Vet using marijuana for pets says hopes to fund research studies

[dub]

By Marcus Hondro
DIGITALJOURNAL.COM
Apr 27, 2013 - 15 hours ago    in Health


A vet in California who has used marijuana to treat dogs and other pets told Digital Journal in an exclusive interview he hopes to fund further studies on pots and pets. Dr. Doug Kramer says the drug has already proven helpful to animals.

"I recently published a book designed to teach pet owners how to make medication and safely administer it themselves," he said in an email this week. "I'm hoping to use the book proceeds to fund small scale clinical research studies to better understand the risks and benefits of medical marijuana for pets."

Marijuana for cats and dogs
Dr. Kramer, who has a website that focuses on alternative methods of helping animals called Vet Guru, says he's found success using marijuana to treat both dogs and cats. His own dog, Nikita, was dying from terminal cancer and he said marijuana enabled Nikita to move around again and increase her quality of life before her death.
The L.A. vet found marijuana can successfully be used as a appetite stimulant of cats and he believes that usage could be expanded to other animals. "We’re using it on cats as much, if not more (than on dogs), as an appetite stimulant," he said. "Cats are finicky, especially when they’re really sick. Any animal that has the cannabinoid receptors would respond the same way we do. There are studies out there that show that pigs, chickens, monkeys, and rats all have those same receptors."

He becomes angry when hearing of people who blow marijuana into their pets face to get them high ("it's animal abuse, really"). He says pot doesn't have medical benefit if administered in that way in any case. "A glycerin tincture is, to me, by far the optimal way to do it (administer THC to a unwell pet)," Dr. Kramer recently told 'Vice' magazine.
"Because it offers the greatest accuracy in dosing. It’s also sweet tasting. Obviously you can make it into butter or oil, so anything that you can cook or make with butter or oil would work, like homemade dog biscuits."

Making marijuana accessible to your ill pet
There is no campaign by veterinarians to open up the usage of marijuana for pets, not officially, but Dr. Kramer says there is a movement but it is being held back. "I would argue that there are certainly grassroots efforts by a number of veterinarians across North America," he told Digital Journal. "Unfortunately fear prevails and most vets do not feel comfortable discussing the issue in a public forum.'

"Nevertheless, there are certainly signs of progress behind the scenes. For example, in California vets and pet owners can now purchase medical marijuana formulated specifically for dogs and cats (at) www.companioncannabis.com."

With medical marijuana now legal for usage in 18 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, and marijuana for recreational usage being legal in Colorado and Washington state, the marijuana movement is gaining momentum. Could pet usage become the next battle?


Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/347929#ixzz2RmHIQDve

[KratomToke]

I used to make these sugar MJ cookies. For my sick Cat. There was no hope for the cat, I took it to the vet, nothing could be done. But I would give my
cat these MJ laced cookies, and the cat enjoyed them , and sometimes though hard to tell , but I think it helped the cat!

[R]

Want to know what happens to a dog that eats a whole lid? 


First off, she staggers around a bit, than lays down and she sleeps.  SOUNDLY.  For hours.  No appreciable long term effects but a little groggy the next day.