The guests had brought gummy edibles from California as a surprise, and it turned into a stressful weekend.
However, when Beans, Sarah’s 3-pound Pomeranian-Chihuahua mix, ate 50 milligrams of THC in the gummies, things went horribly wrong. He began showing symptoms that something was wrong – drooling, sluggish movement of his limbs, difficulty shutting his mouth, and excessive eyelid activity – quickly.
Firstly, Does Weed Affect Dogs?
To begin, it’s vital to understand that your dog will be affected by your marijuana usage. Let us look at what marijuana is and why it has an impact to gain a better understanding of the topic.
Cannabis is one of the world’s oldest living plants; it did not develop THC and CBD as a means for some primate species to get high, but rather as weapons in order to defend themselves.
Cannabinoid receptors were thought to be present in cannabis plants as a protection against grazing animals, therefore it’s natural that a plant doesn’t want to get munched on by some ancient version of a cow. As a consequence of this, the plant attempts to find techniques to survive over time. Some plants produce spikes; other plants create toxic poisons – cannabis does something different.
Cannabis contains hundreds of cannabinoids, including THC and CBD. When you consume THC, it has a psychoactive effect. What do you think you’d feel like if you ate a whole lot of marijuana buds, stems, and leaves instead of smoking or consuming just one joint?
Cannabinoids affect your endocannabinoid system after they are absorbed, a health mechanism that regulates a variety of bodily functions, including pain sensation, neurochemical release, and inflammation response.
When you consume THC, it activates the CB1 receptors in your brain. It binds to the CB1 receptors and stays there, stimulating them and producing a variety of effects, including the psychoactive high. This is due to the fact that your brain has been overstimulated by these cannabinoids, causing it to panic and go insane with mental activities as a result.
These emotions can now be controlled with forced dosage control and selective breeding, but in the past… nYour typical cannabis plant would not be thoroughly blended for your desired effect. The cannabinoid-defending mechanism of the human body was created to defend against cannabinoids. We are all mammals, as is your dog. When you consume cannabis, it has a comparable influence on your dog as it does on you.
What’s in store for your tiny dog? What kind of problems will he encounter as a result of his size?
What’s Going to Happen to My Dog if he Eats Cannabis?
When you hear that cannabis has the same effect on dogs as people, you may be intrigued by this information – perhaps your beloved canine companion will be able to participate in the fun after all? Take a look back at the time when you had to give your dog painkillers and noticed that the dose was much lower than what your doctor ordered.
Because of the size of your pet, each dose must be reduced. This implies that if your dog eats one of your limbs, he will not be intoxicated since he will be in an extremely bad situation. This is only made worse by the fact that, most likely, if your dog stole from you, he did not stop after just one mouthful; instead, he ate a large amount more.
So, here’s what you should anticipate.
If you’re lucky, he’ll just start vomiting —dogs have a fantastic vomit reaction and are quite good at vomiting up anything their bodies consider poisonous. Cannabis, on the other hand, has so many different tastes and scents that it’s frequently not recognized as poison since it contains so many distinct flavors; your dog most likely thought you were hiding new kinds of goodies from him!
So if he is not sick, what will happen?
In the beginning, you may observe your dog to be extremely loopy and drugged; consider the greatest high you or anyone you know has ever had, and then imagine how you would act if you were even higher.
That’s what Scruffy is feeling right now.
Raccoons can become disoriented and sluggish, especially if they are wet or cold. They may have difficulties standing up, as well as becoming lethargic. If they continue at this point, they will likely be OK – just keep an eye on them.
If you boil down all the above information, it would appear to be rather unfavorable. However, things can get worse; they may experience breathing issues or suffer low blood pressure.
This is due to the cannabinoids affecting the endocannabinoid system, causing them to feel all of cannabis’ numerous effects at once. If it gets bad enough, it can rapidly develop into a critical medical issue.
So, what should you do?
My Dog Ate My Weed: What Do I Do Now?
The most vital thing to remember is that you must keep your cool; you must be there for your young companion and make sure he is safe. Take him to the first veterinarian you locate, and leave him in their care. They’ll cause illness in return, as well as provide a drip and medicine to keep his heart rate and breathing constant.
Once the dosage has worn off, all you have to do now is wait for the drug to wear off. Dogs are smaller than humans, so they metabolize drugs at a faster rate. Your dog may be nervous and lethargic for a few days as a result of this episode, but he will completely recover if you care for him properly.
Animals that aren’t used to marijuana should drink more water than you might think, since the process of expelling cannabis is extremely dehydrating for animals that aren’t used to it.
Make sure he gets lots of rest and has continual access to clean drinking water. Of course, you should be doing so for your dog regardless.
Also, don’t forget that marijuana isn’t all terrible for dogs.
So, is Weed Completely Bad for Dogs?
Although everything cannabis appears to be harmful to dogs, one thing must be remembered: just like people, dogs are affected by cannabis in the same way. This implies that we may utilize cannabis in the same manner as humans to cure dogs of various diseases and problems. According on a research by Samara et al., canines may benefit from cannabis (or even CBD alone) for a number of reasons, much like people.
Epilepsy and arthritis are the most frequent diseases, but it may also be used to treat anxiety. It’s vital to remember, though, that you’ll need expert assistance when dosing your dog with marijuana. You run the danger of endangering your dog’s life if you play around without knowing what you’re doing. They only require a tiny quantity compared to humans.
Remember, according to a number of studies, including one by Fitzgerald et al. for the Top Companion for Animal Medicine, the fatal dose for canines is 3 grams of THC per kilogram of body weight. So if your dog has broken into your stash and is acting strange, he’ll be just fine since the lethal amount for dogs is only 3 grams of THC per kilogram of body weight.
Many dog owners are aware that marijuana is hazardous, especially in high doses. However, many individuals are unaware of their dogs’ food’s potency. Keep in mind that a single gram of marijuana has approximately 200 milligrams of THC inside it, which is very little. If your dog weighed 30 kg (the average weight of an adult male Labrador Retriever), he would have to consume 90 grams of THC to exceed a toxic dose (450 gm or nearly a full pound). This indicates that the cannabis was quite large.
If your dog eats a whole pound of marijuana from your stash, he’ll be just fine; he’ll just need to be kept for a while. Cannabis isn’t as harmful to dogs as many other substances, but they should only consume it under the supervision of their veterinarian and with his guidance.
It’s highly doubtful that your dog will enjoy being drugged. You might learn what to do if your beloved pet finds your hidden stash and consumes the whole thing. It’s probably safe, but just to be on the safe side, keep an eye on him and take him to the doctor just in case.