LAKE COUNTY — Dogs are being poisoned by pot.
Three Lake County veterinarians said it is common for people to bring the animals to the vet after.
“It is pretty common,” Joanna Holtz, a veterinarian at the Middletown Animal Hospital, said. “We see several cases every month.”
“We definitely see cases of (marijuana) ingestion,” Debi Sally, a veterinarian at the Clearlake Veterinary Clinic, said. “We”ve seen more cases in the last year than before.”
“It is a little seasonal,” Lisa Takesue, a veterinarian at the Mainstreet Veterinary Clinic in Lakeport, said. “On average, we see one case every week to two weeks.”
Sally said dogs that have ingested marijuana show signs in their movements.
“Most of the time, the dog will exhibit signs of being stoned: neurologic symptoms, wobbly, jerking motions, sleeping a lot,” she said. Holtz identified other signs of marijuana ingestion in dogs.
“They”ll walk funny, are very unsteady on their feet and may have a head bob,” Holtz said. “They walk around and pee everywhere. Those are some of the signs. Sometimes, the dog is completely out of it. It depends on the size of the dog and the amount ingested. It doesn”t seem like it takes much to get a strong effect in most dogs.”
Takesue said some dogs may exhibit comatose signs.
“The dog acts like it can”t wake up sometimes, but they”re just very sedated,” Takesue said. “The dog is not usually in a life-threatening situation but the owners think they”re going into a coma. It”s scary but the dogs usually do pretty good. They just sleep through it.”
She said dogs may also become startled easily.
“When you shake the dog, they go from a sedated animal to an exaggerated startled response,” she said. “Owners think they”re going to go into a seizure. If they get a significant amount, their muscles begin to twitch from too much stimulation. They may just be lying there and their muscles begin to twitch.”
Sally said a large enough dose could be lethal to dogs.
“With anyone, an overdose to a large enough degree would be life-threatening,” Sally said. “Kidney problems could develop from ingestion if it is a large amount.”
Sally consulted a veterinary toxicology book to find out the canine lethal dosage for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive constituent in marijuana.
“It says the minimum lethal oral dose is greater than three grams per kilogram of the weight of the dog for THC,” she said. “It would have to be a fairly large amount.”
Holtz said she”s had some close calls where a dog almost died from ingestion.
“I had one dog come in unconscious, but it did survive,” she said.
She said treatment for marijuana ingestion depends on the severity, signs and history of the dog.
“We may induce vomiting, may give activated charcoal to absorb the toxins,” she said. “We recommend having blood work (drawn) to make sure any other problems are normal, their electrolytes levels are normal and their organs are functioning OK. We”ll put them on intravenous fluids, depending.”
Takesue said dogs with muscle spasms may be tranquilized.
“For more twitchy dogs, we may tranquilize them so they can relax and control any muscle tremors or twitching,” she said.
All three veterinarians recommended contacting a veterinarian if dogs are displaying any of the signs identified.
“If the dog is throwing up a lot or is really out of it, they should be seen or hospitalized,” Sally said.
“We always recommend calling a vet or bringing them in for treatment,” Holtz said. “The situation can get really bad. It”s easy for them to get sick.”
“Call the vet because even if the dog isn”t brought in, we can still talk about the symptoms,” Takesue said. “Other drugs are out there. Antifreeze can produce the same symptoms. That (antifreeze) can kill a dog. Owners should call a vet if they”re worried their dog ingested something they”re not sure about. We need to talk to them and figure out detailed information and recommend a visit or monitoring the dog at home.”
Kevin N. Hume can be reached at kevin.n.hume@gmail.com or call directly 263-5636 ext. 14. Follow on Twitter: @KevinNHume.
