A dog gets rushed to the vet after accidentally ingesting marijuana during a beach walk with owner on Saturday, July 27.
The owner, Stephen Davidson, 59, said his eight-year-old West Highland terrier, named Oscar, started acting strangely after their usual beach walk in Sheerness, Kent, England.
Davidson tells the New York Post that Oscar, who was typically “loveable and clingy”, had suddenly become lethargic and stopped drinking water.
This was a cause of concern for Davidson who feared the pooch “could have dehydrated and died”. So, as a responsible and concerned owner, Davidson rushed Oscar to an emergency vet.
At the vet, Davidson was shocked to find out what was causing Oscar’s unusual behavior – the ingestion of marijuana.
Davidson explained, “They put something down his throat to see if he would gag straight away but he didn’t – there was a delay.”
“That’s when they said he’d been drugged,” he added.
To remove the drug from his system, Oscar had to stay at the vet overnight where he was kept on IV fluids and given charcoal medication.
Since the incident, Oscar has made a full recovery and is now back to his loveable and clingy self.
While it wasn’t cheap getting Oscar back on track, Davidson’s main concern is where he will walk Oscar from now on, as he doesn’t feel safe walking the pooch back to their usual beach route, which is 20 minutes from their home.
Stephen said, “It’s so bad in this town. People are just smoking it anywhere and then they throw it on the ground.”
He has also warned other people walking their dog in the same route to be careful and to seek veterinary care as soon as possible if they see their pup acting strangely.
“I just want people to be extra careful of what their dogs pick up and be aware of any dangers when walking them,” the pet owner said.
Signs of marijuana intoxication in dogs includes becoming wobbly, uncoordinated, sleepy, and disoriented. Symptoms also include dilated pupils, excessive drooling, and urinary incontinence.
