More dogs ingesting cannabis, opioids
In the past few years, opioids and cannabinoids have received a great deal of attention from the media and public health authorities.
The dangers of opioids remains high, despite the efforts of public health authorities, the medical community, policy-makers and academics focused on combating addiction and substance abuse.
In 2019 alone, there were more than 49,000 opioidrelated deaths in the United States.
Additionally, changing attitudes towards cannabis and global trends in cannabis legalization have increased access to a variety of cannabisbased products, particularly edibles, which pose additional hazards as the public may be unfamiliar with their safe use.
Recent research by the authors highlights the potential impacts of opioid and cannabinoid use patterns in humans on pet dogs.
Community-level factors reflect the level or nature of drug consumption in a given environment, while dog-level factors like breed and size affect an animal’s likelihood of exposure or the health impact of a particular exposure.
In the U.S., the risk of opioid poisoning for dogs being reported to the APCC increases with rising opioid prescription rates in a county. In terms of dog-level characteristics, the risk of an opioid poisoning being reported is higher for non-neutered, younger and smaller dogs.
For cannabis, findings suggest that lower legal penalties for cannabis use and possession are associated with an increased risk of dog poisoning events involving cannabinoid products. The odds of these calls were al
The dogs’ characteristics also influenced these calls, with reports of poisoning from cannabinoid products being higher among non-neutered, smaller and male dogs.
Opioid poisonings in dogs declined over the study period - between 2005 and 2014 - which may indicate that opioid dog poisonings are more related to prescription opioids than illegally obtained opioids; the overall rate of prescribed opioids declined while there has been an apparent increase in the use of illegally obtained opioids, such as heroin.
However, cannabinoid poisoning reports increased between 2009 and 2014, suggesting that the problem may be getting worse for canine populations.
The research took advantage of a large pre-existing database, but other studies still need to be conducted to support our findings. Education will likely play an important role in preventing these poisoning events, but the appropriate medium, target audiences and messages still need to be explored.
The goal of this research is not to vilify those who use drugs, justify if these drugs should or shouldn’t be legal, or even how they should be controlled.
In terms of drug policy, the shift away from a law enforcement to a public health focus should have enormous benefits in the treatment of drug addiction.
For the public, the main take home message from our research is that it is important for people to be aware of drugs in their environment. Accidental exposures to pets and other vulnerable populations, including children, are preventable.
For consumers of recreational drugs, whether legally or illegally acquired, there is a responsibility for the proper storage and disposal of these products.