What to do if your pet becomes high
It’s important for pet owners to seek help from veterinary general practitioners or emergency care doctors if they suspect that their animal is sick.
The first part of any exam may involve observing the animal “before you even put hands on them,” Graham said.
“That can really tell you a lot of information,” she said. “Just reading their body language, seeing what their vitals are doing before you get into an in-depth physical exam.”
Next, getting information from pet owners about events leading up to signs of illness, and any other relevant details, is critical, Graham said. However, when marijuana is involved, that can sometimes be a little tricky.
“It’s very important that owners know that we’re not going to rat them out,” Dr. Robin Goyle, veterinarian and co-owner of Main Line Urgent Vet, said.
In order for pet owners to feel comfortable with them, they need to build a safe space, Graham said.
“Our job as veterinarians is not to get an owner in trouble,” she said. “The more information we know, the better we can do to figure out what’s going on.”
People have been more forthcoming in recent years about eating marijuana edibles or smoking at home, Graham and Goyle said. But in other cases, it can still take time to get to the truth.
“I had one dog come in once where [the appointment] started as, ‘It ate chocolate.’ Then it turned into, ‘It ate brownies.’ Then it was ‘homemade brownies.’ Then it was ‘homemade pot brownies.’ Turns out, there were no brownies, it was just a dime bag of marijuana,” Graham said.
It can also be helpful when pet owners can provide information about the kinds of products and medications they keep at home, Goyle said. Without that information, it can take longer to identify what might be causing symptoms.
“Even if it’s just that you take pictures of [prescriptions], trying to bring all that information with you is really crucial for us to be able to make the right decisions,” Goyle said. “Because there are certain medications that are extremely toxic and are extremely dangerous and immediately require certain things and certain care.”
Historically, most cases of cannabis toxicity in animals have happened because a pet got into products at home. But recently, Graham and Goyle said they’ve also had longtime clients come in with pets who’ve ingested discarded, used marijuana joints or other products outside.
“All of a sudden people are saying, ‘We went for a walk, 30 minutes later, my dog is flat out and I don’t know what happened.’ And I believe them,” Graham said.