Northwest Portland residents Ginger McCarthy and her husband, Michael, spent what they thought was a perfect day at Mill Pond Park on Sunday with their standard poodle, Coco.
That is, until after a few hours after they returned home and Coco began to act strangely. The dog looked dazed, her movements were jerky and she had trouble walking. “She looked like she was having a seizure,” McCarthy says.
At DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital that evening, McCarthy was shocked to discover that her show-quality poodle was exhibiting the classic signs of marijuana ingestion – especially after Coco released her bladder on the lobby floor.
Oregon and Washington veterinarians recognize those distinctive symptoms with increasingly frequency, as marijuana ingestion becomes more common at their clinics.
DoveLewis has seen marijuana-related toxicity cases increase from about 11 percent of all toxicity cases in 2011 to nearly 20 percent in 2012 and the first few months of 2013, says communications director Kate Goudschaal. The hospital treated eight cases last month.
At Tanasbourne Veterinary Emergency, Dr. Shawn Thomas estimates he treats at least one to two cases each weekend and about 20 or 30 cases in the last two years – and that’s likely a low estimate.
“There are very specific clinical signs,” says DoveLewis staff veterinarian Dr. MeiMei Welker. “They’ll walk in, and we can almost diagnose it by the way that they look. They’re having trouble walking, almost like they’re drunk, and they’re really sensitive to any kind of stimulation.”
Dribbling urine is also a telltale sign.
Dogs can get sick from ingesting it in any form, Welker says, from marijuana leaves (which are less potent) to “bud butter.”
McCarthy isn’t sure exactly what Coco ingested at the park; all she saw were breadcrumbs, so she suspects Coco consumed either the remains of marijuana-infused baked goods or cigarette butts.
Treatment
Typical treatment involves inducing vomiting, if the dog arrives to the hospital soon enough after ingestion, to remove as much of the substance from the dog’s system as possible.
Veterinarians may then treat with intravenous fluids and activated charcoal, which binds to the THC and helps prevent further absorption.
Complications can arise if a dog consumes enough marijuana to make it vomit, Welker says. If it’s sedated, it runs the risk of suffering from aspiration pneumonia, which happens when vomit is inhaled into the lungs.
“Most of the patients are going to do pretty well, even with minimal treatment, but we do get patients that come in nearly comatose and with a low heart rate,” says Dr. Jonathan Wisniewski, a relief veterinarian at Emergency Veterinary Clinic of Tualatin.
The severity of the reaction is generally dose-dependent, he says.
Wisniewski, who is also an associate veterinarian at the Emergency Veterinary Hospital and Animal Urgent Care in Eugene, has done extensive research on a relatively new therapy for treating severe marijuana toxicity called intravenous lipid emulsion therapy.
The treatment involves injecting fat droplets that bind to the fat-soluble THC and help leach it out of the bloodstream, allowing the animal to excrete it more quickly.
Marijuana toxicity in Washington
Even before Washington voters legalized the possession of marijuana in November, pot has been among the top toxins at Olympia Pet Emergency in Olympia, Wash., says medical director Dr. Blair Burggren.
“I would say it’s safe to assume we get at least one call a day on a dog that either ingested or potentially ingested it,” he says.
Since it was legalized for recreational use, he has noticed a slight increase, primarily in the ingestion of products containing marijuana or THC, such as baked goods.
Statewide, the legalization doesn’t seem to have had a huge impact – yet – on pot ingestion in pets.
“I do anticipate it coming down the pike,” says Dr. Donna Mensching, veterinary medical director of Veterinary Poison Emergency Treatment Services, a service of the Washington Poison Center.
She believes it will become more of an issue once the substance is legal to sell.
Mensching is concerned about the impact of “medibles” – the cannabis-containing foods that might seem very tempting to dogs. They may consume higher amounts of the substance because it’s in a tasty treat, and the food may contain additional toxins, such as chocolate.
“The thing about dogs is that they have no stop button,” she says. “They will eat as much as they can of something and as quickly as possible.”
She also worries that once marijuana is sold legally, it might open the market for higher-end versions of the drug, which will likely contain higher contents of THC.
If there is an upside to the legalization, Mensching hopes that it will remove the fear or embarrassment people may have to admitting that their dog ingested pot.
Veterinarians say it’s much better to be forthright so they can treat your pet properly.
There are other conditions that may cause similar symptoms, such as neurological disease or brain tumors, so disclosing that information may save expensive diagnostics such as blood work or an MRI.
“We only want to know for medical reasons. We don’t report them,” Welker says (adding that they won’t judge, either). “It can really simplify things if they come forward with that information.”
If you do suspect that your pet has ingested marijuana, you should have a veterinarian check it out just to be safe.
And like any toxin, please keep it out of reach of pets.
“Just because the voters of Washington agreed that marijuana is now legalized and acceptable does not mean that it’s safe for your pet,” Burggren says. “Make sure you’re careful and keep it locked up.”
Tips:
- If you suspect your pet ingested pot, don’t try to induce vomiting at home. The hydrogen peroxide people sometimes use to cause vomiting can irritate the stomach lining and cause even more vomiting, putting your pet at risk for gastroenteritis.
- Keep any medical marijuana in a drawer or somewhere out of reach of pets.
- If you do suspect your pet has induced marijuana, call a veterinarian.
Dogs that get into their owner's medical marijuana stash can become very sick — even die, vets say.
Marijuana-enhanced baked goods can be a danger to pets.
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