Animals, mostly dogs, are being brought staggering into veterinary hospitals high on pot, a toxic and potentially lethal condition. Sometimes they’re just sleepy, disoriented and unable to control their bladders. Other times they’re vomiting, having seizures or are comatose.

The symptoms “depend on how much they have,” said Dr. Nicholas Davainis, a Sonoma County veterinarian.

Some animals just need to sleep off the effects, but others suffer dangerous symptoms, including extremely slow heart rates and seizures, that require treatment.

Davainis sees as many as 10 cases of canine marijuana toxicity a month. Farther north, the number of cases climbs, coinciding with increased marijuana production.

Veterinarians at Mendocino Animal Hospital usually see two or three cases a week but last Friday alone had three, said Dr. Jennifer Bennett.

The incidents peak in Humboldt County, the heart of marijuana country.

“I see at least one a day,” said Dr. Joe Humble, and it’s not uncommon to get two or three cases a day at his emergency clinic in Eureka.

“we see more cases than anybody in the world, said Humble, who belongs to the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society.

When he told veterinarians at an international convention in Nashville last year how many cases he sees, they wanted to know where he worked. When he told them Humboldt County, they “went wild” with recognition.

“We’re well known up here,” Humble said. “It’s kind of an embarrassment.”

Nearly all of the affected patients are dogs. The poison hot line run by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals received 361 calls in 2011 about animals ingesting marijuana. Ninety-six percent of those involved dogs.

“Cats don’t tend to eat indiscriminately like dogs do,” said Bennett, although she has treated a few cats with suspected marijuana toxicity.

“We’ve got a dog here who’s eaten laundry. They eat anything that seems interesting to them,” she said. Dogs will ingest a variety of forms of marijuana. They’ll eat the plants, dried marijuana, joints and food made with pot, Bennett said.

The items they eat can become even more unusual when they get pot-induced munchies, Humble said.

He recalled a dog that was brought to his clinic, limp and unresponsive.

“The dog’s mouth was jammed” with baking soda, Humble said. The owner thought that’s what was making the dog sick, but it turned out it first had eaten a bag of marijuana-laced cookies. Marijuana food products can pose particular problems because they taste good and contain concentrated amounts of pot.

The dog’s heart rate was in the 30s, dangerously low, Humble said. The normal range is 60 to 160, depending on the size of the dog.

Animals with marijuana toxicity also may exhibit very high or very low temperatures, Davainis said.

Treatments vary with the symptoms. They include induced vomiting, administering activated charcoal to bind the toxins, intravenous fluids and anti-seizure medication. Humble is experimenting with a therapy that binds lipid-soluble toxins.

Animals find pot to eat in a variety of places. They may find discarded marijuana while on a walk, at a neighbor’s house or in an ashtray in their homes.

“some people are a little cagey,” with their explanations,” Davainis said. “It’s always the neighbor and the roommate,” whose pot was devoured. “we don’t ask too much.”

Owners also have been known to administer medicinal marijuana to their pets, erroneously believing that what alleviates their ailments will help their pets.

While marijuana toxicity in pets occurs in other places, it’s more common in California, the doctors say.

“I went to veterinary school in Wisconsin. we never saw it,” Bennett said. “Here, it’s common.”

You can reach Staff Writer Glenda Anderson at 462-6473 or Glenda.anderson@pressdemocrat.com.

Coming down with a nasty cold — or worse, the flu – is never fun. When you’re pregnant, though, it’s really the pits! not only do all of those unpleasant symptoms seem magnified (like you weren’t already queasy!), it’s like there’s nothing you can do to make yourself feel better. All the usual tricks of the trade, like knocking back a nighttime decongestant, are definite “don’ts” when you’re preggers.

But don’t get too dejected — you’re not doomed to have the most miserable winter of your life. there are some ways to make yourself feel better when you’re sick and expecting, and they really do work. really! I’ve tried them.

Try a Neti Pot. okay, I know it looks weird and the concept of pouring warm salt water into one’s own nostrils is less than appealing, but I’m telling you, this thing is magic! one second, you can’t breathe through your nose, the next — ah! Relief! Granted, the Neti Pot takes some getting used to, but once you get the hang of it, you’re golden.

Use a Humidifier. Trust me, a humidifier in the bedroom is the secret to a decent night’s sleep when you’re pregnant with a cold or flu. and guess what? Chances are you’re going to need that humidifier after the baby is born, so might as well get a good one now!

Heat or Cold. We’re gonna take it way back for a moment, ladies … back to stuff your grandma used to do when you got sick as a little kid. like an ice pack for a headache or a washcloth soaked in hot water on your face to relieve sinus pressure. Hey, it worked — remember?

SLEEP. this might seem obvious, but believe me when I tell you there is nothing — NOTHING — like a good night’s sleep to cure what ails you when you’re pregnant. in fact, a good 48 hours of sleep is often more like it. if your nose is all stuffy, try sleeping propped up on a couple of pillows. Do not disturb!!

Drink, drink, drink. again, this tip might seem like a given, but it’s approximately eight million times more important to stay hydrated when you’re sick and expecting. Check with your doctor about herbal teas (some aren’t safe during pregnancy) and watch your caffeine intake, but otherwise — chug, chug, chug! my all-time favorite under-the-weather pregnancy cocktail? Hot water with honey and lemon.

Have you tried any of these cold & flu remedies during your pregnancy?

Image via Nick Perla/Flickr

Is there any validity on the use of marijuana to treat the anxiety and physical tics such as handbitting and headbanging in adults with Autism? It has to be just as valid or even safer than using benzodiazapines and other "downers" over the long term.

I saw an article online somewhere called "Why I am Giving my 9-Year-Old Autistic Son Pot". I don't remember all the details but this is one of many cases where it has been used to treat autism. I'm sure if you googled it the article would come up. Marijuana doesn't cause any kind of physical or neurological dependency (only psychological – although you can get psychologically addicted to anything). You can get addicted to benzos. I've never puked because I didn't get to smoke my bowl but people get sick when they don't get their benzos.

I think you should watch a British documentary called 'the evil weed'. Basically, (if it's legal where you are) you need to buy some that is low in THC as THC will make anxiety a whole lot worse. If used pure, it should not cause any harm but remember everyone reacts differently to it.

I just use it recreationally.

By By NewsCore February 12, 2011

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said late Friday it will appeal a federal court decision to dismiss a lawsuit it filed against Walmart for firing an employee for using medical marijuana in accordance with state law.

Joseph Casias used marijuana to help treat the symptoms of an inoperable brain tumor and cancer, but was fired from his job at a Walmart in Battle Creek, Mich., after he tested positive for the drug.

Casias, who was the store’s 2008 Associate of the Year, claims that he never used marijuana while at work and never went to work while under the influence of pot.

But a federal court judge in Grand Rapids determined on Friday that the law does not require businesses to make accommodations for employees like Casias.

“We intend to appeal this disappointing decision,” Scott Michelman, staff attorney with the ACLU. “A choice between adequate pain relief and gainful employment is an untenable one that no patient should ever be forced to make. Yet Walmart forced Joseph to pay a stiff and unfair price for using a medicine allowed under state law that has had a life-changing positive effect for him.”

The ACLU will appeal the decision to the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

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HONOLULU — Between deep pulls on her glass smoking bong, Teri Heede, 55, said she needs about an eighth of an ounce of marijuana every day to control multiple sclerosis symptoms. but bad weather and pests make her back yard pot patch unreliable.?I have to find it on the street and that is dangerous,? Heede said. ?And I always get bad product.?Hawaii?s 10-year-old law limits patients to four mature plants and says a caregiver can only raise plants for a single patient. but because of the difficultly patients, particularly in urban areas, have maintaining adequate, legal supplies, Sen. Will Espero, public safety chairman, said the legislature is ready to loosen the limits.?It?s just a matter of what numbers we would think would be best,? Espero said.Espero introduced his first proposal on the first day of the legislature. it would increase the number of plants allowed each patient from four to 10. it would also allow a caregiver to grow plants for as many as four patients at once, and those patients could reimburse the caregiver for expenses.Police point out that a caregiver for four people who is also a patient could grow up to 50 plants at once.Other elements of Espero?s proposal would keep private patients? addresses and the location of their plants and allow a doctor other than the patient?s primary physician to certify the patient has a chronic illness or condition that makes them eligible for medical cannabis.another proposal, from Sen. J. Kalani English, would establish state-run dispensaries, called ?compassion centers.? he said the state would charge large fees for licenses to dispense or grow cannabis and would tax the profits.he would also allow patients from other states to purchase from the Hawaii compassion centers.?The patients need to get access to the medicine and we can create a good economic base for the general fund,? English said.Heede said she would prefer to get her marijuana from a dispensary because of more consistent quality.?They?ll test it for fungus. They?ll test it for pesticides. They?ll test it also for THC content,? Heede said. ?It might cost a little more money but then we can also look maybe at some legitimate research.?A spokeswoman for the Honolulu Police Department said the department will fight the proposed changes. She said the department believes more marijuana in the community will mean more drug use, addiction and violence. it also disputes the claims of medicinal value.but Espero said most legislators have already disregarded those arguments and accept marijuana as legitimate medicine to which patients should have access. he said he also expects the new governor will be supportive of improving the law.

It’s not often when making a prediction you hope you’re wrong, but that’s the case for me today.

My prediction? within the next year or so we will have a medical marijuana dispensary in Fountain Hills.

I realize for some of you this type of establishment may be a welcome sight, but to me this whole Proposition 203 was a joke that only creates more so-called “legitimacy” toward legalizing weed.

It’s one more fuzzy line in the sand that keeps moving toward the message that drugs are OK and should be legalized – thereby saving billions in enforcement costs and opening up the money-generating floodgates for tax revenues.

Since nicotine and alcohol are “legal” drugs, many think marijuana ranks right up there with those types of substances that, really, are no big deal.

Despite scientific and medical research to the contrary, however, these same people see pot as a recreational drug that just mellows people out and makes them better persons in the long run.

But for those who work with drug addicts, nothing could be further from the truth. in fact, something like weed is often just a temporary stepping stone toward more dangerous drugs and a disastrous life of addiction.

The majority of voters might not feel the practical consequences by 2011 or 2012, but this whole Prop 203 thing will come back to bite taxpayers in this state (despite hefty revenue projections) due to enforcement and regulatory consequences and unforeseen consequences.

Proponents say our “system” will be better than those in California and Colorado, but I remain highly skeptical.

The Fountain Hills Town Council will likely lean toward implementing zoning restrictions that are tougher than the prototypes out there – with the noble intent of keeping dispensaries out of here – but I’m not sure if they can be totally successful.

Under the latest proposal, such facilities would have to be located near Colony and Panorama drives in C-3 zoning.

I mean, really, do we need 124 dispensaries spread across the great state of Arizona? there are actually hundreds of thousands of legitimate medical patients clamoring for weed to relieve the pain and suffering?

During the campaign you didn’t hear much about Marinol, did you, the “legal” THC substitute that doctors can prescribe for symptoms such as nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy? you don’t get high from Marinol, so why would you want that when you can get the “real” stuff?

Fountain Hills the past few years has had, I believe, three (maybe four) different smoke shops, but they all eventually went out of business.

There are already plenty of “entrepreneurs” setting up preliminary shop and waiting on the sidelines to issue medical marijuana ID cards and open up dispensaries.

That’s why I have no doubt someone will open up one out here. as with most social trends – one shop alone is no big deal by itself – but the big picture does not bode well.