My Dogs Are on Cannabis

My sister made me do it!

It will be good for them, she said.

Of course, she was talking about hemp oil, not weed, dope or whatever else you want to call it. I was inspired to share this story after reading a great expose on the history of cannabis, written by Sara Wilson, last week:

"The Devil's Lettuce"

She raised some good points about the negativity surrounding cannabis compared to other “sins” like too much sugar or beer consumption.

Hemp is not the same as weed. They are both varieties of Cannabis sativa, but they differ in their chemical composition and legal status. Hemp is defined as containing 0.3% or less THC (tetrahydrocannabinol, the intoxicating compound) by dry weight. Weed contains higher, psychoactive levels of THC (often 10–30%).

While science doesn't differentiate between "hemp" and "cannabis (weed)," the law does.

So why would I feed hemp to my delightful little dogs?

To make them happy, of course!

Not really, well, I want them happy, but it was for a different reason. One of my dogs (girls), Gi Gi (the black-and-white one), is hyperactive. I swear she swallowed Energiser batteries when she was a pup. She is all over the place and full of energy with no off button.

My other girl, Ella, is meek and mild, very chilled, exactly the opposite. I think she has psychological problems from being always overshadowed by Gi Gi. She is also a very inconsistent eater.

Hemp oil is a natural, nutrient-rich supplement, often cold-pressed from seeds. Is touted for supporting joint health, reducing anxiety, and promoting a shiny coat. It can also decrease skin inflammation and strengthen immunity as it is rich in balanced Omegas 3, 6, and 9.

They both have separation anxiety because I am home most of the time (just them and me). Hemp oil is also supposed to calm anxiety, thus relieving separation or travel anxiety. Isn't that what weed does to people in a bigger and better way?

So I got them some 100% cold-pressed, human-grade, pure hemp seed oil, which is sustainably sourced and specifically formulated for optimal health, skin & coat. Nothing but the best for my girls!

I was half expecting them to become so chilled that my life would be stress-free. I was reminded that you need to introduce them to it slowly because it can cause diarrhoea, and that it would take a few weeks to start working.

At this stage, I was thinking I should just smoke a joint and let them get the slipstream smoke for a quicker response.

Of course, that would have only solved their anxiety and not provided all the other wonderful benefits that hemp oil was supposed to do. 

I should add at this stage that I have no problem with people smoking weed. Personally wee should spend more time and energy getting control of the more illicit drugs that are destroying our society.

That said, my niece lives in a block of units. The lady next to her had a script for medicinal cannabis. She sits out on her balcony and smokes from morning until night. The acrid smell (if you don't know, cannabis has a very strong smell) wafts into her place to the point where she has constant headaches from it.

Like all good Uni students, I tried pot when I was a university student. I can vividly remember the night. It was a university concert with ACDC when they were still undiscovered. I was with a group of friends that sat in a circle and passed around joints. Sadly, it did nothing for me. I also hate the smell, so I have never persisted with it.

Back to my girls and their hemp. After a month of diligently adding it to their food, the results were staggering. Didn't make a damn bit of difference in my books.

So my girls had to go "cold turkey" to get off their hemp oil. They just get more treats now, which seems to calm them down. A couple of sardines on occasion in their food, and we are good. I am not sure their breath after their sardines is any better than the smell of dope, though. 😁😁

Incidentally, dogs can use medicinal cannabis (specifically CBD), but it must be prescribed by a veterinarian and contain less than 2% total cannabinoids (predominantly CBD) to be safe and legal.

[A/n: Another story on my quest to write at least one story for each of the forty-eight communities. Thirteen to go.]

Till next time,

Calvin