Tossed marijuana butt sends puppy to emergency care in Kamloops
A woman in Kamloops got a scare when her puppy suddenly started shaking and fell over a few days ago.
Bette Kriese Hill had just returned home from a walk with her little four-pound, 14-week-old Yorkie puppy called Frankie Rey.
“Frankie lay down at the front door in the sunshine that was coming through the screen,” Hill said. “Twenty minutes later he was shaking like a leaf. I went to pick him up and he just fell over, he couldn’t stand up. It was scary and we knew something was really wrong.”
The family rushed the puppy to a nearby veterinary clinic for help.
A blood test revealed no clues as to the cause of Frankie’s serious health problem, but a urine test revealed the pup had THC in his system.
It is assumed the puppy ingested a marijuana butt during his walk, something the B.C. SPCA warns pet owners about regularly as the drug is harmful to dogs.
“It was terrifying and costly,” Hill said. “His little head kept bobbing back and forth when he tried to look at us. His eyes were glazed over and his pupils were big. It was touch and go for a while."
READ MORE: Warning about marijuana dangers from SPCA after puppy named Bear overdoses
Many dogs are attracted to the smell of marijuana butts left on sidewalks and in dog parks, and ingesting them can be dangerous for them.
In Frankie’s case it took him close to 24 hours for his health to start improving again.
“He started doing a bit better the following morning,” Hill said. “He was still very tired but managed to eat a little bit. He isn’t quite four pounds, it has been really hard on him.”
If your dog is exposed to marijuana by ingesting it or inhaling second hand smoke there a number of symptoms they might display, according to the B.C. SPCA website.
This includes lethargy, loss of balance, vomiting and whining, with more serious symptoms being things like seizures, coma, irregular heartbeat and breathing problems.
Signs of possible toxicity show up anywhere between five minutes to 12 hours after exposure. Depending on the amount of marijuana the dog has been exposed to, symptoms of poisoning can last from 30 minutes to multiple days.
Marijuana can be lethal for dogs when a large amount has been ingested.
READ MORE: Family helpless as dog dies horrible death amid vet shortage in Kamloops
Frankie the dog ingested the butt in Lower Aberdeen on Braeview Place.
Hill is asking people who smoke marijuana to not throw butts on the ground.
If your dog has been exposed to marijuana, call your veterinarian or Animal Poison Control immediately.
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