
Paws & Pints: Animals May Be Drinking More Often Than Thought
One of my favorite TV commercials was from the early 90s, and it was a beer commercial that was making real quick one-line jokes.
One of the jokes showed a young man pushing his driver's license to a convenience store clerk, with the voiceover saying, "Remember, to purchase alcohol, you need to be 21."
The voiceover continued, "Unless you're a dog, then you only need to be 3!" you saw a paw pushing an ID with a picture of a golden retriever.
There have been many jokes scenarios throughout time about giving alcohol to animals.
Many punchlines to jokes deal with being "Drunk off your ***!"
But, for the record, let me state it: DO NOT GIVE YOUR PETS BOOZE!
Once, at a family member's house, during a party, a beer spilled, and no one realized it except the dog.
He drank it all up, sat in the middle of the floor, watched the ceiling fan for about 20 minutes, slowly following it with his head, then neck, then whole body, until Jake (the dog) fell down on the floor and fell asleep.
A Tallboy For Your Good Boy!
The next day, Jake drank a lot of water, and walked diagonally for a better part of the morning. We laughed at the time, but I cringe when I think back at that situation.
Weirdly, this is not an isolated incident. No, I'm not talking about Jake, the good boy drinking a tallboy; I'm talking about animals drinking alcohol.
Thanks to a paper published on Wednesday, October 30th, 2024, in Trends in Ecology & Evolution, we're hearing arguments that this may be happening more often in nature than we thought.
Wildlife and biology researchers are reporting that alcohol is being consumed throughout the animal kingdom.
How bad are they getting drunk? Are they seeking the good time most drinkers hope to achieve? Are they doing it to help make the opposite sex of their species look better?
More research is needed, but the findings so far about how certain animals have developed certain enzymes in their stomach is fascinating, especially when we learn more about how certain animals can metabolize alcohol.
It gives a whole new meaning to the term "barfly! & Just don't go drinking with an Oriental Hornet!

High Priority Invasive Animals in Washington
Gallery Credit: Jaime Skelton
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