Have you caught your dog eating marijuana? This is usually not going to cause serious problems. However, depending on what, and how much, your dog ate, it could be time to see the vet.
Dogs are much smaller than people which means that there is a higher likelihood of them experiencing cannabis toxicity when they accidentally snack on your stash. Here’s what you need to know to keep your dog safe while still enjoying a good high.
Do Dogs Eat Cannabis?
It’s one thing to ask “can eating weed get you high” for yourself, but it’s another story altogether for your pet dog.
If you ever spent time living with a dog, you know that they have a bad habit of eating just about everything. They’ll chew up furniture, electronics, and yes, even in your cannabis stash. Dogs are known to chow down on everything from joints to edibles.
Edibles are a particular problem for your dog. They might look, and smell, like a tasty treat, but the dog has no way of knowing that they contain THC and other cannabis compounds.
How To Prevent Your Dog From Eating Weed
The best thing you can do to prevent your dog from eating cannabis is to store it safely. Keep it in a cabinet that’s high up and out of reach of your dog to help prevent them from accidentally snacking on your stash. You should also store your cannabis in a container that the dog can’t open such as a mason jar.
Is Cannabis Poisonous For Dogs
Cannabis is toxic for dogs in large quantities. One thing to keep in mind is that dogs are much smaller than people and what counts as a large dose of cannabis for them is a lot smaller than what it would count for us. It’s not just the canvas that the dog might eat, but the other ingredients in the cannabis products as well.
One of the most common cannabis products for dogs to eat are edibles. After all, edibles are essentially just candy and other snacks with some THC and other cannabinoids included. Ingredients like chocolate, artificial sweeteners, and certain oils can be hazardous for your dog’s health.
This is why it’s important to know the symptoms of cannabis toxicity in dogs.
Symptoms Of Cannabis Toxicity In Dogs
If you caught your dog eating marijuana, you might start to see some signs of cannabis toxicity in dogs. Humans have fewer cannabis receptors, weigh more, and metabolize cannabis differently which makes the potential risks of cannabis much lower for us than it is for dogs.
Here are a few of the symptoms you can see in a dog that accidentally ate some weed.
- Shaking
- Tremors
- Stumbling as if “drunk”
- Unusual barking or whining
- Either hyperactive or lethargic
- Urinary incontinence (dribbling urine)
- Dilated pupils
- Vomiting
Keep in mind that these symptoms might not all appear at once. Some of them might not even show up at all. It all depends on your dog, what they ate, and how they respond. Your best bet is to see the vet even if the symptoms aren’t present.
Should You Take Your Dog To The Vet?
It might be a little embarrassing to take your dog to the vet after they eat your stash, but you should know that this has gotten a lot more common than you might think. As cannabis legislation has swept the country, poison control centers and veterinary offices have seen a sharp increase in the amount of dogs that are eating cannabis products.
This has to do with cannabis being more easily available and individuals being less worried about potential legal repercussions than before.
The safest thing you can do for your dogs is to take them to the vet right away. Even if they aren’t experiencing symptoms, they could still be suffering from cannabis toxicity that only a veterinarian can properly handle.
At the end of the day, your family dog is more important than the small veterinary fee and a little bit of social embarrassment.
Wrapping Up What To Do If Your Dog Eats Weed
Cannabis can be potentially dangerous for your dogs. Make sure that you keep your stash out of reach and in a container that your dogs can open. If they accidentally chow down on your cannabis stash, make sure to take them to the vet right away.
