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. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom