Medical Marijuana and our Furry Friends



As medical marijuana receives more attention, pet owners are starting to consider if it can help their furry friends too.

 

Dr. Katherine Kramer, a veterinarian with B.C.’s Vancouver Animal Wellness Hospital, says the topic is becoming “more and more popular.” Just two years ago, pet owners would ask about marijuana just once a year. These days, she gets asked at least once a week. 

In Canada and the U.S., cannabis is not considered a veterinary medicine according to official guidelines. Dr. Robin Downing, a top animal pain specialist in the U.S., tells The Denver Post “there’s more we don’t know about this therapy than we do know.” 

But even though veterinarians can’t officially prescribe marijuana, Dr. Kramer says she can, and sometimes will, recommend it in her practice. 

Indeed, acceptance of marijuana as a medicine seems to be just beginning for pets and people. The main barrier – for both – is a lack of research. 

But there’s enough science to explain how it works, and it turns out pets and people share something in common.
The main pathways for marijuana’s effect are cannabinoid receptors, Dr. Kramer explains. “Dogs and cats have that like people, which is why we’re starting to use it medicinally for them.”

 

Risks For Pets

 
Marijuana may hold promise as a medicine, but there is also an increasing amount of research suggesting accidental pet poisonings are on the rise. Dr. Kramer says she’s aware of the research as well as the risks it can pose for pets.
For example, Dr. Kramer explains that sudden incontinence in dogs is considered “pathognomonic” for marijuana toxicity. That means “if you have a dog that’s acting stoned and they’re incontinent, chances are 100:1 that it’s going to be marijuana ingestion.”

While rarely fatal, pets can easily be overwhelmed by marijuana’s effects due to their size. Dogs are also allergic to chocolate, which makes marijuana brownies a double threat.


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GROW TIP Get rid of Fungus Gnats in Your Marijuana Garden


Adult fungus gnats are grey with longs legs and very tiny.  Females lay eggs at the rate of approximately two hundred per week at the base of the cannabis.  These little buggers attack in both the adult and larval (maggot) stage.  Fungus gnat maggots are microscopic, sporting black heads and transparent bodies.  Fungus gnats are found at the soil level and initially feed on fungus.  Once they run out of soil ick, they attack the root systems, damaging larger roots and eating the smaller root hairs.  This retards the plants’ growth, discolors leaves and causes malformation of the stems and branches. As their name denotes, they render the marijuana plant susceptible to various fungal diseases.

Fungus gnats are particularly damaging to cannabis due to affecting the drainage properties of the soil by their droppings.  Marijuana needs well drained soil so as to keep the root system from becoming too wet and inviting pests who thrive in wet conditions. Taking care to not over water your crop is good preventative measure against infestation; they are drawn to moist conditions.

There are a couple of simple ways to detect whether or not you have a gnat problem.  One is to purchase yellow sticky cards from your garden center and place them in the soil around your plants.  After a few days, remove the cards and see what has stuck to them.  If you see more than a few gnats, uh oh!

To check for fungus gnat larvae, place a half inch thick piece of potato on the ground. After four to eight hours, check for maggots.  If there are several dinner guests on the potato, it’s time to send them on their way.

Placing yellow sticky cards or yellow sticky tape (gnats love the color yellow!) throughout the garden will trap the adult gnats.  Fungus gnat larvae are a different matter.  Begin by letting the top few layers of the soil dry completely.  This means delaying the watering schedule for a few days.  Once the soil is dry mix one part pure 3% hydrogen peroxide with four parts water.  Water the top layer of soil thoroughly.  This will kill the larvae.  Peroxide will not hurt your plants.  It will break down into oxygen and water molecules which actually benefits the soil.  Going through this exercise periodically will ensure the gnats go away and stay away and is actually a healthy treat for the soil.

More From: I Love Growing Marijuana 

GROW TIP Avoid Airy and Loose Marijuana Buds


What is more annoying then ending up with marijuana buds that are airy, loose and fluffy? These inferior buds are usually caused by not enough light, high temperatures, or overall lack of nutrient value. Read these next tips to make sure you harvest huge, hard and THC rich buds.

For indoor marijuana growing, high temperatures in the garden area or just proximity to the light cause the buds to grow airy and flaccid. To avoid this, simply move the buds farther away from the light source so that they stay in an environment below 80*F (27*C) In fact, it’s a good rule of thumb to keep the growing area can canopy under at least 80*.

For outdoor marijuana growing, high temperatures during flowering can produce loose buds. For the most part, you won’t have a problem with this because the plants generally flower in autumn when the temperature is cooler. But, if they happen to flower early (either because they are bred to flower early or because of forced light deprivation), there might be an issue. 

To avoid loose buds, growers could use a micro-sprayer system that cools the plants even in the hot sun. These sprayers use powerful pumps or just high water pressure to generate a thin, misty spray full of tiny droplets that are usually less than five microns. These droplets will evaporate effectively decreasing the temperature of the air in the surround vicinity. These sprayers are often used to cool outdoor living areas, but you’ll also find them in greenhouses as well. They don’t use a lot of water and are relatively simple to install.

Read More: I Luv Growing Marijuana


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