Pets at risk of ingesting marijuana

Vet says there could be an increase in cases after July

Humans are the main consumers of marijuana, but our fourlegged friends may be too curious to resist a bite. Dr. Kelsey Harding, a veterinarian at the Metro Animal Hospital in Burnside, has dealt with cases of pets accidentally eating marijuana.

“It’s a common thing that we see at the Metro Animal Emergency Clinic,” said Harding.

“It’s not unusual to see one or even a couple of cases a week.”

In Harding’s experience, dogs are the main accidental consumers because they are more likely to sniff out and eat marijuana remnants off the ground or in the trash.

Pet owners are often unaware of what has occurred when a pet shows symptoms.

“They typically don’t know that their pet has ingested something. Everything’s going fine and then all of a sudden something has happened,” said Harding.

“The symptoms can be rather alarming for a lot of people.”

Harding said the main symptoms a pet will exhibit are weakness, urinary incontinence, wobbling, vomiting and shaking.

“It is typically a pretty benign substance. The majority of pets will get better between 12 to 24 hours of one dose of what we call activated charcoal,” said Harding.

She creates a paste using the activated charcoal to administer to dogs. The paste absorbs the remaining marijuana and then is removed when the pet defecates. The paste can also be prescribed by the doctor as an at-home remedy.

Harding said she thinks there could be the potential to see an increase in cases after July, when marijuana is set to be legalized in Canada.