Editor:
As a dog owner, I always appreciate articles about animal health, but the letter (Coast Reporter, July 19) about the puppy that fell unconscious on the beach left me frustrated. I am happy the puppy survived and seems all right, less than satisfied with the substance of the story.
Educated guesses are the stuff of medicine and science in general and without them it is impossible to plot a course of action. We would all have been better served, however, had the veterinarian expressed her best guess as a possibility, rather than a probability. When the vet told Ms. Willumsen she was "pretty sure that it was marijuana poisoning," it effectively closed the door on further speculation as to possible causes -possibly to unhappy effect.
Puppies on a beach playing with children, presumably on a sunny day: is it safe to exclude dehydration and heat exhaustion as possible causes? Perhaps someone spilled their prescription drugs, or left something behind. Tainted trash or nice smelly sea life, a toxic treat snuffled out from amidst the tidal flotsam? Children sharing a chocolate treat?
Passing on only what I have read: available science leaves no doubt that cannabis can be toxic to dogs, but usually in high concentrations. It is fairly characteristic of smokers that the "stub" is not thrown away until there is very little remaining, making that an unlikely source for such levels.
Intoxication in dogs can present much as it does with humans, with lethargy, disorientation, staggering. Other symptoms may include those typical of a dog in distress: panting, shivering, rolling of the eyes. Because cannabis alkaloids are stored in fat, the animal may be some days getting back to normal behaviour. Testing for the chemical's presence and treatment protocols are the same for dogs as for humans.
George Stepanenko, Wilson Creek
