Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Dr. Tammy's Detox and Rehab Clinic at your service!

I think it's high time we discuss a problem that is growing in our communities. Try as we might, we can no longer turn a blind eye to it nor can we sweep it under the rug. Time to face it head on.  I'm talking about the large number of our four legged loved ones in need of an intervention. Yes, it's true. LIttle Sparky is addicted to marijuana.

"It can't be true, Dr. Tammy! You must be mistaken." Really?  How else can we explain the sheer numbers of dogs and some cats that end up in veterinary emergency rooms on a daily basis high on weed?  It can't be that their human "parents" are leaving their stashes out where their furry "children" could have access to them.  It can't be that these humans are smoking it around their pets. It can't be that they have the smoke and or leaf remnants on their clothing that a two pound Maltese could inhale or ingest.  These people swear that they have no marijuana in their homes and don't know anyone who could have it.  So it must mean that these independent pups are roaming the streets in search of someone who will sell them a dime bag.

I'm sure that you have deduced that I'm joking about a very serious problem.  The latest case I had was a little Maltese who supposedly ingested a "tiny" amount of marijuana TWO DAYS before he presented to our clinic.  He had low blood sugar as well since he hadn't eaten well in that time period, but honestly he was still high.  There was no way that the puppy could be still high two days after an ingestion of the THC in the marijuana.  He had to be getting exposed again and I was soon to find out just how recently he was exposed to it.

I give this pet owner credit.  He admitted right off that the pet ate the stuff, but kept insisting that two days ago was the only possible time.  Of course he didn't count on the fact that one of my technicians was in the parking coming back from lunch and witnessed him rolling himself a fat boy.  When I was told what was witnessed, I had to laugh.  Why lie about it now?  The puppy could be treated and would do fine, as long as repeated exposure didn't occur.  I took him back into the room, saw the bits of ground weed on his shirt and shook my head.  I pointed out the evidence on his shirt. "THIS is where Sparky keeps getting the marijuana."

He looked at me with that 'dazed and confused' look and I could have smacked him.  As luck would have it, I didn't have to. His partner did it for me!  I was reassured by the partner that there would be no further problems with Sparky when it came to the marijuana.  He would make damn sure of it!  LOL!

The joys of practicing veterinary medicine in California...near Berkeley! ;) 

The take home lesson once again:  if you are going to partake, LOCK IT UP!  Don't have it around your kids, two  or four legged.  The smaller the animal, the easier it is to get them high on it, even just inhaling the smoke from your clothing.  Pets that have ingested small amounts of it can be treated, but if enough is ingested, they can become extremely ill.  And so can your pocket book!

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