Toxin spotlight: Marijuana
Pets are much more sensitive to marijuana than we are, so even a small dose can have dramatic effects. Even worse, our pets don’t know to stop at one brownie or one gummy—they just keep gobbling a whole batch, landing them in bigger toxic trouble.
Depending on the dose of marijuana and how sensitive a pet is to its effects, symptoms can range from mild to severe, including:
The more serious symptoms are more likely to occur when a pet eats the highly concentrated, medical-grade marijuana.
To complicate matters further, edible versions of marijuana often have other pet toxins baked in, like chocolate or xylitol (a sugar-free sweetener). The trifecta of canine toxicity is a marijuana-infused chocolate brownie with raisins—it just doesn’t get more toxic to dogs than that.
The best policy is to treat marijuana like any other medication in the house—always keep it out of reach, ideally stored in high cabinets or locked in drawers when not in use. This is true for all forms of the drug—edibles, cigarettes or any other formulation—and regardless of whether it’s medicinal or recreational. Pets have a good sense of smell and will be tempted to eat candies, chips, chocolates and even plain marijuana directly if accessible.
Additionally, pets can become intoxicated by inhaling second-hand smoke. So remember to use marijuana responsibly and keep pets safe in a separate and well-ventilated room away from smoke.
Lastly, if your pet is showing signs of intoxication, take them to your veterinarian for evaluation and be sure to be forthcoming about what your pet has been exposed to. Your veterinarian will be able to help your pet much more effectively when given accurate information.
Did you know that marijuana toxicity in pets has become much more common during the pandemic? Learn about other top pandemic poisons that might be in your home. >>
