Trupanion digs into data about marijuana claims
As the drug becomes a household topic, veterinarians are getting more questions about its use in pets.
With cannabis-infused pet products coming into the market and the recent legalization of recreational marijuana use in Alaska and Oregon, pet owners have been turning to their veterinarians with questions about its use in pets. Trupanion looked through its database of claims to find out how marijuana, either intended for people or pets, is affecting cats and dogs.
Trupanion's veterinary analysts found that cats aren't particularly interested in marijuana. Dogs, however, have rolled in it, ingested it, and are much more likely to grab a marijuana-infused food off the countertop. Not surprisingly, the most marijuana-related claims per capita come from the two states that first legalized recreational marijuana: Washington and California, Trupanion says. Those states have three times more marijuana toxicity claims than the average number in other U.S. states.
The company has paid more than $78,000 in suspected marijuana toxicity claims, and in 2014 alone it paid more than $20,000 specifically in confirmed marijuana toxicity cases. According to the release, the average marijuana toxicity case costs about $525 dollars to treat. Trupanion covers medicinal marijuana when recommended by a veterinarian. Most of the pets whose owners submitted medical marijuana claims were using the products in tandem with cancer treatments.
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