Jimi.The.Ginger.Cat's.Blog : Learn How To Cat - Let's talk about DRUGS

(...this is my Mr.White "Apply yourself" face)

It is needless to say that drugs and animals don't go together well.

I'll exclude the high-risk drugs and alcohol. You should have sense and know not to give your pets such substances.

While you are free to do whatever you want with your body, let it be clear that when you have a pet, your duty is to be responsible and care for your animal even when you don't care for yourself.

It's funny how humans demand loyalty from us, but rarely consider to give some back. Being loyal to your pet means to take care of it, as best as you can.

Today we are going to talk about tobacco and marijuana.

Tobacco is a drug while marijuana....well...let's say it was labeled as such by...envious institutions (to be elegant) but it's still harmful to us, animals.

Tobacco

Tobacco smoke causes intoxication and the effects are the same with smoke intoxications. If severe, can lead to death. Don't expose your pet to second-hand smoke that will 100% put your pet at a higher risk for developing a gastrointestinal form of the disease.

On the long-term, look at all the "nice" things tobacco smoke causes :
+Mouth Cancer also known as squamous cell carcinoma. Since we groom our coats we can ingest potentially dangerous carcinogens that settle on our fur.
+Feline Lymphoma is a fast-moving lymph node cancer too and it's often deadly, as pets with it often pass away less than a year after diagnosis.
+Irritation Symptoms
+Fatigue
+Gum Inflamation
+Wheezing or hard breathing

Consider only smoking in a designated, isolated room away from your cat, or outside. Remember, your pet's health and life are certainly worth it.

Marijuana

Don't blow your smoke in our faces, don't let your stash where we can get to it. Don't be idiots.
If you have a pet, don't just leave it there...wide open on the living room table, 'makay?

Our receptors don't work like yours and instead of getting a good high, we just get intoxicated. The symptoms are:

+Lethargy
+Uncoordinated
+Falling over
+Depression
+Alternating Agitation and Anxiety
+Vomiting
+Bradycardia (Slow Heart Rate)
+Seizures
+Sometimes Coma

What to do if your pet get's exposed to Marijuana?

GET HIM/HER TO THE VET ASAP!!! Tell the vet what's what and don't lie.

What about Medical Marijuana for pets with painful conditions?

That is good. It comes in form of tramadol, glycerin tincture, tablets and oil. It's illegal in most parts of the world, many vets don't even go there, but in California, you can find them sold as a pet medicine in licensed medical marijuana dispensaries.
Or you can risk it on the DM. Always advise with your vet and do a lot of research. This is a market not regulated, many medicinals can do more harm than good.

There are the general lines but if you want to find out specifics, please let me know and remember:

BE GOOD, BE RESPONSIBLE