Vets: More pets are coming in high on pot
Thinkstock
Canines and cannabis don't mix. That's the message a veterinarian in Arizona is sharing with the public, now that he's seeing more and more pets come in for treatment after ingesting marijuana.
"Usually [stoned pets] will become sedate, they'll act stuporous," Dr. Billy Griswold of Emergency Animal Clinic in North Scottsdale tells KCTV. At the five Emergency Animal Clinics in the Scottsdale area, veterinarians are seeing at least 24 cases of marijuana-eating animals every month. While the natural stuff isn't toxic — the pet will just have an upset stomach or other minor side effects — synthetic marijuana is, and Griswold has seen fatalities.
"There are more serious side effects and longer treatments associated with that," he warns.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
According to KCTV, the spike in the number of animals being treated for pot ingestion directly coincides with the opening of medical marijuana dispensaries in Arizona, starting in December 2012. Vets estimate that they're treating twice as many animals already in 2014 than in all of 2013, the station adds. Maybe it's high time you remind your four-legged friends to just say no. --Catherine Garcia
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Why is Tesla stumbling?
In the Spotlight More competition, confusion about the future and a giant pay package for Elon Musk
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
How Taylor Swift changed copyright negotiations in music
under the radar The success of Taylor's Version rerecordings has put new pressure on record labels
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Job scams are increasingly common. Here's what to look out for.
The Explainer You should never pay for an application or give out your personal info before being hired
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in Morocco
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
North Korea's Kim to visit Putin in eastern Russia to discuss arms sales for Ukraine war, U.S. says
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Gabon's military leader sworn in following coup in latest African uprising
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published