There has been a huge increase in veterinary emergency room visits due to dogs getting into their owner’s stash of weed.
The Animal Poison Control Center reported a staggering 765% increase in calls about pets ingesting marijuana in 2019, compared with the same period the previous year.
Because marijuana is legal, or somewhat legal, in most states, this is a problem now more than ever. Marijuana’s availability in many forms adds to the possibility. Marijuana can be in the form of edibles, rubs, vape pens, patches, as well as the old-fashioned joint.
You might be asking yourself if you have to be aware even if you don’t have marijuana in your home.
Yes, you do.
I normally do not post or write about medical situations but I feel compelled to share my recent experience to make puppy owners aware of this potential problem.
Here’s the story:
I am going to begin with the end: Ripple is fully recovered and he’s fine!
Tom (my husband) and I took our boat with Rune and Ripple to a lake and shortly after we had the boat in the water, a thunderstorm started. There were a few boats that had all made a quick dash to the boat ramp so instead of waiting in the water, we decided to throw out the anchor and get on land to wait out the rain.
Just behind where we were standing was a campfire site that I checked for obvious hazards like broken glass and trash of which there were none. I kept both dogs on leash while we waited out the rain.
Shortly after this photo was taken, Ripple had picked up what looked like a cigarette filter in his mouth. I swiped my finger in his mouth to get it out and tossed it aside not wanting to touch it.
The rain eventually stopped and we all went for a swim and finished our outing meandering around the lake on the boat. Ripple slept in the boat which was nothing out of the ordinary after some swimming.
While we were getting the boat onto the trailer, Ripple was acting lethargic which I assumed was from too much activity but by the time we got home, it was clear something was very wrong.
When I took him out of the car he was staggering and couldn’t hold his head up. I called my veterinarian’s office and was giving the vet his symptoms when Ripple vomited.
A friend of mine had experienced water intoxication with her dog and because Ripple was experiencing similar symptoms and had been swimming, I was convinced that was the problem.
I relayed the information to the veterinarian and she had me put honey on Ripple’s gums but it didn’t rouse him.
I took his temperature and it was only 98 degrees (normal dog temp range is 100-102). The veterinarian then instructed us to take him to the ER hospital.
The first thing the triage nurse said was “Could he have gotten into any marijuana?”
“No, we were on a boat and he was swimming” I replied.
“He is experiencing classic signs of marijuana ingestion. He is critical so I am going to take him to the doctor to be evaluated.”
Sitting in the waiting room I remembered the filter he had in his mouth. I reached for my phone and pulled up Google and typed in filters for joints. This is the image that came up which is exactly what it looked like.
I showed the triage nurse the image of the filter. She nodded and said “Yup, that (the filter) will do it. We see it all the time. We treat at least three cases every day (usually dogs) who have eaten some form of marijuana.”
How Ripple was treated:
Ripple spent the night in the ER. His temperature dropped to 95 degrees so he was put in a warmer to bring his temp up, given lipids intravenously, and then subcutaneous fluids before he came home.
He responded quickly to the lipid therapy which was the determining factor that it was in fact marijuana ingestion. There are no lingering effects and he is fully recovered.
The moral of the story:
The bottom line is that a puppy is always going to pick stuff up no matter how vigilant we are. It’s important to realize that because of their small size, they are at a greater risk of having a severe reaction.
A puppy could put his nose in a visitor’s purse and find their gummies. Walking your dog on the road, they could find a discarded vape pen cartridge. Or, like in Ripple’s case, they could find a discarded joint filter.
Knowing the symptoms of marijuana ingestion can help you be more aware of potential exposure and get prompt treatment for your puppy.
- Staggering, drunklike walking
- Dribbling urine
- Decreased body temperature
- Shaking or tremors
- Vomiting
What to do if you suspect ingestion:
- Bring your puppy to the veterinarian immediately. The small size of a puppy makes them more susceptible to the worst-case scenarios which can be seizures and coma.
- It is helpful to relay the time your puppy ingested the drug so the veterinarian can determine how to proceed with treatment.
- If you have any packaging from the drug source (including labels) bring it with you to the veterinarian.
- If the puppy ingested the weed via food such as pot butter or brownies make sure you let them know that as well.
Veterinarians are there to treat your pet, not judge you. Be honest with them in giving any information so they can get your puppy safe and comfortable as quickly as possible.
Susan Lynch is a former competitive dog trainer who has been training, competing and volunteering with her Golden Retrievers since 1995. In 2020, she founded Life with Rune, a Facebook community that documents the socializing and training of her own puppy Rune. In 2021, she was awarded the Rachel Page Elliot Lifetime Achievement award by the Golden Retriever Club of America. Her memoir Life After Kevin: A Mother’s Search for Peace and the Golden Retrievers that Led the Way is available here . To learn more, visit: www.susan-lynch.com.
For socializing ideas and training tips go to the Life with Rune Facebook group and click on the Guides tab at the top of the home page.
Something similar happened to my young pup as well! We had walked at a nearby park. She had been interested in something in the leaves/grass and ingested something before I could see what it was. A few hours later – it was very scary. I thought she was dying – lethargic, spasms, head shaking, urine. She could not get up from her nap. We got to ER and all was well now but it was quite an experience. The ER vet had said based on the symptoms it was marijuana poisoning and it is very common (I’m in Virginia). I know a lot of people of all walks of life are animal lovers – I hope we can get the word out! Thank you for writing about it and for all the info!