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.

Both chicken pox and shingles are highly transmittable viral issues that are characterized by agonizing skin rash. A result of the herpes virus, the earliest symptoms of both conditions consist of headache, fever, a standard feeling of malaise, sore throat and bloating of the face.Treatment for both conditions is available in the form of Acyclovir tablets.What’s Acyclovir?Acyclovir is part of a family of drugs known as guanosine analogue antiviral drugs. its probably the most widely used cures for the treatment of shingles and chickenpox. The creation of this medication heralded a new era in antiviral therapy. its selective action and its low levels of toxicity with respect to cells, has made it the highly recommended treatment option for shingles and chicken pox.How does Acyclovir Work?to understand the working of Acyclovir, it’s a good idea to be aware of how the herpes viruses works in the body. The virus functions in the body by multiplying through duplication. When the virus cells begin multiplying, it spreads through the body. The consumption of Acyclovir helps arrest the reproduction of the virus, limiting its spread to a selected part of your body. Basically, it inhibits the virus from growing all over your body.When you take in Acyclovir, it inhibits the operation of those enzymes that the herpes virus uses for duplication. which means that the virus can no longer multiply. as the spread of virus stops, so does the spread of its signs and symptoms. This also helps reduce the seriousness of the symptoms.Treatment with AcyclovirAciclovir is a prescription drug available in dosages of 200mg, 400mg and 800mg. The physician will take cognizance of your current consumption of medications and existing health condition(s) before suggesting the suitable dosage. Typically, the medication is approved at the first indication of an infection. This medication has to be taken orally with a glass of water and may be taken with or without food. Quite a few people, prescribed Acyclovir have seen that there’s a decrease in the side effects if it’s consumed with food; especially negative effects like stomach upset, diarrhoea and nausea. Chicken pox and shingles might be effectively cured with Valtrex also.Side Effects of Acyclovir

The use of Acyclovir tablets may cause certain side effects. The character of the side effects and their severity could be different in different people. People taking this medication occasionally suffer from digestive side effects like vomiting, nausea and diarrhoea. Some other side effects include headache, memory loss, fatigue, pain in the legs, sore throat, and bloating of the hands and feet. if you experience a side effect that becomes disturbing, it is necessary that you seek immediate medical help.The effect of Acyclovir on unborn babies hasn’t yet been fully understood clearly. so, pregnant ladies are suggested not to take this medication. also, you may experience a significant improvement in your ailment before you complete the proposed amount. but, it’s important that you complete the recommended dosage and not leave it half way. if you do, it might lead to some complications later on.

Article Source: articlesbase.com/medicine-articles/treating-chicken-pox-using-acyclovir-5526474.html

About the Author

Visit RxFind to get more information on acyclovir.

In recent celebrity news, various media outlets are reporting that Nick Cannon, Mariah Carey’s husband and host of America’s Got Talent, has been hospitalized due to ‘mild kidney failure.’

First, I want to clear something up: There’s not such a thing as mild kidney failure.  That’s like being a little bit pregnant.

Renal failure is either acute or chronic.  Acute renal failure is the fast onset of failure of the kidney to remove waste from your body.

There are many factors that can contribute to kidney failure, ranging from severe dehydration, infection, side effects or toxicity from medications, severe bleeding and auto-immune diseases such as lupus.

Chronic kidney failure tends to develop over a period of years and is mostly due to chronic medical problems like diabetes or high blood pressure. there are some isolated genetic diseases that could also give you kidney disease or kidney failure over time.

However, the most likely explanation behind Nick Cannon’s hospitalization, based on some of the stories circulating, is that he is probably suffering acute renal failure.

Many of the symptoms of acute renal failure are not specific.  They include decreased urine output, fatigue, abdominal pain, confusion, and body swelling.

However, if renal failure is not treated, the symptoms worsen.  Ultimately, the patient develops seizures, then falls into a coma and could die. This is why I consider the kidney to be one of the most critical organs in the human body.

Now, treatment basically involves treating the underlying cause of renal failure.  so, if failure is a result of infection, you would use antibiotics to treat the infection.  if the cause is dehydration, you would hydrate the patient.  for auto-immune diseases, you would likely use steroid therapy.

Sometimes, you can recover fully from acute renal failure, but in many cases, you can damage the kidney enough that it becomes a chronic disease.

Some of the ways doctors monitor patients for renal failure include blood tests looking for the presence of creatine, and ultrasounds or imaging of kidneys.  in some cases, patients may need dialysis to filter out the excess waste that has built up in the body so the kidneys can take a little break.

No matter what, kidney failure is a serious problem, and the media should not trivialize a major health issue. It is important to realize how vital a healthy kidney is to our overall well-being.

And as a reminder, I’m hosting a live chat on my Facebook page next Wednesday from 2-3 pm ET.  start submitting your health questions now through Facebook or Twitter!

My dog ate exactly 3 ounces of milk chocolate roughly 4 and a half hours ago and has shown no signs of illness or any of the other symptoms I read about.
Should I be worried?

NO you should not be too worried but you should keep an eye on him /her. I had my 9 lb maltese eat a box of rasinets along with the box and she's fine..been fine. If you notice him/her acting different then take him/her to the vet. just keep an eye out..make sure there is alot of fresh water around.

Your dog will probably be fine unless it is a toy sized dog. Even then it may be fine since it was milk chocolate and you know the exact amount.
Here's a chart that explains the toxicity per body weight and type of chocolate:
netpet.batw.net/articles/choc.tox…
Dark chocolate is more dangerous than milk chocolate and Baker's chocolate is very toxic and lethal in small amounts.
A friend lost her Maltese last Christmas when it ate 8 pieces of dark chocolate.

It raises the heart rate for a time. I would call the dr. I doubt they will have you do much-baking chocolate is worse then milk for dogs. W/ a healthy dog, I don't think you have a problem.

My old dog Lady ate a whole bag of kisses and a box of russelstover's.

I don't know about your dog, but my entire family gave our dog chocolate for years and years and had no idea we weren't supposed to. She was a basset hound and had chocolate candy, choc. cake, choc. frosting, etc. frequently. She never had a problem that we knew of and it was years later before we even knew chocolate was bad for dogs.

Ive heard its baking chocolate you have to be worried about, but you can pour hydrogenporixcide down his throat to make him vomit, about a tablespoon. call you vet asap! dont wait!

my dog has ate choclat before. not that much though. i don't think it will do anything but you might want to wach your dog. i know i won't kill her but it is bad for her. since it was milk chocolat i think your dog wil be fine. it won't kill her.

peolple say chocolate is bad for dogs but its true but also what is tru is that different dogs react different to the chocolate some it does not affect them some can die while others get diherya and well it all depends in your dogs immune system.

How much chocolate it takes to be dangerous depends upon the chocolate – milk chocolate has the least amount of theobromine, the chemical that's the problem, and very dark unsweetened the most, and on the size of the dog. according to the source below, a 50 lb dog would have to eat about 9 ounces of milk chocolate to have a toxic dose, and even then some dogs would be OK. so if your dog was about 15 lbs, 3 ounces might be of some concern. but check out this link, and you should be able to get a good idea of what might be dangerous for your dog.