Pop Corn or Pot Corn? Ordinary snack? Don't kid yourself!
What you should know.
I've been seeing several states making the move toward
legalizing marijuana either for recreational or medical purposes. In my own state of MN the first round of the
bill was passed by the house. This after hearing tearful pleas from cancer
patients or from the caretakers who normally would be law abiding citizens yet found themselves scoring weed for their
loved one because they could not bear to hear them scream in pain anymore.
As a person growing up in the 60’s and 70’s I am all for
legalization especially if it helps any ill person feel better, and I am also all
for it as far as recreational because people have and always will act foolish with or without a recreational
drug. In fact I am surprised this did not pass many, many moons ago! I guess it
all had to do with the generation gap and those long haired hippies, known as the Beatles
spewing their rock and roll to the innocent children of the USA ! Yeah right! I for one think we could use a few more laid
back people in the world, as long as like Alcohol, it is against the law to
drive or ride a bicycle while impaired!
Items that are
marijuana prepared
Just as humans have invented a million and one recipes
for the use of alcohol you can bet that
the same will be done with marijuana. As well, people will be growing marijuana
inside their homes legally.
There will also be
different strengths of marijuana just as you see in alcohol. You will probably find
this product in brownies, cupcakes,
birthday cakes, Ice cream, pot corn , reefer wafer, (not to be confused with
the wafer the priest gives you ) Marijane
muffins, and I am sure there will be a recipe for the health conscious as
well, such as “ Sweet Leaf Salad!
Why am I bringing
this up anyway?
With these new laws come new responsibilities as dog owners.
You are going to have to make sure your dog is safe from any potential harm;
this means you need to ask yourself these questions:
Can my dog get into the neighbor’s or family member’s garden?
Can my dog get into my neighbor’s or family member’s
garbage?
What is being left behind in my neighbor’s/family member’s ashtray?
Can I trust that my neighbor /family member will not try to tempt my dog
with a pot filled chocolate brownie? (Actually most people know that chocolate
can harm a dog, but they might not think twice about offering a lick off the
spoon that contains Canabis Caramel ice cream!)
Can I trust myself that I have put up everything toxic in a
cabinet where the dog cannot reach it?
If you are of mind to have this in your own home, you would
need to take the same precautions that you would if you had children living with
you.
Set up a place for yourself that the dog has no access to, because
let’s face it, once you are swinging from that relaxing hammock dreaming of all
the snacks you would like to have, the
thought of ‘did I put everything harmful
to my pet away’ is not going to be the first question you ask yourself! The first question will be: who ate all the cheese doodles?
The Effect
Do you know what can happen to Fido if he gets into your
stash? Symptoms can show within 30
minutes of exposure to THC which affects the neurotransmitters of the brain.
What To Watch For:
Lack of coordination
Dilated pupils
Tremors
Depression
Seizures
Salivation (usually a
sign of nausea)
Slow or fast heart
rate.
Coma
Treatment
Treatment Requires Hospitalization.
Never ever assume that if you pooch got into your pot it was not enough to
cause an affect. Actually you will not know how this will affect your dog as
dogs vary in size and weight.
If the ingestion was recent, your Vet may induce vomiting,
however if the pet is too sleepy this may not be able to be done as the dog can aspirate on its vomit. Never induce vomiting without consulting your Veterinarian. Activated Charcoal is given approximately every 8 hours to bind the THC and absorb
toxicities so the reaming is not
absorbed into the dog’s body. The Vet
will need to keep the dog hydrated through IV fluids and to help flush out the toxins. Blood pressure must also be monitored as well as heart rate.
Even if Pot is not legal in your state as of yet, never be afraid to take you dog to a Vet to seek care for possible marijuana
toxicity. The Vet is not interested in ratting you out; they are interested in
saving your pet’s life!
One last thought:
if the above possible dangers are not reason enough for you to make a safe place away from your dog’s
reach, then let’s talk money because that seems to be a deciding factor in almost
everyone’s life! Give your Emergency Vet
a call today and ask how much it will cost for you just to walk through their doors, then ask how much they will charge for the overnight stay and
treatment needed. I am guessing you will be seeing charges in the hundreds to
thousands!
Well that’s the 'high' and low of what may be in store for our
dogs in the future!
Until next time, be smart & be safe!
24/7 Animal Poison Control Center
855-764-7661
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