Today we're going a little off the beaten path. I will be talking about how to take precautions when you smoke weed around your beloved pets!
Whether you have a bearded dragon (like me), a snake, a dog or cat. Regardless of the type of furry, spikey or slimy child you have, weed smoke and or edibles can affect them in different ways. Lets start with the most common pet, dogs! 53% of households in the U.S. have dogs in them, that's 63.4 million Americans! Now, over 94 million smoke weed, these statistics are approximate but they present an incredibly high.. haha get it.. chance that most of the stoners in the U.S. have a fluffy companion to accompany them on their adventures!
Dogs are very sensitive creatures and they receive THC in a different way than we do. Some of the most common things that can happen if your dog is accidentally intoxicated with THC are dizziness and disorientation, this is something you might be familiar with yourself when smoking weed. But for dogs it is a totally different experience, they don't have the ability to ground themselves in that situation and it can be very scary for them. They might drool, wobble around or just lay there confused for a while. Regardless of how harmless it might seem, we gotta remember that dogs can't tell us how they feel with words and this can be a very anxiety inducing situation for them. This can totally happen by accident and I'm sure most people have no intention of getting their dog high!
The best thing you can do for your pup is providing a nice comfortable place for them to ride it out. It shouldn't last too long, in most cases, affects usually ware off anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours. Fill up their water bowl and have a nice meal ready for them afterwards, who knows, they might get the munchies too!
As weed becomes increasingly legalized in the United States, this may be more common for pet owners to experience. In my opinion, the best way to avoid your dog getting intoxicated with THC is a Smoke Buddy or Smoke Trap! These come in handy for a lot of reasons but this is totally an added bonus!
Cats!
Now, lets move on to cats shall we? 35.7% of American households have cats in them! Meaning approximately 42.7 million homes have a feline friend. These little fuzzy buddies really don't like THC in their system, it can be worse for cats than for dogs. Research has shown that it can cause problems with blood pressure and even elevated heart rates, this isn't necessarily life threatening but will cause a very unpleasant experience. They can have similar amounts of dizziness or lethargy as dogs show. With cats its been said that taking them to the vet is best depending on how much THC they have ingested. In extreme cases cats will need to be put on an IV to help them not become dehydrated, they most likely wont want to drink or eat while intoxicated. Cat's have a bit higher chance of coming in contact with marijuana, simply because they have access to many more places than most pets. Cat's climb, jump and hide in places dogs would never be able to get to. Let's hope you know how to stash your weed!
Reptiles!
Okay, as a bearded dragon mamma, I've got to squeeze in some awareness for our reptile buddies. Only 3% of the U.S. population has households with reptiles. Us 1.8 million are a growing group though! More and more people enjoy these exotic pets and all their quirks. They can be such fun animals to have if you know how to take care of them, my beardie is in a 420 friendly home and we take extra precaution to make sure none of those fun clouds reach his fragile ecosystem! Research is the most important part of owning a reptile, there is always new studies and information to be learned, I did some of it for you! Along with cats and dogs, bearded dragons, snakes, geckos, chameleons, and frogs don't enjoy the weed experience. As it is usually unexpected and they don't have the capability to process it the way we do. Generally speaking, reptiles have very small lungs, and so what seems like a small hit to you can be a catastrophic amount of smoke to such a small lil guy!
It's best to be very careful and aware of where your reptile is when you are smoking! Contrary to what you might see on some forums or websites, reptiles do have cannabinoid receptors. Meaning they will most definitely experience something unenjoyable and it can cause a lot of health problems. With reptiles, for the most part, if its not something they would experience in their natural habitat, its safe to say it wont react well with their bodies. So unless your exotic friend came from some magical hippie forest with weed plants everywhere, keep the THC all for yourself!
We all love our pets and want the best for them. I sure hope this blog introduced something new to you and creates an even safer space for your best friend!
