fido’s doctor wants fido to get high (to feel better of course)

I do love both my dogs and I have no problem making sure they don’t suffer if there is something than fix them.  The last time my little one went to the vet, the doctor gave me a prescription of tramadol for him.  My dog and I taking the same meds.  Guess this herbal remedy situation would mean we would be taking the same thing again.  This should also give another great reason for scientists to learn to read a dog’s mind.  

Then Christine stumbled upon a controversial homemade herbal remedy that she credits with enormously improving her dog’s quality of life. She’s grateful that, in his final year, Sampson weighed in at a robust 106 pounds and lived free of the wracking pain that had haunted him. Whereas before Sampson had been too weak to walk, almost overnight he became a born-again youngster. “He was a puppy again, happy and playful,” Christine recalls. “He’d trot around the house with his toys in his mouth, wanting to play fetch!”

The name of the controversial herbal remedy Sampson took? Cannabis.

Inspired by reports of medical marijuana helping human cancer patients, Christine started digging online. The search terms? “How to administer cannabis to a dog.” Christine — who, for the record, is not a recreational cannabis user — was initially concerned about giving it to her dog because of the bad press she’d heard about the plant. But after giving Sampson cannabis flower-bud material mixed with virgin coconut oil (which the Rotti lapped up gladly), she noticed a huge difference in the dog’s attitude almost immediately.

via (Touch Me!)

Lab chimps successfully treated with anti-depressants

What kind of hope do we have if chimps have to take anti-depressants.  I mean, they live a nice life.  People feeding them.  People poking them.  People gawking at them to “dance monkey dance” for their little tests.  Okay, that all sounds like I’d need heavy meds too.  

A study has shown that anti-depressants can be used to help former lab chimps combat depression and trauma.

Researchers say that the treatment should be considered for hundreds of other chimps that have been used in scientific research.

The finding comes as a US funding body thinks about retiring the more than 300 chimps it uses for medical research.

via (Touch Me!)