MORE DOGS EATING DRUGS, VETS SAY

Number Of Canines Stoned Have 'Easily Doubled' In Past 10 Years

Doped-up dogs are turning up at their vets' office in increasing numbers.

The owner of the Animal Emergency Clinic of the Fraser Valley said
the number of dogs consuming their owners' illicit drugs then ending
up ill in her waiting room has "easily doubled" in the past 10 years.

Dr. Nadine Koreman now treats at least one cranked-up canine case every week.

"We see a lot of dogs that come in for eating drugs," said Koreman,
whose clinic works with animals from Delta to Abbotsford. "A lot of
times the owner may not know exactly how much it's gotten into unless
it's all gone."

The 13-year vet said marijuana is the most common drug dogs eat, but
she's also treated animals that have scarfed cocaine, ecstasy, hash
brownies and powerful pain medications, including opiates.

In pot cases, the owner will usually fess up to what's happened when
questioned by clinic staff. The vets always ask -- not so they can
call police, but so they can better treat the dogs.

"The [owners of pets] that get into other things are a little less
willing [to talk]," Koreman noted.

Dogs that eat stimulants like cocaine experience hyperactivity,
dilated pupils, increases in their blood pressure and heart rate and
can lapse into comas. In one recent case, a dog died from an ecstasy
overdose, she said.

The effect of drugs on dogs varies by the size of the animal and the
amount consumed.

A small amount of pot and the dog may become sleepy one minute, then
excitable the next. The dog's heart rate and temperature will
typically drop; it will have dry mouth and will dribble urine.

Most dogs can "sleep off" a small amount of pot. But dogs that get
well into a stash may require fluids and warming, and will have to
eat activated charcoal to offset the high.

For dogs that eat opiates, the vet can administer NarCan, the same
medication used on human overdose victims.

While a doped-up dog may sound funny, Koreman said a funky fido is no
laughing matter.

"It's really not funny. Keep [pets] away from it," Koreman said. "I
can't tell people what to do with their lives, but keep it away from
your dogs and cats."

And it's not just Fraser Valley pooches that are feeling the effects of a high.

Amber Lloyd, veterinary assistant technician at the Yaletown Pet
Hospital, says she can count at least four cases at that facility in
recent years.

"They're in lulu land," she said of the stoned dogs. "Their heads are
rolling around, their eyeballs will roll back, they act drunk."

One 24-hour emergency clinic in Vancouver has begun testing dogs for
drugs, using tests similar to those used by employers who have
no-drug policies.

While dogs may be prone to go to pot, cats apparently are more
inclined to just say no.

"Dogs are more prone to it because dogs eat everything," said Dr.
Nicky Joosting, owner of the Vancouver Feline Hospital. "It is a big
problem with cats in terms of eating things like ibuprofen."