"She's quite a digger", says Tasha's owner, Chick Brownbill of Turner valley in southern Alberta. "That's her recreation.

But all that excavating caused chronic soreness in Tasha's front wrists, causing the dog to limp - and to stop pursuing those pesky varmints.

"I don't think she's ever got a gopher, but digging was the love of her life'" Brownbill says.

Nothing helped until his daughter got him a bottle of Medipaws cannabis oil from a local distributor. It's promoted as relieving arthritis in pets - plus boost their immune system and preventing tumors and heart attacks.

The oil is extracted from marijuana that is grown with less than 10 parts per million of THC - the mind altering ingredient.

"We gave it ot her, and now, after 3 weeks, there's no limp at all'" Brownbill says. "The other effect is that it makes her coat quite slick and shiny."

Delivering the oral medication was no problem, he says. "We put it in her supper, and she eats anything."

Brownbill also gave the oil to Hershey, his chocolate colored Labrador retriever, to help it's sore hips.

Brownbill's veterinarian, Ingrid Rozema, says she has not prescribed Medipaws because the content is unregulated and "their is no scientific data indicating that marijuana is helpful."

In Edmonton, Pamela Dykes bought Medipaws cannabis oil for badger, her English springer spaniel, hoping to ease the arthritis in the dog's back legs.

After only one week, she hasn't seen any change, but says she will keep trying for another week or so.

Medipaws is distributed in Canada by Med Marijuana Inc. of Halifax.

bibliography - The Star, Nanaimo, edition Wednesday June 8, 2005

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