THC and Dogs: Is Weed Safe for Pets

So there you have it; a dog and marijuana enthusiast. You’ve got a secret stash hidden somewhere special to keep it safe, and you make sure your dog doesn’t discover it.

The first sign of trouble comes when you realize that Sparky has discovered your stash. Only… the unthinkable happens; Sparky has found it. Your dog has eaten your stash, and you now have to figure out what to do.

Is dog going to get high? Is dog going to become sick? Is dog going to die?!

Let’s analyze what happens to your dog when he ingests marijuana, as well as what you should do if it ever happens.

Does Weed Affect Dogs?

First and foremost, it’s critical to realize that your cannabis will have an influence on your dog. To grasp this, let us examine what marijuana is and why it has an effect.

Cannabis has been around for millions of years, and it didn’t develop THC and CBD oil to allow some stupid monkeys to get high off of it — they did it because they needed protection.

Hemp, on the other hand, contains trace levels of THC and other cannabinoids that were produced in cannabis plants to protect against grazing animals. It’s only reasonable that you don’t want anything munching on you by some long-extinct cow.

So, in order to survive over a long period of time, the plant attempts to think of various methods. Some plants produce spikes or poisons; cannabis does something unique.

Cannabis is loaded with THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids; when you eat THC, it gives you a psychotropic high. That’s great. Now try to picture yourself smoking a big bowl or one joint instead of eating the traditional way.

When cannabinoids are consumed, they interact with your endocannabinoid system, a health mechanism that regulates a variety of bodily functions, including pain perception, neurochemical production rate, and even inflammation.

When you consume THC, it binds to your primary endocannabinoid receptor, the CB1 receptor. It sits there and activates it, giving you a euphoric high.

The higher you feel after ingesting cannabis, the more susceptible you are to over-stimulation. Your brain becomes flooded with cannabinoids, causing it to panic and go into shock.

These emotions can now be controlled through forced dosage control and selective breeding, however in the past… your every day cannabis plant isn’t going to be meticulously balanced to produce your desired effect.

Cannabinoids use a variety of methods to protect themselves against the effects of cannabis. The endocannabinoid system, which only humans have, was developed to defend against cannabinoids. We are all mammals, as well as your dog. Cannabis has an impact on your dog, just like it does on you when you consume it.

So, what’s going to happen to your little dog? What kind of damage will he incur as a result of his condition?

What’s Going to Happen to My Dog if he Eats Cannabis?

When you read that cannabis has the same effect on dogs as it does on people, you may assume that this is great. Right? Isn’t it wonderful to think your greatest canine buddy could get high with you? But then again, why would such a small dog need any sort of assistance or assistance in taking large doses of THC?

Do you remember the time when you had to give your dog painkillers and noticed that the dose was considerably higher than what your doctor prescribed?

Because your dog is far lighter than you, every dose must be reduced. This implies that if your dog ate one of your joints, he wouldn’t be stoned; he’d be in the worst state possible. This’s only exacerbated by the fact that, most likely, if your dog got into your stash, he didn’t just stop after one bite; he probably consumed a lot.

So, here’s what you can anticipate if you take this supplement.

If you’re lucky, he’ll just begin vomiting — dogs have an excellent vomiting response that surpasses our own, and they’re wonderful at vomitting up anything their bodies consider poisonous.

However, because marijuana has so many distinct flavors and tastes, it is frequently overlooked as a poisonous substance since your dog likely assumed you were hiding different kinds of goodies from him!

So, if dog is not ill, what will happen to him?

The first thing to know about CBD for dogs is that it can make your dog loopy and drugged, just like the most high you or anyone you know has ever been. Consider how you would act if you were much higher than this.

That is how Scruffy feels right now.

If they reach this stage, watch out! They may have difficulties standing up and becoming extremely sluggish. If they continue at this level, they will be OK; simply keep an eye on them.

This may not appear to be much of a problem right now, but it might get worse; they might develop breathing difficulties or have low blood pressure.

This is due to the cannabinoids affecting their endocannabinoid system, causing them to start feeling all of cannabis’ various effects at once.

If left untreated, leptospirosis can develop into a serious medical emergency.

So, what should you do if you’re in a situation like this?

My Dog Ate My Weed: What Do I Do Now?

The most essential thing to know is that you must remain cool; you must be there for your tiny companion and ensure that he is safe.

Take him to the closest veterinarian and leave him in their hands. They’ll put him on a drip and some medicines to keep his heart rate and breathing regular, as well as forcing him to be sick.

After that, you just need to wait for the drug to leave his body. This is relatively rapid since dogs are smaller than humans and thus metabolize such medicines at a quicker rate than we do.

For a few days, your dog may experience some anxiety and lethargy, but if you care for him, he will be just fine.

Cats are especially prone to dehydration during this time. It’s also worth noting that he will require more water than you might believe, since the process of expelling cannabis is quite dehydrating for animals who aren’t used to using it.

Be sure he gets plenty of rest and has unrestricted access to water. Of course, you should be doing that for your dog anyhow.

Also, don’t forget that marijuana isn’t all bad for dogs.

Is Weed Completely Bad for Dogs?

It’s true that administering cannabis to dogs is not recommended, yet it’s also important to note that the herb has an equal effect on canines as it does humans. As a result, we may utilize cannabis in the same way we do for ourselves to help cure dogs.

Cannabis can be given to dogs (or even just CBD, according to a study by Samara et al.) in order to cure a variety of illnesses and afflictions, much like people.

The most prevalent diseases are epilepsy and arthritis, but it may also be used to treat anxiety. However, you must remember that you will require expert guidance on how to give your dog marijuana in the correct dosage.

If you get started playing around without any idea what you’re doing, you could endanger your dog’s life. They just require a tiny quantity in comparison to humans.

Remember that, according to a number of research papers, including this one by Fitzgerald et al. for the Top Companion for Animal Medicine, the deadly dose for dogs is 3 grams of THC per kilogram of body weight.

If your dog has stolen from your stash and is acting loopy, he’s probably going to be fine since, unless you’re running a major cultivation operation, your dog hasn’t ingested that much cannabis.

Keep in mind that the average gram of marijuana has about 200 milligrams of THC inside it. To put this into perspective, if your dog weighed 30 kg (the average weight of an adult male Labrador Retriever), he would need to eat 90 g of THC to ingest a deadly dose. That’s 450 grams of cannabis, or almost a full pound.

Your dog will be just fine if he consumes only a portion of a pound of cannabis in your stash; he’ll simply need to be cared for for a while.

Cannabis isn’t exactly harmful to dogs, but they should only use it in moderation and with the advice of their veterinarian.

If you try to give your dog drugs yourself, he will almost certainly not enjoy it.

At the very least, now you know what to do if your beloved feline stumbles upon that long-forgotten stash and consumes all of your marijuana. It’s probably fine, but just keep an eye on him and take him to the doctor just to be certain.

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