Dogs, Just Like Some Humans, Can’t Tolerate Today’s Pot

Dogs can not metabolize marijuana. This is a warning to pet owners.

Shane’s dog, Jody, shortly before Shane’s 2nd episode of psychosis, May ’11, developed sudden onset of seizures, inability to stand, walk and was in terrible distress. The veterinarian was told Jody may have ingested “snail bait,” though the vet discounted that possibility. The vet was very concerned with the Chihuahua’s symptoms “without knowing what substance this dog has ingested, I may not be able to save him.” The vet kept Jody hydrated and observed him for 24 hours. Shane’s dog did recover but the veterinarian clinic costs were very expensive. However, the truth that Shane’s dog had actually ingested weed inside in his apartment was never revealed to either the vet nor myself, until after Shane went into a second and final psychosis, May, 2011.

As Shane re-emerged back to normal (back to reality) he confessed to me “Mom- remember when Jody got so sick and started having seizures out of nowhere? My wife told you and the vet Jody got into snail bait, but the truth is Jody found some weed inside a baggie in our apartment, but we didn’t want you to know I was back using pot.” I felt such betrayal from my son and his wife at that moment… I later called our family vet and asked him “could weed have caused Jody that terrible episode of seizing, all the neurological changes we noticed?” The vet reassured me “no, pot doesn’t present itself in dogs that way” which totally confused me. But the vet added ‘It’s a simple urine test to check for pot and had I known back then, I would have tested the dog.”

After Shane died, the following year, 2013, I was reading the LA Times when I noticed an article about Colorado veterinarians seeing a spike in dog’s having seizures- sometimes dying- if not taken immediately for medical care because of accidental marijuana ingestion. I took the article to our vet and implored him to re-educate himself and all his colleagues – today’s pot is indeed causing dogs to have seizures.

To this day, if I had not been so resolute my son would never touch marijuana again and had I asked the vet to test Jody for marijuana, could my son have been saved? Jody’s ingestion of pot was really like the “canary in a coal mine”- a huge warning- but the signs were missed….

By: Lori Robinson (Shane’s mom)

Read more about Marijuana and Dogs: Dog Toxicosis Page