Keep pups away from pot, warns N.L. vet seeing spike in cannabis-poisoned dogs

A Mount Pearlvet says more and more dogs are getting seriously ill after eating discarded joints and other forms of cannabis littered in public places, with at least four cases of weed-poisonedpups brought to clinics in the last two weeks.

"We had three just this past weekend," said Maggie Brown-Bury, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Veterinary Medical Association.

"If adog comes in here stumbling, walking like they're drunk, dribbling pee, we go to touch them and they jump back99 per cent of the time, it's marijuana," she said.

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Dogs have a lower tolerance to THC than humans, and can be toxicwhen ingested, even in small amounts. That makes it easy for owners to be caught off-guard on an outing.

"A lot of the time when we ask them what have they done today, they'll say 'we were down inBannermanPark,'" she said.

"Everybody knows that people smoke inBannermanPark, so all it takes is for a dog is to pick up a roach they find on the ground, and that can be enough. They're very sensitive to theTHC."

Legalization, and littering laziness

With legalized recreational marijuana coming to Canada Oct. 17, users are becomingmore open about their consumption, to the point where they have stopped hiding their products and are littering them in public places.

"In Colorado, in the States, pot has been legalized for a while and we've heard from veterinarians there that they did see an increase in toxicity because people aren't hiding it," Brown-Bury said.

For dogs, that's an open invitation for mischief.

"Dogs love everything. They love the gummy bears thathave marijuana in them, and dogs love chocolate even though it's bad for them. So the brownies, the muffins, all those sort of things. The dog is going to eat it and they're not going to do well," she said.

Keeping pups away from pot

When walking your pooch in public parks, it's a good idea to keep an eye on what they might be chewing on, says Brown-Bury.

What they're eating might have a bit of an accidental extra kick of the electric lettuce.

"If you see them going to sniff at something, go to pick it up, you should investigate as well," she said.

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Brown-Bury added dog owners should consider some extra training to ensurecannabis and canines don't mix.

"It's excellent to teach your dog the command 'off.' So my own dog, when I say 'off' whatever is in her mouth she's going to drop it," she said.

"If they happen to swallow something ,just keep a closeeye on them. If it was something with marijuana it's going to happen pretty quickly."

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