A reader writes:
Bravo to Dr. Doug Kramer and his intrepid, intelligent and compassionate stand! I’m much less brave, but can attest to a canine cannabis success story. I’m reluctant to share, but it’s a hypocrite’s reluctance – in no way do I support people drugging their animals with recreational drugs and yet I made the choice to use recreational drugs medicinally. For years I made available (as a no-charge service) cannabis ghee to some members of my fair community who were undergoing the types of chemotherapy with side effects greatly mitigated by consuming cannabinoids. I enjoyed the process and folks enjoyed the effective relief.
At the time one, of our dogs was a fabulous older Yellow Lab who was aging into a significant anxiety disorder. It became so extreme that during storms she became utterly inconsolable, sometimes for hours, shaking and hiding in a bathroom between the toilet and a wall. (She chose a particularly sensible location, since it would have been the safest possible place to hunker down if a tornado hit.)
After trying everything available, it became clear that our next step would be to ask our vet for some kind of medication. Some friends had good results with doggie anxiety meds, some not so much. We were concerned with cost, side effects and dependency. A friend (who had successfully used marijuana smoke for a dog with a seizure disorder after the prescribed meds failed) suggested I try the ghee with our beloved dog.
And so I did. Next storm she got a teaspoon on a piece of bread. Within 15 minutes she was calm, collected and in no state of terror whatsoever. What a relief! As with any of us, when a medicine works to ease the pain of a loved one it’s as if a miracle has occurred. Legal or no, healing has happened. There is no sane reason to ever withhold real comfort. Before a bad storm, and only before a bad storm, she received the same dose and never again suffered from anxiety.
A funny follow-up to this story: The day after the successful marijuana trial, my husband came home on a clear and sunny day to find our dog stuffed in her usual storm place beside the toilet looking up with glee in her eyes, a smile on her face and wagging her tail with great anticipation! Nice try.
The Dish 