Dog rushed to vet unable to walk straight; $900 diagnosis shocks owner
- Ash rushed her dog to the emergency vet after finding him unable to walk straight and unable to sit without peeing himself, leading to a $900 vet bill.
- The diagnosis revealed her dog had ingested 500 milligrams of marijuana edibles, resulting in the dog being "stoned," though the edible stash was thought to be well hidden.
- The vet reassured Ash that her dog would recover after receiving IV lipid treatment, and her social media post sparked a large pet owner response sharing similar experiences.
- Marijuana intoxication cases in pets have surged in recent years due to the appeal of edibles, which often resemble baked goods, but such cases are rarely fatal with proper treatment.
Panic set in for one owner after seeing her dog unable to walk straight, but $900 later, the diagnosis caught her by surprise.
The owner, Ash, shared on her Threads account @ashtablunt last week how she rushed her dog to the emergency vet when she came home and found him unable to walk straight, or to sit up without peeing himself. She said she "had no clue" what was happening to him.
The $900 vet trip revealed that her "dog was stoned." He managed to get into a stash of marijuana edibles, consuming 500 milligrams. Ash assured viewers in a comment that the edible was "three pockets deep" inside a backpack on a shelf. Her dog has also never chewed or eaten anything he is not supposed to, which left her confused as to why now.
But, thankfully, her vet calmed her fears. Her dog would be fine. They even gave him lipids through an IV for a few hours, she said in a comment. Newsweek reached out to @ashtablunt last week for additional information.
Her Threads post quickly grabbed people's attention, and as of Monday, it had reached over 11,200 likes, 2,200 comments and 1,000 shares. Pet owners flooded the comment section with similar experiences and photos, making her "feel less bad about his accident."
"My boyfriend's brother's pitty who got into SOMETHING on New Year's. He was fine after 24 hours, but absolutely was lights on, nobody home all night," commented one user.
Another said: "My dog found a tiny leftover doobie. Rushed to the vet. When we left, they said 'Bye stoner!'”
An emergency and urgent care vet nurse chimed in: "We see this alllll the time. We call it 'pot dog.' Don’t feel bad. Accidents happen and that’s why we’re here!"
The number of cases of marijuana intoxication has risen dramatically. In 2019, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) Animal Poison Control Center reported a 765 percent increase in calls about pets ingesting weed over 10 years. The abundance of edibles makes marijuana more enticing to dogs, as they often smell and taste like baked goods, an article from the ASPCA says.
Despite the frequent accidents, the American Kennel Club reports that marijuana toxicosis is rarely fatal, but caution is advised, as many edibles combine the drug with chocolate or artificial sweeteners—both of which are toxic to dogs. With proper treatment, and depending on the severity, most canines will recover within a day or two.
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