Pubdate: Thu, 08 May 2014
Source: Metro (Vancouver, CN BC)
Copyright: 2014 Metro Canada
Contact:  http://www.metronews.ca/vancouver
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3775
Author: Thandi Fletcher
Page: 3

B.C. RANKS NO. 1 FOR PET HEALTH CLAIMS RELATING TO POT

It seems man's best bud is living the high life in British Columbia, 
but not in a good way.

B.C. ranks No. 1 in North America for the most pet insurance claims 
relating to marijuana toxicity, according to new data from pet 
insurance provider Trupanion.

Over the past two years, Trupanion has paid $22,500 in insurance 
claims to pet owners in B.C., almost half of the total $54,000 paid 
across the U.S. and Canada, spokeswoman Britta Gidican told Metro.

California and Washington ranked second and third on the list of 10 
regions across North America, while Alberta and Ontario came in 
fourth and sixth, respectively.

Dr. Kathy Kramer, a veterinarian at the Vancouver Animal Wellness 
Hospital, said she wasn't surprised to see B.C. top the list.

"Marijuana here is just so prevalent," she said. "You can get it 
legally, you can get it illegally just about anywhere in the city."

Although medical marijuana use for pets is a growing trend in 
Vancouver, Kramer said the high rates of pet insurance claims 
relating to marijuana toxicity in B.C. are usually the result of 
animals accidentally consuming their owner's marijuana.

Most pets brought into the Vancouver Animal Wellness Hospital with 
marijuana toxicity get sick after eating joints they found on the 
street, said Kramer.

"Dogs are scavengers," she said. "They will eat almost anything."

While marijuana with a low dose of THC has been shown to have some 
healing benefits in pets, too much can poison pets, said Kramer.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom