March 9, 2016 The Skanner Page 9
No Kush Clouds for
Pet Pals
World News Briefs
K
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Donald
Trump’s easy victories in Michi-
gan, Mississippi and Hawaii left
his rivals with shrinking oppor-
tunities to slow his momentum
in the Republican primaries and
little indication that a flurry of
intense efforts to undermine his
credibility are pushing voters
away from the brash billionaire.
Democrat Bernie Sanders sur-
prised front-runner Hillary Clin-
ton in Michigan, a victory that
breathed new life into his White
House bid and forecast a long
Democratic contest. But Clinton,
who won Mississippi, padded her
delegate lead and is now halfway
to the number needed to clinch
the nomination.
Clinton glossed over her contest
with Sanders as she addressed
supporters, choosing instead to
focus her attention on Republi-
ush,
weed,
dab,
dank,
loud,
hash,
joint, blunt,
pot and the infa-
mous Mary Jane
are just a few of
the common nick-
names for canna-
bis/marijuana.
Cannabis is known
throughout the world
for its psychoactive and
medicinal purposes. In
the last few years, can-
nabis has become a com-
mon topic of discussion
for rappers, politicians,
medical doctors and yes,
even veterinarians.
With the sweeping rec-
reational legalization of
marijuana throughout
the country, it is becom-
ing more and more com-
mon for household pets
to become the victims of
cannabis induced toxic-
ity.
Marijuana’s populari-
ty in Oregon has grown
by leaps and bounds with
its recent recreational le-
galization on July 1, 2015.
According to the Oregon
Veterinary Medical As-
sociation (OVMA), “Pets
may become poisoned
by marijuana through
inhalation of smoke,
ingestion of the plant,
or products containing
marijuana or hash.”
Lollipops,
brownies,
cupcakes and even but-
ter are made containing
the potent psychoactive
ingredient Tetrahydro-
cannabinol (THC) that
gives users the “trippy
high” they seek. Other
cannabinoids such as
cannabidiol (CBD) and
cannabinol (CBN) carry
the medicinal effects of
the plant that are com-
monly prescribed for
cancer or glaucoma pa-
tients.
Many owners do not
intentionally
expose
their pets to marijuana.
Animals may passive-
ly inhale the billowing
clouds while sitting next
to their owners on the
couch or ingest edibles
while breaking into the
trash. Dogs, cats, and
even pot-bellied pigs
have a heightened sense
of smell, which may in-
crease their risk of ex-
posure. Dogs, for exam-
ple, have 40 times more
olfactory receptors than
humans, which places
Dr. Jasmine
Shanelle
Streeter
Veterinarian
their nostrils light years
ahead of ours at smelling
pretty much anything.
Cannabis toxicity in
pets can vary in severity
depending on the concen-
tration and/or amount
ingested. Although it is
rare for animals to ingest
or inhale enough mari-
juana to be fatal, caution
should be taken if your
pet has been exposed to
the plant or its products.
According
to
the
OVMA, symptoms of
marijuana
poisoning
generally occur within
30-60 minutes of con-
tact. Symptoms include
drowsiness, lack of co-
ordination, glassy eyes,
vomiting, seizures or
even coma.
Dogs may exhibit uri-
nary incontinence, agi-
tation or excitement. Not
sure about you, but the
thought of an overly high
dog who is agitated, ex-
cited, vomiting and pee-
ing on my floor all at the
same time is not a risk
I’m willing to take.
To protect your pet
from a potential mari-
juana exposure, do not
smoke in the proximity
of your pet. Do not direct-
ly blow smoke into your
pets face or allow them
to ingest plants or foods
containing marijuana.
Place food or plants in
a sealable container or
locked area where pets
cannot gain access.
Pets that have been
exposed to marijuana
should seek veterinary
care promptly to deter-
mine the best treatment
for that animal.
I always tell my clients,
“According to Oregon
law, it is legal for you to
get high as a kite — just
don’t let your pets take
flight.”
—Dr. Jasmine
Veterinarian Dr. Jas-
mine Streeter’s column
will appear in The Skan-
ner the first Wednesday
of every month. Send your
pet care questions to drjas-
mine@theskanner.com.
Make The Skanner
part of your daily routine
Trump’s Rivals Try to
Stop His Momentum
cans and the general election.
“We are better than what we
are being offered by the Republi-
cans,” she declared.
Trump entered Tuesday’s con-
tests facing questions about his
durability and ended the night
with a pair of convincing victo-
ries. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz added a
win in Idaho, bolstering his case
that he’s the only candidate who
can beat Trump with some regu-
larity.
Media Run Photos of
Possible Warhead
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) —
North Korea caused a new stir
Wednesday by publicizing a pur-
ported mock-up of a key part of
a nuclear warhead, with leader
Kim Jong Un saying his coun-
try has developed miniaturized
atomic bombs that can be placed
on missiles.
The North’s Rodong Sinmun
JESSICA J. TREVINO/DETROIT FREE PRESS VIA AP
News
An Allen Park City Hall polling worker
readies ballots for residents to vote in the
Michigan primary at the Allen Park City
Hall on Tuesday, March 8, 2016, in Allen
Park, Mich. Presidential candidates in
both parties were looking to Michigan on
Tuesday for one of the largest delegate
hauls in the bruising nominating contests.
newspaper carried photos on its
front page showing Kim and nu-
clear scientists standing beside
what outside analysts say ap-
pears to be a model warhead part
— a small, silverish globe with a
ballistic missile or a model ballis-
tic missile in the background.