Is Marijuana Safe For Dogs? Vets Share Symptoms Of Weed Poisoning

With recreational use of marijuana now legal in Arizona, vets are concerned about cases of marijuana poisoning in dogs possibly increasing.

The dog of one woman from Mesa, Arizona, is among the animals who have been diagnosed with marijuana poisoning after he apparently ate some while they were on a walk. Pet owner Gayle Schambach now wants to draw attention to this issue and keep it from happening to more dogs.

"About an hour and a half later he started looking like he was playing tug of war only he wasn’t he was backing up and shaking and his eyes were all glossed over," Schambach told Fox 10 Phoenix of the symptoms her 90-pound Labradoodle named Copper exhibited after ingesting marijuana.

Although most dogs are able to recover on their own, health experts still urge pet owners to keep an eye on their pets whenever outside as their furry friends could still experience severe symptoms. Dr. Marcella Granfone of Arizona Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care Center (AVECCC) reported that their clinic regularly gets several cases of marijuana poisoning in pets each week.

"We have seen more severe effects from edible products where pets can come in looking comatose and actually will need a machine to breathe for them for a period of time," Granfone explained.

Now that the use of marijuana for recreational purposes has been legalized in the state, Granfone hopes pet owners will store their edible cannabis products carefully and out of reach from their animals.

"We’re very concerned that if there’s more access to them than you know, dogs can get into a lot of things. So definitely warning owners to be more cautious of the edible products. They’re just a lot stronger," she said.

Pet owners should be alert to symptoms of marijuana poisoning in dogs. On its website, pet care company Wag explained that toxicity can occur when dogs ingest a minimum of 3 grams per kilogram of marijuana. The dog would exhibit symptoms of marijuana poisoning within one hour of ingestion, but symptoms would vary depending on the amount eaten.

The website provided the symptoms to look out for to determine if a dog has ingested the harmful substance.

• Depression
• Drooling
• Hypermetria
• Incontinence
• Vomiting
• Mydriasis
• Body tremors
• Bradycardia
• Hypothermia
• Agitation
• Ataxia
• Tachycardia
• Tachypnea
• Nystagmus
• Excitability
• Seizures

Meanwhile, the Banner Health Poison and Drug Information Center reported a 34% increase in marijuana exposure calls in 2020, suggesting that this issue isn't exclusively for dogs or other pets.

Just this year, it has already received about 22 calls for marijuana exposure involving kids under the age of 16.