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UK: Vets treating spaced-out pets as drug laws relaxed

James Meikle

The Guardian

Saturday 12 Jan 2002

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It gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "sniffer dogs". As drug laws
are relaxed, family pets are increasingly being reported to vets for
stumbling upon their owners' stashes.

A chilled-out chinchilla that ate some cannabis is the latest victim of
accidental poisoning, joining earlier instances of spaced-out dogs and a
comatose ferret whose cases have found their way into scientific
literature.

"It was obviously off colour," said Blackpool vet Romain Pizzi, who
believes more pet owners will be willing to admit how their animals get
stoned, thanks to the home secretary David Blunkett's decision to ease
the cannabis law.

Mr Pizzi is asking colleagues nationwide to share their experiences of
animals unable to just say no.

Mr Pizzi reported the case of the chinchilla in the Veterinary Record
and revealed that since Mr Blunkett's proposal to reclassify cannabis
became public last autumn, people have been phoning the surgery to ask
what they should do because they think their dogs have been at the
marijuana.

One owner had actually brought a small crossbreed in for a check-up
after it showed very mild signs of distress. The chinchilla, an adult
female, had been brought in by a man who believed she had eaten some of
his teenage son's cannabis.

"It is never theirs," said Mr Pizzi. "The cannabis obviously had very
minimal effect in this case.

"The animal was anorexic and mildly depressed. But it can cause coma and
even death in some animals. It depends on the species."

He prescribed fluids and antibiotics to ensure the chinchilla's gastric
system was not harmed and it was back to normal health in a week.

Mr Pizzi said the change in public perception over cannabis improved the
likelihood of these cases being presented to vets "for what they truly
are".

There might still however be problems about identifying the cause when
other "recreational drugs" found their way into pets.

 

 

 

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