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Last Updated on December 29, 2023 by Thee Puppypreneur
MARIJUANA TOXICITY IN DOGS
Marijuana toxicity in dogs can happen if your dog ingest marijuana. Marijuana comes from the flowers of the Cannabis sativa and Cannabis Indica plant. Marijuana contains over 480 different compounds with many that are known as cannabinoids. The plant contains two active compounds called THC and CBD.
Your body as well as your dog’s body has its own endocannabinoid system that is responsible for regulating balance or homeostasis in the body.
This system also produces its own endocannabinoids similar to the ones in the plant as they are naturally occurring in both humans and dogs.
It serves as the master control panel for your dog’s metabolism, communication between cells, pain receptors, basically all the major body systems.
In the endocannabinoid system there are cannabinoid receptors called CBD1 and CBD2 receptors and they are located in various organ systems throughout the body. 1CB1 and CB2 Receptors – Comparison Guide – Secret Nature (secretnaturecbd.com)
“Dogs are reported to have a higher number of cannabinoid receptors in the brain compared with humans and it has been suggested that they may be more susceptible to the toxic effects than are humans.” 2Gyles, Carlton. “Marijuana for pets?.” The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne vol. 57,12 (2016): 1215-1218. Marijuana for pets? – PMC (nih.gov)
MARIJUANA POISONING IN DOGS, HOW MUCH IS TOXIC
Marijuana poisoning in dogs has been found to occur and the minimum lethal oral dose for dogs of THC is more than 3 g/kg. 3Fitzgerald KT, Bronstein AC, Newquist KL. Marijuana poisoning. Top Companion Anim Med. 2013 Feb;28(1):8-12. doi: 10.1053/j.tcam.2013.03.004. PMID: 23796481. Marijuana poisoning – PubMed (nih.gov)
This is not to say that this will be the same for everyone as no one type of marijuana plant contains the same standardized dose of THC. With the ever-increasing THC content and variety of strains available to the public THC content can be as high as 30% in some medicinal strains.
With the production of edibles such as candies and chocolate bars and even with the marijuana butters, potency can vary widely. There was a study where 2 dogs that consumed medicinal grade marijuana in baked goods with medicinal butter died. 4Gyles, Carlton. “Marijuana for pets?.” The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne vol. 57,12 (2016): 1215-1218. Marijuana for pets? – PMC (nih.gov)
SYMPTOMS OF MARIJUANA TOXICITY IN DOGS
Most symptoms of marijuana poisoning in dogs are usually within 30-60 minutes and can last 18-24 hours 5Marijuana Toxicosis | Animal Health Topics / School of Veterinary Medicine (ucdavis.edu)
They include symptoms such as;
- Drooling
- Vomiting
- Hypothermia
- Seizures
- Impaired Coordination
- Lethargy
- Urinary-Incontinence
The problem with marijuana for dogs is that dogs have the ability to actually reabsorb the cannabinoids.
Since THC is fat soluble, it is stored in the liver and the liver produces bile which is then in turn secreted back into the intestines. Thus re-poisoning your dog.
TREATMENT FOR MARIJUANA POISONING IN DOGS
Treatment depends on several different factors., such as;
- How much your dog has ingested
- How long ago your dog ingested the marijuana
- What type of marijuana was ingested
Maybe your dog ingested marijuana by eating a chocolate bar with THC butter.
In this case, they would induce vomiting to remove any undigested toxins still left in the system and then administer activated charcoal to absorb any remaining toxicities.
Activated charcoal binds to the toxins preventing them from being fully absorbed in the intestines. After that they would administer an IV solution to replenish the lost fluids and electrolytes associated with vomiting or charcoal administration.
Close monitoring is necessary to make sure your dog’s body temperature doesn’t drop and there are no adverse effects from treatment or poisoning.
Your dog will more than likely receive a CBC, serum chemistry and even possible x-rays depending on what they have ingested.
A urinalysis will also help confirm suspicions but unfortunately human marijuana urine test are not reliable in determining positive test results for marijuana ingestion and it might not have been long enough that the animal ingested it for it to register on the test result.
WHAT ABOUT CBD OR HEMP FOR DOGS
CBD is actually sourced from hemp plants which are naturally bred for their low THC content and high CBD content unlike marijuana plants which have much higher THC levels.
You can typically expect to find CBD products that contain an average THC content of less than 0.3%. 6Learn How Much THC is in CBD (alchemynaturals.com)
So yes, there still are traces of THC.
For more information on CBD or Hemp and their differences and uses, check out our articles below.
