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Pets fed cannabis cookies

July 08, 2004

A Victorian vet says he sees more than a dozen stoned cats and dogs a year because negligent owners feed their pets cannabis cookies and cake.

But the only thing to do for the dazed, confused and disoriented pets was to let them sleep off the drug, Dr Neil Howard said.

Pets affected by the drug had been taken to Dr Howard's veterinary surgeries in the coastal towns of Torquay, Anglesea and Lorne, in Victoria's south-west, for the past 10 years.

The biggest problem was people deliberately feeding their dogs cannabis cakes and cookies, he said, although small dogs and cats could become stoned just by inhaling marijuana smoke.

"A lot of it is deliberate drugging by people making cannabis cookies and cake and giving some to their pets thinking it will be okay for the animal to eat it," Dr Howard said.

"But what people don't seem to realise is that it's not good for the dog and it doesn't enjoy it, so don't do it.

"It's not a malicious or cruel thing people are doing to their pets.

"In some cases a parent comes home and finds their teenage son or daughter has fed the animal marijuana and brings it into the surgery."

Dr Howard said although the animals were not in any pain as a result of the drug, they could be in danger because of their dazed and confused state of mind.

"As is often the case down here, people take their dogs for walks on cliff tops and if a dog is stoned and is let off the lead, it could be in danger of falling off a cliff," he said.

"There is nothing we can give them, they just need to sleep it off.

"Most people who bring their stoned pets are ashamed of themselves because it's not a malicious thing they have done, it's usually just meant to be playful."

But Dr Howard said the problem was too widespread to report to police or the RSPCA.

"It's not a welfare issue," he said.

He said it was not isolated to Victoria's Surf Coast, renowned for its famous surf beaches and laid back lifestyle.

"I have heard of this problem in other areas of the country and some research has been done in America," Dr Howard said.

"I know of one dog in America that died after being given the drug."

Researchers from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Warsaw, Poland, have analysed the effect of cannabis ingestion by dogs.

From 1998 to 2003, 213 incidences were recorded of dogs that developed clinical signs following oral exposure to the drug with 99 per cent showing neurologic signs and 30 per cent gastrointestinal signs.

The effects lasted between 30 minutes and 96 hours, but all animals made a full recovery, the research revealed.

A spokeswoman from the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) said the association was not aware of the problem.