BRITAIN’S PETS FACE DRUG
CRISIS
Dogs gnawing on joints, not bones
‘Puppies fed marijuana’ – poll shows
Britain’s drug crisis is not just confined to
supermodels, rock stars and bored teenagers.
There’s growing evidence that household pets are
increasingly suffering from the deliberate or
accidental effects of drug abuse.
A recent survey of vets by the UK’s leading
pet insurance
provider,
Petplan,
has revealed that frightening numbers of pet
owners appear to be feeding their animals
mood-enhancing drugs such as cannabis.
Petplan’s shock findings reveal that a
staggering half of the country’s vets have
treated domestic pets for drug-related
incidents, with a quarter reporting between 1
and 4 incidents a year.
The research shows that dogs are the most likely
to be affected. Whether that’s because they are
more likely to gobble up bits of rubbish –
including the remains of marijuana ‘joints’, or
because more and more pet owners are conducting
what they consider to be ‘amusing, harmless
experiments’ is not clear. Yet vets believe many
of the incidents, often involving young puppies,
were deliberate.
Whilst mood-enhancing drugs such as cannabis
rarely prove fatal for a pet, unpleasant
side-effects can include dizziness, vomiting and
temporary loss of movement. The effects can
last up to three or four days and throughout
that time, veterinary monitoring is essential to
ensure major organs don’t fail. As a result vets
bills can run into many hundreds of pounds.
Petplan’s consultant vet, Scott Miller, is no
stranger to treating drug-related cases in
pets. While working at a practice in London he
treated a three year old Dalmatian who had eaten
a block of hash. “Jasper was essentially very
stoned – he could barely open his eyes, his
pupils were constricted, he was vomiting and
couldn’t stand up. The drugs had got stuck in
his intestines so an emergency operation was
required as well as round-the-clock veterinary
monitoring. Three days later after the drugs had
worn off Jasper was sent home – but not before a
stern lecture to the owners.”
In addition to marijuana, vets have also been
treating pets for misuse of over-the-counter
drugs including contraceptives and paracetamol.
Scott Miller adds “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.”
Pet Plan
pet insurance
·
Petplan is the UK's largest
provider of pet health
insurance. It was launched in 1976,
revolutionising the small animal insurance
market
·
Petplan
is a brand of
Pet Plan
Ltd, a subsidiary of Allianz Cornhill Insurance
Plc.
·
Allianz Cornhill Insurance Plc is the world's
largest pet health insurer, insuring in excess
of 800,000 animals each year and receiving over
1100 claims per day, paying out over £1 million
each week
·
Financial Researchers Defaqto, named Petplan as
the best dog insurance
provider following studies into 50 different
insurance companies
·
The Petplan Charitable Trust, providing grants
for the welfare of dogs, cats and horses by
funding education and welfare projects, has now
raised over £3 .75 million
·
Petplan has been
recognised for its excellent customer service
and value for money in the prestigious 5th
annual Your Money Direct Awards. Petplan won
both categories for pet insurance, picking up
awards for the Best Direct Pet Insurance
Provider and Best Internet Pet Insurance
Provider
Pet Plan
pet insurance
|
