Colorado is One of 23 States Where Medical Marijuana is Legal: Can it Really Help Ailing Pets?

Denver, Colorado is one of 23 states where medical marijuana is legal. Some human patients swear by it, but is pot OK for your ailing pets?

CBS Denver station KCNC reports there are some cannabis-containing products now on the market specially designed for cats and dogs.

Chiara Subhas of Denver decided to try it when her 14-year-old rescue dog, Leo, started having seizures. The little Pomeranian was "just violently shaking, his mouth is open, his eyes are rolling back, he's drooling," she told KCNC reporter Kathy Walsh.

Subhas tried changing his diet. Then she went to pot. "We were suggested by our veterinarian in Boulder that we try a medical marijuana product for our dog," she said.

The product is called Canna Companion. Leo started on two capsules a day.

"Shortly after, his seizures definitely decreased," said Subhas.

On the company website, cannaforpets.com, Canna Companion is described as a hemp supplement for cats and dogs. The company calls it a unique blend of cannabis sativa strains with low levels of THC, the ingredient that gets people high.

There are more than a dozen testimonials posted on the site. One cat owner writes that cancer-stricken Harley's "happy purrsonality came back immediately!" And Subhas' own veterinarian writes that the capsules helped Titus, her 13-year-old Great Dane, be "comfy and mobile."

"It's not going to cure cancer. It's not going to stop seizures from happening. But it can help," said veterinarian Dr. Sarah Brandon.

Brandon is co-founder of the supplement company out of Washington state. She stops short of making medical claims. In February, the Food and Drug Administration warned Canna Companion and similar companies to remove unproven health benefits from their marketing.

Brandon told CBS Denver, "It's one more tool in our tool belt and we firmly believe that veterinarians and pet parents should have it available to them if they should choose to use it."

But the FDA warned "consumers should beware purchasing and using any such products."

"I personally am not a big fan of the FDA," said Subhas. "I would not worry so much. I don't worry about that at all."

But some veterinarians are more wary. Dr. Debbie Van Pelt says she isn't ready to recommend cannabis for cats or hemp for hounds.

"I just think that we don't have the evidence right now to document what is safe and what is effective," said Van Pelt.

Van Pelt believes there may be potential in medical pot for pets and she understands why owners try it: "Because people love their animals and they are looking for ways to give them better quality of life," she said.

Subhas sees the change in Leo, and thinks the $75 a month she's spending on medical marijuana for him is worth it. "He's more alert overall. He seems just more comfortable," she said.

Chiara Subhas of Denver says a medical marijuana product helped her 14-year-old Pomeranian, Leo, when he started having seizures.
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A New Bill Introduced in the Nevada State Legislature Earlier this Week Would Allow Owners to Give their Ailing Pets Medical Marijuana, What Are Your Thoughts?

A new bill introduced in the Nevada state legislature earlier this week would allow owners to give their ailing pets medical marijuana. Many owners across the country said it’s about time, and that “pot for pets” should be legal everywhere.

Under this bill pets in that state may soon be able to use marijuana.

Democratic State Senator, Tick Segerblom sponsored the new law to allow animal owners to give their pets marijuana if a veterinarian verifies the animal is sick and the drug could alleviate its sickness.

Becky Flowers, a California ranch owner, said she gave her mare Phoenix regular doses of medical marijuana for several years to help ease the pain of a degenerative joint condition. The horse could barely walk due to extreme swelling in her front legs that traditional and herbal medications didn’t seem to help, Flowers said.

The Senator said he has concerns about whether animals could have a negative reaction to the pot.

The proposal is part of a larger bill that would make changes to the state’s medicinal marijuana law, removing penalties for drivers who have marijuana in their blood and adding regulations for training in pot shops.

The bill is in the first stage of the legislative process and faces many hurdles before pets in Nevada will legally be allowed to toke up with their owners.

In this May 30, 2013, file photo, Companion Cannabis, by Holistic Therapeutics, a Marijuana medicinal tincture for dogs and cats is displayed at La Brea Compassionate Caregivers, a medical marijuana dispensary in Los Angeles. Pets might soon be able to use pot under a bill introduced Tuesday, March 17, 2015, in the Nevada Legislature. Democratic Sen. Tick Segerblom is sponsoring the measure that would allow animal owners to get marijuana for their pet if a veterinarian certifies the animal has an illness that might be alleviated by the drug.

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