If you believe your pet has ingested Marijuana/cannabis/THC, please take them to the closest veterinary practice as soon as you can – place your pet in a carrier or have a friend restrain them if at all possible.
Lets be very clear – THC in dogs & cats is NOT metabolized in the same manner as people, and small doses in our pets can lead to significant, and serious illness – fatalities are being reported more often. The toxic amount for dogs & cats is a fraction of the human dose and, unlike people – dogs & cats become scared & very sick with THC ingestion.
The symptoms are variable – but typically your pet will be lethargic for no reason, be unsteady on their feet (‘ataxia’), vomit, or have urinary incontinence (urinate in the house/acting like they don’t know they are even going), and have a slow/low heart beat. Some pets may have seizures too.
We are not here to judge, and at Sunnyview – we really don’t care how an illness or injury happened – let us do our best to help your pet. You can be concerned about the ‘how’ later. If you suspect medication toxicity – let us know, the more we know the better, as we are here to help.
Treatment involves IV fluids and hospitalization after some basic blood work, and usually we administer activated charcoal, and occasionally anti-seizure medication as well.
For those readers who can prepare themselves – puppy-proof (same in many ways to ‘child-proofing) your home – keep cannabis products & plants safely out of reach and, prevent their accidental ingestion. There are THC & Hemp creams & oils that in the prescribed/recommended dose for people appear to help many ailments (like pain) – but a pet ingesting the entire container can lead to serious veterinary medical concerns requiring urgent attention. Just please put them away & out of reach.
Treat chocolate, onion ingestion, Tylenol or Acetaminophen ingestion, or any medication(s) – recreational or otherwise as toxic for your pets.
Some helpful web information –
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23216842
Video – Dangers of THC in Pets
