How to Get a Dog Unstoned: “Help, my dog is high!” (Q&A)

A veterinarian has reviewed and fact-checked this article.

Finding out your dog ate some of the devil’s lettuce (you know what we mean), or maybe he stole one or two of your special brownies, can be disturbing. Especially if your dog is showing signs of being, well, pretty high. In those situations, you probably only think about how to get a dog unstoned. And you’re also worried about your dog’s well-being.

But, don’t freak out! Stay calm, it’s going to be okay! High pets aren’t as uncommon as you may think. Especially not in today’s day and age.

Generally speaking, your dog really shouldn’t consume any marijuana. It can make your dog feel very bad, so you do have to take your dog to the vet if they consume this drug. The marijuana toxicity on dogs is still pretty unclear, but it can have serious side effects on our canines.

Hash brownies and other edibles

Cannabis is now legally available in some parts of the USA. For example, under California, New Jersey, and New York CBD laws, cannabidiol can be used medically to treat pets as long as it contains less than 0.3% THC. While it makes life much easier for some people, it can be dangerous for their four-legged roommates. Then they have to worry about how to get a dog unstoned.“

Cannabis has been legal in parts of the USA for some time. The business is thriving – not only is the sale of the weed for smoking that is bombastic, so-called Edibles, products such as a pot brownie and the like, sell like hot rolls.

However, this seems to be a problem for the hairy roommates of the owners who enjoy a bit of THC. As we know, dogs eat pretty much everything that they get their paws on. This can usually lead to slightly overweight animals and maybe a bit of stomachache, but if they accidentally catch one, for example, let’s say: a “special” brownie, things look quite different – not to mention that the former contains chocolate which is already poisonous to dogs anyway. Ingestion of food products with pot is therefore harmful in more ways than one.

How to get a dog unstoned – Effects of marijuana

Medical marijuana ingestion might have some positive effects on people, however this is not the case with dogs! Not at all! Marijuana can be very dangerous for dogs. And they don’t experience that typical stoned feel that humans do!

The problem with marijuana is actually tetrahydrocannabinol or THC. If you don’t know. THC is the primary active ingredient in marijuana and it’s the chemical responsible for triggering the psychoactive effects of weed.

This means it’s the ingredient that makes you high, but it also makes your stoned dog sick.

Symptoms of a dog being stoned

The symptoms of four-legged friends range from vomiting and diarrhea to movement disorders to uncontrolled panic attacks or aggression. Even the animals could fall into a coma. According to the association, only deaths have not yet been heard.

When people use drugs, that is their decision. Instilling them into his animal is an aberration. After all, the four-legged friend has no idea what is going on when the intoxication begins. Such a thing is not funny, but simply mean and irresponsible.

THC has a toxic effect on dogs because it can cause several symptoms in dogs such as:

We don’t want to scare you, but in severe cases, the THC component can even cause in rare cases your dog to fall into a coma. These toxic effects are therefore incredibly dangerous and can harm any domestic animals.

Dogs have more cannabinoid receptors

The US portal “Mashable” spoke to Tom Shell, a dog owner whose Australian shepherd Stella had sniffed, found and freed from a plastic bag a brownie containing weed from his backpack. She couldn’t walk straight anymore, as he told the site, and had a glassy look. Since he received the pastry from a colleague, he also did not know how high she could be: “I didn’t know how much THC was in there. He had said I could eat the whole part, but theoretically, it could have been enough for two.”

To make matters worse, according to some studies, dogs already have more cannabinoid receptors in the brain and are therefore high faster and can also suffer an overdose faster. That’s why you have to know how to get a dog unstoned as fast as possible.

CBD for dogs

We can’t talk about marijuana and canines, without mentioning CBD oil for dogs.

If you don’t know, CBD oil is an oil extracted from the leaves, stalks, and flowers of the hemp plant.

Even though CBD is found in marijuana and contains a compound called cannabidiol it doesn’t have psychoactive properties. Unlike the THC. This means that even though your dog takes CBD oil, he won’t get “high”.

Now, why are we mentioning CBD? Well, many people believe it has positive effects on dogs. Even though there are no scientific studies that prove this, dog owners claim that CBD oil can help dogs suffering from seizures, chronic pain, and anxiety. Besides this they also claim that CBD has anti-cancer, anti-nausea, and anti-inflammatory properties.

What to do if your dog ate weed

We have to disappoint you, but there isn’t much you can do to help your dog. There is no need in searching for ways on how to get a dog unstoned.

The best thing that you can do is take your dog to the vet’s office immediately. The vet report will tell you everything you have to know about your dog’s condition. You can also call the Pet Poison Helpline.

What Will the Vet Do?

There isn’t a specific treatment or antidote for THC poisoning, so most of the treatment provided will be supportive in nature.

Once at the vet’s office, depending on how long ago your dog ate the weed, the vet may induce vomiting to prevent his body from absorbing any more THC than it already has.

Besides this, some vets like to administer activated charcoal, which will help neutralize some of the THC present in your dog’s system. Your vet will also set up an IV line to administer fluids and treat any other problems symptomatically. The next course of action would be urine test kits to check for traces of THC.

Besides this, your veterinarian might also want to keep your dog for observation for 12 to 24 hours before they can go back home with you. But don’t worry too much if this happens. It only means your veterinarian wants only the best for your pooch and wants to be on the safe side.

Can the Vet Report Me to the Police?

Well, to be honest, they are not so much interested in your stash and your habits. At those unstable moments, be sure his only concern is the wellbeing of your dog.

He should and he will give you some harsh words and warn you since your dog is your responsibility. 

On some occasions, you might even expect the Vet to call the cops. But, that rarely happens.

What to do once you’re home?

There isn’t much you can do once you get back home, your vet will give you some discharge instructions that you need to follow of course. But, generally speaking, your dog will simply need a lot of rest.

It can also help that you keep your dog as comfortable as possible, put them in a dim room, without too many lights. It would also be great if you kept your dog somewhere where he can’t see the outdoors, just to keep him or her calm.

Spend time with your dog, cuddle with him and give him physical contact. You can also apply light pressure or gently rub the tips of his ears, brush him, and feed him with a bit of boiled chicken and white rice.

Cases have increased by 765 percent in recent years

And the cases of poisoned dogs are multiplying enormously: According to the Animal Poisoning Center of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, its 24-hour emergency hotline received around 208 calls in 2008 that had to do with marijuana poisoning in animals. In 2016, there were already 979 and 208 proud 1800 calls. This corresponds to an increase of 765 percent in ten years.

A spokeswoman for the ASPCA told “Mashable” that this can of course also have to do with the fact that owners no longer have to reckon with legal consequences since legalization if they admit to having had marijuana in the house by reporting the poisoning. But she sees the biggest problem with the Edibles, as they simply smell like cookies or cakes.

Can Weed Kill a Dog?

Although you might be nodding your head right now and expecting this is something really bad, we are happy to say that you are wrong.

Although toxicity depends on the chemistry itself as well as the dog’s age and size, usually sugar and chocolate will do more harm to your dog than marijuana.

We know it sounds strange. Still, be sure to take the right steps to unstone the dog no matter if it is not that dangerous

My Dog Is Acting Stoned But He Didn’t Eat Any Marijuana

If you are sure your dog did not eat any marijuana, but he is acting like he did, don’t wait and rush into the hospital. Symptoms of a stroke or brain damage really resemble those of THC poisoning and people tend to misinterpret these signs. 

Is it animal abuse to get a dog high?

Doing it deliberately is just not right. In fact, it’s a form of animal abuse. An that is a crime.

If you made a mistake and gave your dog marijuana, or the poor creature somehow found it although well hidden, don’t play the blame game.

Admit it to the vet first. Don’t get in bigger and deeper problems by lying.