cats eat catnip, or horses seek out locoweed.

Dogs , the straight edgers of the animal world! High on life . And now I'm prepared for mopey Duke post neuter.

The idea of a stoned horse scares me.