NOT FOR DOGS
Vet believes dog survived because dose of cannabis ingested was small
Oakville woman warns pet owners of the danger of discarded pot butts,
DAVID LEA An Oakville resident is asking cannabis users to dispose of their joints safely after her puppy nearly died after eating a marijuana cigarette.
Teresa Ollerenshaw-Ramsey said the incident took place on the evening of Oct. 19, two days after legalization.
She had let her eight-monthold Yorkshire terrier puppy, Lola, out on her condo balcony for some exercise and soon realized something was wrong when Lola came back inside.
“She was on my lap and I was just petting her and I thought, ‘Aww, she’s falling asleep,’ ” Ollerenshaw-Ramsey said.
“I just thought she was dozy. I went to stand up and I stood her up on the coach and she fell over and she started to tremor and shake.”
The concerned pet owner immediately took Lola to an emergency animal hospital in Burlington, where the veterinarian concluded Lola was suffering from THC poisoning. Ollerenshaw-Ramsey, who emphasized she does not smoke cannabis herself, said she has had ongoing issues with people flicking cigarettes, including marijuana cigarettes, from condo units above her.
She believes Lola must have found one of these discarded roaches and eaten it.
Ollerenshaw-Ramsey says she was able to get Lola to a veterinarian within 45 minutes.
The veterinarian induced vomiting and kept Lola overnight. The little dog has since recovered and is back home.
The Oakville resident says the veterinarian told her Lola was saved by the fact that the roach was so small.
Had it been larger or had Ollerenshaw-Ramsey waited longer before seeking medical care, the veterinarian said Lola could have died or suffered permanent damage.
While Ollerenshaw-Ramsey says she has no issues with the legalization of cannabis, she is calling on pot users to be responsible when discarding joints.
“Please be mindful of where you are disposing of your roaches. Don’t just throw them into the street or off a balcony,” she said. “I could have lost her. ”
Dr. Christina Miu of the Oakville Animal Clinic said that while she has not seen a sudden increase in the number of animals being brought in with possible THC poisoning since legalization, she said it is something she has seen before and expects to start seeing more of now.
“In the past, people wouldn’t admit what happened as much because it wasn’t legal. We would have a few owners who would say, ‘Yes, this is what they got into,’ ” Miu said.
“Now that it is legal I think it is something that we may see coming in more often. Especially because there are going to be more edibles around. For dogs, that’s what they usually enjoy.”
Miu said no level of cannabis is safe for dogs or cats simply because not enough safety studies have been done to know what constitutes a toxic dose.
She said dogs that ingest marijuana can experience a slow heart rate, low blood pressure, low body temperature, ataxia (stumbling, loss of co-ordination) and depression.
“Those signs usually do resolve after 72 hours,” Miu said.
“However, there are cases where they can have seizures, they can be dehydrated or they can have really high heart rates and they need to go to emergency hospitals to get supportive care.”
Miu emphasized that if the dog eats enough cannabis the reaction can be fatal.
She noted there have been cases where cats have ingested marijuana, however, they are less common because of the nature of a feline’s eating habits.
Miu said anyone who is aware of their dog or cat eating any amount of cannabis should contact their veterinarian or an emergency animal hospital immediately.