Steps To Take If Your Pet Ingests THC

What To Do When Your Pet Eats Your Cannabis Product

If you have companion animals, it is crucial for their well-being to keep your stash of cannabis products with THC out of their reach. The brains of dogs and cats contain more cannabinoid receptors than those of humans. As a result, the effects of ingesting cannabis is much more intense and potentially toxic for our fur babies. It only takes a small amount of cannabis to cause harm. In this article we will discuss how pets can gain access to your cannabis supply, the importance of securing your cannabis products after use and the steps to take once you realize they have consumed cannabis products.

How Pets Can Access Cannabis

• If you leave your cannabis products unattended, especially edibles, the likelihood is that a curious dog or cat may sample them.
• For those with indoor grows, dogs and cats may quite easily start nibbling on the leaves and flowers.

What To Do When Your Pet Ingests Cannabis

Call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 right away. The ASPCA line is available 24/7 (a consultation fee may apply). The information below will help you answer their questions.

Determine The Type of Product

Ranking of products starting with the least dangerous to the most dangerous:

• Inhaled Second-Hand Smoke
• Raw Cannabis; leaves or flower, which has not been decarboxylated
• Vaped or Smoked Cannabis Flower in which some THC may still be present
• Infused Edibles without Chocolate which varies depending on its ingredients and potency
• Cannabis-Infused Products such as butter, oils, honey, syrup, etc, depending on the potency
• Concentrates of even the smallest amount, especially for smaller animals
• Chocolate-Infused Edibles Chocolate is highly toxic to dogs and cats due to the presence of theobromine and caffeine, stimulants known as methylxanthines. The chocolate alone can make them sick and then adding the cannabinoids results in the double whammy!

Determine The Potency

The potency of the cannabis product your pet ingested plays a big role in the gravity of the situation. 10 mg of THC vs 100 mg THC? A small piece of brownie vs an entire batch of brownies, 1 gram of concentrate vs 5 grams, a mouthful of cannabutter vs the entire tub? You get the picture. The smaller the animal, the more its impact.

Evaluating Your Pet’s Symptoms

Hopefully, you will be able to estimate the approximate amount of cannabis ingested by your pet.

Gastrointestinal Symptoms

• Nausea and Loss of Appetite
• Vomiting and Diarrhea
• Dehydration
• Abdominal pain
• Bowel and Bladder Incontinence

Other Physiological Symptoms

• Allergy-related symptoms; excessive scratching, runny eyes and nose and irritability
• Changes in body temperature including alternating fever and chills
• Changes in breathing patterns
• Changes in heart rate (often slower than normal)
• General fatigue
• Constant barking, howling, growling or whining
• Dilated pupils and other unusual eye movements
• Drooling
• Wobbliness
• Mental and neurological symptoms; seizures, tremors, hallucinations and disorientation

If the above symptoms are left untreated for a long period, it is possible that your pet may become comatose and die.

What You Can Do While You Get Help

• If your pet is alert and able to drink, offer fresh water to help with the dehydrating effects of diarrhea and vomiting. The likelihood is that your pet won’t have much of an appetite, so you can also offer plain beef or chicken broth (with no onion or garlic, which are toxic to pets).
• Keep your pet in a quiet, safe space where it can’t fall or hurt itself, and keep a close eye on its breathing.
• Do not try to make your pet vomit or give it activated charcoal at home unless your veterinarian or poison control tells you to. Cannabis can make pets sedated and wobbly, which raises the risk of inhaling vomit, and hydrogen peroxide is not safe for cats.

Seek Professional Help

Erring on the side of caution by contacting your vet, regardless of what or how much cannabis your pet ingested, is always the safest choice.

Make sure to give your vet as much information as possible:

• The kind of product; bring the packaging with you, if possible
• Potency
• How long ago it was ingested
• If it contained chocolate or any other potentially toxic ingredient

Be honest! Clearly, if your pet ingested cannabis, you are already very contrite, concerned about its well-being and you want to make sure it recovers.

Your vet may give your pet intravenous fluids if it is obviously dehydrated. If the cannabis was eaten very recently, your vet may induce vomiting with veterinary medication and/or give activated charcoal to prevent any more absorption of toxins. A final intervention of stabilizing your pet’s cardiovascular system may be necessary. That would involve normalizing your pet’s heart rate and breathing patterns.

Keep All Cannabis Products Away From Pets

Be sure to make a habit of securing all cannabis products in locked boxes, drawers or out of reach cabinets after every session. It is so easy to leave them out, giving your curious pet access to them. With their exceptional sense of smell, cannabis-infused candies, chips and chocolates are very tempting to them. Also, keep your pets away from your second-hand smoke by putting them in separate, well-ventilated spaces. The same habits keep kids safe, too. Learn more in our guide to safe cannabis storage.

Can Cannabis Actually Kill Your Pet?

According to the ASPCA, cannabis ingestion is not usually life-threatening to pets, but deaths have occurred in rare cases, particularly when pets eat highly concentrated products or large amounts. Edibles that also contain chocolate, raisins or the sweetener xylitol bring their own dangers. That’s why it’s important to call for help right away rather than wait and see.

Of course, no pet owner wants to be responsible for the discomfort or death of their beloved dog or cat. Keeping them away from your cannabis products is the best way to protect them from harm.

Sources:

• leafly.com, Your Dog, Cat or Other Animal Ate High-THC Cannabis: What to Do, Lisa Rough, July 12, 2016
• dogingtonpost.com, What To Do If Your Dog Accidentally Eats Marijuana, Jeffery Thompson, Oct, 7, 2020
• vcahospitals.com, Cannabis Intoxication in Cats and Dogs, Rania Gollakner, DVM and Lynn Buzhardt, DVM
• aspca.org, Marijuana Safety in Pets