Vets see growing number of 'stoner dogs'

A growing number of canines in Colorado are getting stoned, and that's got some animal doctors concerned.

Speaking to CBS Denver this week, Dr. Debbie Van Pelt said that medical marijuana can be problematic for animals which many times after they got into their owner's edible medical goods.

Dr. Stacy Meola, who conducted a five-year study on the subject of stoned dogs, said that the number of emergency vet visits due to marijuana has quadrupled in Colorado compared to the years before legalization. She told CBS Denver that two stoned dogs actually died after eating large amounts of super-potent marijuana butter.

"If you came home with a prescription of vicodin from your doctor you wouldn't just leave it sitting there," she said.

"We need people to realize it is potentially toxic and potentially fatal to their pets," Van Pelt added.

Voters in Colorado are set to decide in November whether to legalize marijuana for recreational use and regulate it similarly to alcohol. The ballot initiative has strong support, too: A Denver Post poll published in September found that 51 percent of those surveyed support legalization, while just 40 percent oppose it.

The video below was braadcast by CBS Denver on Monday, Oct. 1, 2012.

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