Enjoy Your Pot, Make Sure Your Pet Doesn't!

"Cannabis contains more than 100 different chemicals (or compounds) called cannabinoids. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the cannabinoid that has the most psychoactive effects. It is also the compound responsible for some of cannabis’ medicinal uses, such as treating nausea and improving appetite in cancer patients. Other compounds, such as cannabidiol (CBD), have shown promise for medicinal use and do not have psychoactive effects."

"Cats and dogs can become intoxicated by cannabis in various ways, most commonly by eating edibles (e.g., baked goods, candies, chocolate bars, and chips containing cannabis), or by ingesting cannabis directly (in any form). Pets can also be exposed to second-hand smoke. Most exposures are accidental when curious pets discover access to the drug or when they are present in the same room with a person smoking cannabis. Dogs have more cannabinoid receptors in their brains, which means the effects of cannabis are more dramatic and potentially more toxic when compared to humans. A small amount of cannabis is all it takes to cause toxicity in cats and dogs"
VCA Animal Hospitals

 

“We have seen a precipitous increase [of animals ingesting drugs]. It’s going to go up even more.”

“They’re quite frankly high, and they don’t know what that experience is like.The issue is not that it’s toxic per se but in high levels can cause intoxication. ... In very severe cases there have been some neurologic issues like seizures.”

"[Chocolate on the cannabis treat] This is where it gets tricky. Many products, if they are in a combination of baked or edible products, ingredients like chocolate, raisins, macadamia nuts can have their own toxicity issues and can be lethal." 

Ian Sandler, member, National Issues Committee, Canadian Veterinary Medical Association

Emma Alter with her King Charles spaniel Maggie, who Alter said consumed cannabis by mistake and experienced a negative reaction. (Alter)

 

Dogs' receptivity to the effects of cannabis is heightened by the fact that they have more receptors to cannabinoid than do people. For canines, imbibing even small quantities of the drug can induce a life-threatening situation. Simply put, cannabis is highly toxic to dogs. When a dog is admitted for emergency care at an animal clinic the first response is to clear the animals' system of the drug. That is done by inducing vomiting. Following which, anti-anxiety medication may be required. 

 

Veterinarians in New York are coping with an influx of pets needing care; "stoned dogs". Pets that somehow have got hold of discarded cannabis. The fairly recent legalization of pot has made a difference not only to the human population of the state but to their pets as well. A surge in cases of confused canines have been entering veterinarian clinics since 2021, with the legalization of recreational cannabis.

 

For the most part, the dogs have been chewing on joint remnants. On the other hand, even without eating the cannabis products, dogs also can be affected by second-hand smoke or by consuming found gummies and chocolate laced with marijuana. 21 states have now legalized recreational marijuana, the result of which has been the Pet Poison hotline reporting a 400 percent increase in emergency calls for help, in comparison with the relative few received six years earlier.

 

Fatalities are rare, but dogs display an array of symptoms inclusive of loss of balance, difficulty walking, nausea and on occasion hallucinations. Dogs that are disoriented frequently vomit and drool. The pupils of their eyes become dilated. Vets are sending out calls to pet owners to be aware, and if possible to train their dogs not to eat food that has been discarded, along with street rubbish.

 

"We are seeing toxicities several times a week", emergency physician Sarah Hoggan cautioned, from Murietta, California. 

 

Emma Alter's King Charles spaniel Maggie mistakenly ingested cannabis and later was made to wear a mesh mask for a short time to prevent another incident. (Alter)

 

 

 

Studying Cannabis 

"We found that users [of cannabis], even those who just started, were more likely to be at a normal, healthier weight and stay at that weight."
"Only 15 percent of persistent users were considered obese compared to 20 percent of non-users." "[The difference] could be the cannabis use itself, which can modify how certain cells, or receptors, respond in the body and can ultimately affect weight gain."
"People shouldn't consider it as a way to maintain or even lose weight. There's too many health concerns around cannabis that far outweigh the potential positive, yet modest, effects it has on weight gain."
Omayma Alshaarawy, lead author, study, Michigan State University

"These factors [users more prone to alcohol consumption of sedentary habits] could aggravate pre-existing conditions such as obesity, and borderline glucose intolerance, as well as increase the risk of diabetes."
Antonio Vigano, oncologist, professor, McGill University

Oncologist Antonio Vigano is familiar with a decrease in his cancer patients' appetite. His daughter conducted a study which showed that cannabis consumption had the effect of improving patients' appetites. At the same time he warned that indirect negative consequences to marijuana consumption might make it a poor approach to slimming down should users be more prone to consuming alcohol or live a more sedentary lifestyle.

For decades, researchers  have focused on a correlation between appetite stirred by the consumption of cannabis. A 1988 study from Johns Hopkins University found subjects who smoked marijuana consumed 40 percent more calories than a control group. A survey commissioned by licensed marijuana retailer National Access Cannabis thirty years on, found 28 percent of 1,525 respondents naming eating the most pleasurable activity in the wake of ingesting marijuana.

Famously, that's a greater average than those citing the pleasures of eating, post-sex, at 17.5 percent.

THC, (tetrahydrocannabinol), the major psychoactive constituent of cannabis, acts to stimulate ghrelin release, a  hormone released normally from an empty stomach. THC may also enhance the olfactory system, another eating trigger, according to a study by a neuroscientist in Bordeaux. It is well known that using marijuana increases junk food craving. Economists discovered that monthly sales of "high-calorie food" increased by 3.1 percent for ice cream, 4.1 percent for cookies and 5.3 percent for chips, by tracking retail data in U.S. states where cannabis had been legalized.

Despite a lot of snacking going on as a result of marijuana consumption, users appear not to gain weight. Data on 33,000 subjects collected over a three-year period by the National Epidemiology Survey of Alcohol and Related conditions were studied by the researchers at Michigan State University whose findings corroborated that fact.

MariaLuisa Vigano a Michigan State University researcher, found that while an increase in appetite resulted from marijuana use, encouraging nibbling junk food, "no statistically significant increase in weight" was detected among the subjects. On the other hand, both Professor Vigano of McGill  University and Dr. Omayma Alshaarawy of Michigan State, urge a note of caution; Professor Vigano in citing additional factors, and Dr. Alshaarawy that cannabis use could modify the way cells or receptors respond in the body to affect weight gain.

And then there is the practical view that cannabis users could make themselves consciously aware that their stimulated appetite and consequent snacking required some self-discipline to kick in, to avoid gaining unwanted weight. They may indulge in those tempting munchies to a degree, yet their awareness may at the same time inject a note of caution, inspiring them to adjust their diets accordingly, swapping the junk food for healthy alternatives, or munching the junk food and consuming less at mealtimes.

"It might be a behavioral effect as cannabis users are aware of the munchies effect and might therefore restrict their caloric intake when they are not using."
"Further studies are needed", concluded Dr. Alshaarawy.