Marijuana Toxicity

In an effort to help pet owners  better understand how marijuana affects pets, the veterinary and toxicology experts at VSH Palm Beach have provided these answers to some of the more frequently asked questions.


The VSH Palm Beach Team is dedicated to your pets health!
Providing Complete Care – Committed To Excellence

Marijuana Toxicity

Q. Can pets die from marijuana poisoning?

A. Yes, but thankfully this is rare. Speaking in terms of drugs, marijuana has a “wide margin of safety,” meaning that the lethal dose is extremely high as compared to the lower dose necessary to result in therapeutic effect (or in this case, toxic effect). Therefore, it’s extremely rare for pets to ingest enough marijuana to cause death, although they may still need medical treatment to recover from poisoning. In the recent Colorado study, two small dogs died, both of which had ingested baked goods made with highly concentrated medical grade marijuana butter. Over the past five years, no marijuana-related deaths in pets have been reported to Pet Poison Helpline.

Q. How do pets get exposed?

A. Poisoning in pets can occur following inhalation of the smoke, ingestion of the dried plant, ingestion of foods laced with marijuana (e.g., brownies, cookies, butter), or products made with hashish. Most commonly, dogs eat the dried plant directly from their owner’s stash, or eat foods made to contain marijuana. When those foods also contain chocolate, the risk of additional poisoning is increased.

Q. What are the signs of marijuana poisoning in pets?

A. Signs of marijuana poisoning in dogs and cats include glassy-eyes, stumbling/incoordination, dilated pupils, vomiting, coma, and in about 25 percent of dogs, agitation and excitement. Urinary incontinence or urine dribbling is also very common, especially in dogs. Serious effects include changes in heart rate, coma, tremors, and seizures. The signs typically begin 30 to 60 minutes after ingestion, or sooner if inhaled.

Q. What are the treatments for marijuana poisoning?

A. Treatment for marijuana poisoning includes IV fluids, anti-vomiting medication, oxygen, blood pressure monitoring, thermoregulation, and in severe cases, ventilator/respirator support. Decontamination (including inducing vomiting and giving charcoal to bind up the poison) may be performed if the ingestion was recent or large, but should never be done without consulting a veterinarian or Pet Poison Helpline. However, inducing vomiting may be difficult due to the properties of marijuana. It can take pets 18 to 36 hours to recover.

Article Provided By:

Comment (1)

  1. dianne dickstein

    Do you aware of any research on cannbis oil for treatment of glaucoma in dogs? Thank you.dianne dickstein

Leave a Reply
