By Geoff Spillane

There was a new drug crisis on Cape Cod and the Islands, and its victims may come as a surprise.

“He was so stoned, it was terrible,” said Linda McCann, of Orleans, about 12-year-old Brahms. Brahms is a mini-poodle. As marijuana dispensaries open throughout Massachusetts following legalization of recreational and medical pot in the state, veterinarians are responding to an increased caseload of emergencies involving dogs sickened by cannabis toxicity.

Within a week, five dogs at the Eastham Veterinary Hospital were treated for poisoning caused by marijuana ingestion, according to Brittany Knepper, a nurse at the hospital.

The surge in cases prompted the hospital to send an email to its customers alerting them to the drastic increase in cannabis toxicity incidents and directing owners to be aware of symptoms and to take action if marijuana ingestion is suspected.

“It’s a rare day that we don’t have a ‘pot dog’ hospitalized in the ICU in Buzzards Bay,” said Dr Louisa Rahilly, medical director of Cape Cod Veterinary Specialists, which has hospitals in Buzzards Bay and Dennis. “I’m increasingly angry,” she said.

Dr Kirsten Sauter, owner of My Pet’s Vet in Vineyard Haven, has seen five cases in the past few months at her practice.

“It’s my most common toxicity problem,” she said.

For Brahms, Oct 4, 2019 was a typical day that began with a morning walk along Nauset Beach in Orleans.

McCann, his owner, was distracted picking up a piece of trash in the beach parking lot, but a leashed Brahms couldn’t resist eating a cigar-shaped object he found on the ground.

She noticed there was trash and a dumpster in the parking lot full of remnants from a recent music festival held at the beach, but thought Brahms had simply eaten the flattened brown head of a cat-o’-nine-tails plant.

“Hours later, we thought he was having a stroke,” McCann said. “He couldn’t walk, he was peeing everywhere and was hypersensitive to everything.”

A dead giveaway that something was wrong with Brahms was the marked departure from his typical cheerful and social behavior.

“He usually barks at neighbors, greets people and the highlight of his day is getting a treat from the mail man,” said McCann. “But he didn’t move. His eyes were so dilated.”

Brahms, who weighs less than 20 pounds, was rushed to his local veterinary office, and then transferred to the Cape Cod Veterinary Specialists hospital in Dennis where he spent the night. (AP)