When people smoke weed, second-hand smoke is released to everyone around them, and that also includes animals. There have been arguments surrounding second-hand smoke from weed for many years. Research has found that people who are around others who are smoking weed can get high off of the smoke they exhale, even enough to feel a buzz from it. While this usually happens in smaller rooms that aren’t ventilated, the risk still exists. What about second-hand smoke when it comes to pets? Can cats get high?
Can Cats Get Stoned
It takes a little more for a person with average body weight to get high in comparison to a pet such as a cat. Getting cats high can happen much quicker because of their size. If you’re hotboxing in your car and your cat is in there, then there is a good chance the weed cat will soon be high.
When it comes to tobacco smoke, it’s basically a rude gesture to be exhaling it when there are people around you. It can frustrate and annoy people, especially if they have an allergy to it. If you’re a non-smoker and you spend time around people who do smoke, you’re constantly breathing in the toxic carcinogens that they exhale. This isn’t healthy, and it also isn’t healthy for pets.
There was some research conducted in 2002 by PetMd that found that cats that are exposed to second and third-hand smoke have a much higher risk of developing cancer that can spread to the rest of their body in comparison to cat owners who don’t smoke.
The cats that resided in a house with an owner that smoked over a span of five years had three times the chance of going on to develop certain types of lymphomas. There was another study conducted that found that oral cancer was more prevalent in cats that dealt with third-hand smoke. Third-hand smoke is smoke that gets into clothing, pillows, sheets, carpets, rugs, and other areas of the house where your cat may be wandering around.
Does This Also Go For Dogs?
There were a few studies done throughout the 1990s that found that there was a much higher chance of dogs going on to develop cancer in their respiratory tracts when they lived with someone who smoked. This research closely analyzed the dog’s respiratory tract and how it was shaped. Nose cancer is another thing that can develop in dogs that live with a smoker.
Cats And Weed
It’s clear second-hand tobacco smoke can cause a higher risk of cancer in pets. Does this also mean that cannabis smoke can cause the same types of cancer as tobacco smoke?
There still needs to be done more research to figure out if consuming a lot of cannabis is unhealthy. One thing to keep in mind is that cannabis does have some cannabinoids that are known to fight cancer.
More and more cannabis users are beginning to use vaporizers to smoke weed to filter out the toxins. If you’re ever going to be smoking around a pet, vaping is probably the safest method of consumption. Does that mean you can never smoke a blunt or a joint around a pet? What happens if your pet inhales the smoke from cannabis?
Smoking Weed With Pets Around
If you’re outside smoking weed or are in a very well-ventilated area of the house, the chances of your pet getting high are fairly slim. Unless they are right beside you breathing in the smoke, you’ll probably be safe. This doesn’t mean you should start smoking heavy amounts of weed if your pet is around. Pets are known to have a much more sensitive respiratory tract than humans. This means that the smoke from cannabis will potentially result in constricting their ability to breathe.
You never want to exhale a big whiff of smoke anywhere near a pet. Pets that inhale cannabis smoke can feel sick and might have to go to the vet for treatment. If you see them start to have labored breathing, diarrhea, and other unordinary symptoms, you should consider bringing them to the vet. Weed can cause pets to experience heart palpitations and low blood pressure if they accidentally ingest an edible you left laying around. Other symptoms you’ll want to look out for are panting and pacing around the house. If your pet is older in age, then they are at higher risk of health issues from consuming cannabis.
If your pet consumes cannabis, there is a chance they could need intravenous treatment. Your pet won’t have a clue what’s going on, and this can be very frightening for both of you.
Purchasing cannabis to help your pet with certain health conditions is a little different than the pet accidentally ingesting it. There are some cannabis-based medications for pets that will help them instead of harm them.
Getting cats high is never something that you should be intentionally trying to do. If you’re still wanting to smoke in the house, ensure you’re doing so in a properly ventilated area so that the smoke doesn’t get anywhere near your pet. If your cannabis is extremely potent stuff, then you might just want to smoke it outside. You don’t want to risk losing them, and the guilt you’d feel afterward wouldn’t be worth it.
