Warning to pet owners as dog 'swallows cannabis' at beauty spot

Pet owners are being warned after a dog was rushed to the vets over the weekend after eating what is believed to have been cannabis. The dog reportedly became disoriented and its back legs stopped working after walking in a popular spot in St Helens on Saturday.

The dog has reportedly been on a drip in the vets for the past two days following the incident, reported the owner of a local dog walking business and friend of the owner. She told the ECHO how the dog was being walked at The Dream in St Helens on Saturday before it became seriously ill and disorientated.

She said: “Her back legs wouldn't work and she was rushed to the vets. Thankfully, the owner was with her so saw it happen. They rushed straight to the vets and the vets have said that there have been a few other cases of this happening.”

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A 20-year-old woman, who did not want to be named, from Prescot, previously had the same thing happen to her dog, Pudding, earlier this year and is urging owners to be more vigilant as she feared she could have lost her dog. She had been walking Pudding on Browns Field and like any other dog he was walking and sniffing the ground, he then stopped to eat something - she said she “couldn't get it off him quick enough.” He then started “behaving strangely,” the woman said: “He started to behave really strangely, he was lethargic, his back legs went numb and they wouldn’t work. He was only nine months old at the time, it was terrifying.

“Thankfully, I work with dogs so I’m fully qualified and know what to look out for. I knew something was wrong but I didn’t know what - I didn’t know if he had eaten chocolate or something. Within 20 minutes of him eating it his eyes had gone bloodshot, he couldn't stand up, he was lethargic and had a big delay in his response, it took him two minutes just to sit down.

"The vets did tests on him and it came back that he had consumed an edible, like chocolate cannabis, there was 1,000mg of chocolate cannabis in his system. He was really sick.”

The woman has shared her story to create awareness of the dangers cannabis and other poisonous substances can have on dogs if they consume it. At the time she feared Pudding was going to die. She said: “With him being a pup they [the vet] wanted to keep him in to keep a close eye on him. He was at the vets for 48 hours on a drip. I was in bits. They pumped the cannabis through his system and then they pumped charcoal into him to make him vomit. It took another couple of days for him to come down from what had happened after getting him home.

“It cost me £2,500 in emergency vet bills. It was terrifying, we thought he was going to die, he was so ill and not himself, he was so wiped out we thought we were going to lose him. The scary part with owners is that not everyone knows the signs to look out for, they could have just gone home not noticing anything and gone to bed and woke up with a dead dog in the morning. It's awful that it’s still happening.”

A spokesperson for the RSPCA said: “If anyone suspects that their pet has been poisoned they should seek urgent veterinary advice. The dangers of a dog consuming cannabis include over-stimulation and a high temperature and they may require intravenous fluids, therefore it is vital that the dog is taken to a vet immediately for treatment.

“Dogs can be very motivated to eat food they find on the ground. To help prevent poisoning we would advise that dog owners make sure their dogs have a good recall so they can be called back should you have any concerns about what they are approaching. It can also be very helpful to teach your dog to ‘leave’ or ‘drop’ items so that you can try to get them to willingly give up anything which you have concerns about them eating.

“Many different substances can poison pets so it is beneficial for pet owners to be aware of the signs of poisoning so they can ensure they take their animals to a vet immediately.”

RSPCA has issued advice on signs to look out for if you suspect your dog has been poisoned, or for more information click here. They said poisoning can vary depending on what the dog has eaten but may include one, or several of the following:

• Vomiting

• Seeming depressed or sleepy

• Appearing drunk and uncoordinated

• Seizures

• Difficulty breathing

• Diarrhea

• High temperature

• Dehydration