With the legalization of cannabis coming this year, Lloydminster veterinarian Doctor Becky Newman is reminding residents that pot is not healthy for dogs.
Newman says she has seen many cases through the years of people bringing dogs into the Lloydminster Animal Hospital after having eaten marijuana. She believes that this number could rise as cannabis becomes more accessible.
“There was an interesting article last year by the American Society for The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, they have a poison control website the number of reported toxicities and there has definitely been a large jump in marijuana toxicities since the legalization.”
Cannabis can have numerous negative effects on dogs, some of which Newman says can be dangerous.
“If a dog ate enough, it can lead to potentially seizing, that would be my biggest concern. That’s my worry with some of the cannabis oils that you can get that are maybe a little bit more concentrated is that it’s easy for them to get a large amount of marijuana in a small volume. So definitely seizure, potentially coma, very very low blood pressure low body temperatures, so almost in a comatose type state.”
Warning signs that a dog has eaten pot are dilated pupils, salivating, vomiting and in-coordination. Newman recommends contacting a vet immediately if a dog has eaten it.
“The very first thing if you know your dog has gotten into it, like just got into it would be to make them vomit. So you can either call the vet clinic and we have some intravenous medication; we can make them vomit straightaway or sometimes we will use hydrogen peroxide to induce vomiting so if you call us we can talk you through that.”
Newman says after that provide the dog with supportive care such as keeping them in a safe, quiet and warm environment. She adds that if someone needs to take their dog to the vet because it has eaten cannabis they should not try to deny the dog has eaten it, as this make it harder to diagnose and treat the animal.