Pets are most frequently exposed when they ingest baked products with this drug as an ingredient, eat the remains of marijuana cigarettes, or otherwise get into somebody’s “stash”.

Almost all exposed animals will exhibit neurological signs (depression or alternating depression and excitement, falling over/incoordinated, hallucinations with barking or agitation, seizures or even coma).

Most animals recover fully following treatment and death occurs rarely. 

What is Marijuana Toxicity?

• Marijuana is the dried leaves and flowers from the hemp plant (Cannabis sativa) and the active chemical is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
• Pets are most frequently exposed when they ingest baked products with this drug as an ingredient, eat the remains of marijuana cigarettes, or otherwise get into somebody’s “stash”.  Sometimes there is an intentional intoxication by the owner or another person. 
• THC is absorbed quickly into the bloodstream and signs of intoxication can be seen from within minutes up to 3 hours after exposure.  The drug is eliminated quite quickly, but can be absorbed into fat making signs last for up to 3-4 days.  Most animals will make a full recovery with supportive care from your veterinarian.

Clinical Signs

• Over 95% of the patients seen for this are dogs.  Almost all exposed animals will exhibit neurological signs (depression or alternating depression and excitement, falling over/incoordinated, hallucinations with barking or agitation, seizures or even coma).  Approximately 1/3 of exposed animals will exhibit gastrointestinal signs (vomiting, diarrhea, dry mouth, or drooling).  They may also develop a high or low body temperature, breath fast, have a high or low heart rate, have dilated pupils, and may leak urine.

Diagnosis

• THC can easily be detected in either blood or urine.
  Some hospitals have the urine tests available in their on-site laboratory.
• Tell your vet!
  If you know your pet has been exposed to a drug such as marijuana it is important that you tell your veterinarian as soon as you arrive so that they can treat him or her appropriately.  Your vet is not under any obligation to report these events to the police and needs to know what they are dealing with early to avoid unnecessary tests and help the dog recover as quickly as possible.
  

Treatment

• If the pet recently ingested the marijuana (within 30 minutes of eating) you or your veterinarian can induce emesis (make the dog vomit) to minimize the amount of toxin available to be absorbed.  Sometimes the anti-nausea effects of marijuana can make it hard to induce vomiting.  If he/she is showing signs or it has been longer than 30 minutes, your veterinarian can administer something called activated charcoal which will help to reduce the amount of toxin absorbed. 

Prognosis

• Most animals recover fully following treatment and death occurs rarely.  Your pet may be hospitalized for observation of temperature, heart rate, and breathing, and for treatment with intravenous fluids, repeat administration of activated charcoal, and intensive nursing care if critical.  Some animals require sedation with valium, and rarely may require assistance breathing if breathing is severely affected.