Suffering of hash puppies

ONE in two vets say they have treated pets suffering the side- effects of eating moodenhancing drugs such as cannabis, it emerged yesterday.

Dogs are most likely to need help, because they are curious and will eat things they find lying around the house.

But four cats and a budgie have also been treated, a survey of 100 vets found.

It is unclear whether the animals became ill after accidentally eating the drugs, or whether their owners gave them the illegal substances for a cruel joke. A quarter of vets questioned for the survey for the pet insurance company Petplan said they came across up to four ‘stoned’ animals a year.

Petplan’s consultant vet Scott Miller said that while drugs such as cannabis rarely prove fatal for the pet, it can induce unpleasant side- effects such as vomiting, dizziness and temporary loss of movement.

The effects can last up to three or four days, during which time the animal must be closely monitored to make sure its vital organs do not fail.

Mr Miller, who has treated several drug-related cases, said: ‘This is a serious issue.

‘ You wouldn’t leave drugs lying around for children to pick up, and we should be adopting the same levels of caution for our pets.

‘Like children, dogs will go looking for mischief, so all potentially harmful substances should be locked away.

‘ It’s horrifying that vets are seeing these drug-related cases at all, let alone when it is believed to be deliberate misuse.’

As well as marijuana, vets also reported treating pets for misuse of over-the- counter drugs such as paracetamol and contraceptives.

In 2001, it emerged that a fiveyearold cat called Aitch, from Doncaster, had become addicted to heroin like his owner.

It is thought the pet may have been injected deliberately.