The psychoactive ingredient in cannabis that affects pets is a cannabinoid called tetrahydrocannabinol, commonly referred to as THC.
“Most of the cases that we see, it’s been the higher concentrated products like butter, and edibles, brownies, those types of things,” Nitschelm, 59, said.
But it’s not just baked goods and oils that can harm hounds. Dogs can get high from raw marijuana leaves and stems. While THC has to be smoked or dissolved in fat in order for human bodies to absorb it and feel its effects, dogs can simply eat part of a bud and become intoxicated. And they don’t need much.
“In rare cases, the ash from a joint can cause some dogs to react,” Stone said. “Someone will toss out a roach, or the end of a joint, and a dog on a hike will just snack on that. And just that little, tiny quantity — in some cases maybe a quarter of a gram, a tenth of a gram — can cause severe signs in some animals.”
Symptoms can be frightening and unfamiliar. Nitschelm said dogs on the drug can be “blase all the way up to non-responsive.”
Tandi Ngwenyama, a clinical instructor of emergency and small animal critical care at Washington State University, has seen a number of cannabis toxicity cases throughout her career, especially since recreational legalization. Ngwenyama, 35, said dogs poisoned with marijuana have abnormal mental activity.
“They might be a little bit more depressed or agitated; they’ll walk around like they’re drunk,” she said. “Also pretty classic is they seem to be dribbling urine.”
Depending on the concentration of THC consumed, affected dogs can breathe slowly and ineffectively, Ngwenyama said. They may even become comatose.
“When we see a dog that comes in and it’s lethargic, dribbling urine and having trouble standing, it’s almost a sure-fire sign that the dog has gotten into marijuana,” Stone said.
While cannabis toxicity is not known to kill dogs, there can still be fatal complications.
Cannabis Poisoning in Dogs: What to Do | The Cannabis Advisory
Do Dogs Get High? Effects and Dangers of Marijuana (thesprucepets.com)