One day your Tripawd is playing around as usual, the next day you find him catatonic and barely alert. If you have any cannabis in your home, there’s a chance your cat or dog overdosed on marijuana. Since many Tripawds members use medicinal cannabis for pets to treat cancer, pain and other conditions, we hope these tips from the Pet Poison Helpline will help your pet get treated quickly.
Think Your Cat or Dog Overdosed on Marijuana? Here’s What to Do.
The rise of marijuana legalization has coincided with an increase in the number of dogs and cats who OD on pot. From CBD oils to THC brownies and cannabis cookies, the Pet Poison Helpline has seen a 330% increase in accidental marijuana overdoses in the last five years.
“Marijuana in its many forms is more prevalent and potent than ever before,” says Dr. Ahna Brutlag, DVM MS, DABT, DABVT, Associate Director of Veterinary Services at the Pet Poison Helpline (PPH). Even a small amount of accidental pot ingestion poses a big risk for pets, says Dr. Brutlag. That’s because the pot of yesterday is much stronger than today’s and the effects of an overdose can be scary to a pet parent, and terrifying to the animal.
If you think your dog overdosed on marijuana, here’s what to do.
First, look for the most common signs of marijuana overdose in pets:
- Sedation / lethargy
- Dilated pupils or glassy eyes
- Dazed expression
- Difficulty walking
- Salivation
- Vomiting
- High or low heart rate
- Vocalizations like whining, crying
- Agitation
- Incontinence/dribbling urine
- Tremors
- Seizures
- Potentially, coma.
How Long Does Marijuana Overdose Last in Pets?
“Signs of toxicity can be seen anywhere from 5 minutes to 12 hours after the animal is exposed to marijuana. The signs can potentially last 30 minutes to several days depending on the dose ingested,” says Audra Stillabower, CVT Veterinary Information Specialist at the Pet Poison Helpline.
What You Can Do to Help Your Pet
First, don’t worry about getting into trouble. Veterinarians only want to help your pet feel better, not turn you into the police.
Once under the care of a vet, your pet can get treated with care that includes anti-nausea medication, intravenous fluids, activated charcoal and monitoring to ensure they are safe until the unpleasant effects of marijuana overdose subside.
Recovery can take one to two days, depending on how much marijuana was ingested. As for the bill? Usually it’s in the $1,000 range.
If you find yourself in a medical emergency, call your veterinarian or Pet Poison Helpline at 800-213-6680. They are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week even on holidays to help with pet poison emergencies.
I sit here,, reluctant to give simon his first thc full extract oil as I read this,.. I will probably start tomorrow… I read that vomiting is the reason they can get into trouble, if left unattended.. etc..
You definitely want to take the less is more approach Luke. Hope it goes well!
I used drops called Creature Comfort for Zelda during her last few weeks. I feel this product allowed her a more peaceful life at the end. This product gave her more comfort than the prescribed drugs she was given at the onset of her cancer. I would not hesitate to repeat the use of this product over prescription drugs.
I have Kailey on RSO (Rick Simpson Oil).my friend put her dog on it for nasal cancer and has seen improvement. Her nasal swelling has gone down and she is sneezing less with less blood and discharge. There is a documentary called run from the cure on you tube. She has tolerated it well. I will mention that the dose I am giving her is just a drop twice a day. Once I gave her too much and she had trouble walking and even standing up for a few hours. I was panicked and thought she was having a stroke. I contacted my friend and she said her dog gets like that if she gets too much and she has four legs. So I have been cautious to keep the dose low. I don’t know if it is helping but i feel like I am doing something. The vet did recommend starting chemo but I will be honest, I am glad I have not suppressed her immune system in a time when she is recovering from surgery and also happened to develope a cellulitis in her existing forelimb. The RSO oil is supposed to destroy cancer cells and help build healthy cells. Chemo kills all cells good and bad. I hope it helps Kailey and at least I feel like I am trying to do something to help her.
Thank you for sharing your experience Joni, we hope it is helping Kailey as well so that she may continue to enjoy life. Please keep in mind that there is no evidence that cannabis products will destroy cancer cells. If there was, I have no doubt that our veterinarians would know about it.