Veterinarian urges caution around cannabis | Features

Veterinary Emergency Group’s Dr. Chelsie Narito has seen her fair share of dogs acting oddly — loopy or wobbly.

Diagnosis: They’re stoned. They’ve ingested their owners’ marijuana.

Ingestion of marijuana by dogs has become increasingly common, with an 11% rise in calls to the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center in 2022 compared to the previous year, and an overall increase of 300% over the last five years.

While marijuana rarely results in death for dogs, it can lead to severe symptoms. Pet health insurance provider Trupanion reported 1,852 marijuana toxicity-related claims in dogs and cats over the past five years, typically occurring when pets ingest edibles, marijuana plants or baked goods containing cannabis intended for humans.

The medical director at VEG Oro Valley, Narito said dogs will eat anything, but it goes beyond ingesting.

“Sometimes people smoke in the area,” Narito said.

“That can also affect some of our pets, depending on what they’re taking in, how big the room is, etc.”

Narito said dogs will exhibit specific symptoms when they have been around or eaten cannabis.

“Oftentimes, owners will notice an acute or sudden change in their dog’s behavior,” she said. “Sometimes they can be a little more sedate or sleepy. Sometimes, people will just say, ‘I don’t know, my dog’s just acting bizarre,’ because they are more sensitive to light and sound.”

The animals could also sway like they’re drunk.

“Sometimes they can even vomit,” Narito said. “A big one is that you can see dogs dribble urine in addition to all those other symptoms.”

In humans, the effects wear off, Narito added.

“Most times our pets just need a little bit of time and supportive care, whether that’s being in the hospital on fluids or being taken home to monitor them,” she said. “Often, we are recommending hospitalization just so we can give them IV fluids and make sure that they’re improving.”

However, other problems are terrifying.

“The scary stuff is the recreational use because sometimes things are laced with other drugs,” Narito said.

“The majority of our cases, the dogs make a good recovery. But it’s always safer for the pets to be monitored in the hospital so we can try and have them flushed out.”