Colorado Vets See Spike In Cases Of ‘Stoner Dogs’ [View all]

[Liberal_in_LA]

Colorado Vets See Spike In Cases Of ‘Stoner Dogs’



The popularity of medical marijuana in Colorado has had an unintended side effect — dogs getting stoned, sometimes with deadly results.

Some people firmly believe that if medical marijuana helps people, it also helps their pets, but that’s not always the case. Marijuana can be harmful and sometimes toxic for dogs. New research shows that with medical marijuana, the number of dogs getting sick from pot is spiking.

“They basically have lost a lot of their fine motor control, they have a wide-based stance and they are not sure on their feet,” said Dr. Debbie Van Pelt of VRCC, the Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Hospital in Englewood.

Vets say they used to see dogs high on marijuana just a few times a year. Now pet owners bring in doped-up dogs as many as five times a week.

“There are huge spikes in the frequency of marijuana ingestion in places where it’s become legal,” Van Pelt said.

http://denver.cbslocal.com/2012/10/01/colorado-vets-see-spike-in-cases-of-stoner-dogs/