Dogs on Drugs: PetSave Warns About Medication and Cannabis Poisoning

Dogs on(...) drugs? Dogs on drugs.

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Yeah. Does it happen? Oh, yeah. No, dogs on drugs, it seems kind of funny, but it's actually very serious. And what's happened is, 25 years ago when I started, you never saw this.(...) You've rarely ever heard of a drug ingestion. It was usually an accident at home in the bottle of Tylenol. Today, it's a very different world out there, and the drug world is really affecting the animal world. So,(...) you know, a few years ago, we even had one case that was so bad, because depending on the type of drug the dog gets into and the quantity and the size of the dog determines, you know, how big your crisis is at the time. And a few years ago, we actually had one dog that ingested(...) and quickly went downhill. So, we actually rushed it in and they said it was narcotics. Did he eat a bunch of cookies? No gummies. No cookies, cookies. No, no. I know, they had the drugs everywhere and everything. Sometimes they bake. Yeah, they baked the cookies. Yeah, no, no, this was picked up off the ground. And so, that's where we're seeing the problem today and why it's becoming such an emergency for animals in the animal world. So, the one we had a few years ago, we did the drug test and we had a list of narcotics that the dog had and he actually, like, say almost died and we ended up with over a $3,000 emergency vet bill. So, it's very expensive when these things happen to pet owners. So, we really have to get the message out and make some awareness about drugs and dogs. So, someone brought their animal in to pet save to get saved because they couldn't take care of it themselves? No, this was actually one of our own kettledogs. It turns out we had a lady who had visited our site and a volunteer happened to hear the(...) conversation of the husband saying, "Oh, you dropped this. You better be careful with that." And within two hours, that dog was flat out. Really? So, and I guess she had had surgery prior, so we actually contacted the lady and said, "You need to tell us what was in the bag that you dropped or the container." Okay. Anyway, she had some medication. So, that's how we figured out what was, plus the drug test we took because again, you're rushing in, you don't know what's going on at that point. So, we're talking about over the counter stuff(...) right now. It's very serious. Actually, we had an incident just a few weeks ago with a foster home where our dog got into a bottle of palatone and chewed it all up. Oh, really? So, it was, you know, counting how many tablets, how many did we think it ingested, how many milligrams per tablet. So, it was quite a process once they've ingested something. So, what happened was a few nights ago, I get a call at 2 a.m. and I'm getting these probably every second month now(...) where one of our fosters has taken a dog out for a walk. And dogs, I mean, they're noses. Right, right out front. Why do you think we have drug sniffing dogs, right?(...) And they actually get paid for it. Yeah. Whereas, no, we don't. So, yeah, at 2 a.m. I get a phone call from a frantic foster parent who said, "I think this vet, the dog needs emergency vet care." So, I calmed her down a little bit and got some questions into her and, you know, determined that we've got an ingestion of probably marijuana by the looks of the symptoms.(...) And I only say that because I have the experience now, 25 years with it, but a regular pet owner should immediately call their vet, immediately call the vet because you have to be able to determine, you know, the type of symptoms, the severity of the symptoms, and your vet can do that with you over the phone to(...) establish whether you need to come in or whether you don't. So,(...) you know, it's not something people should just monitor on their own. They really should involve their vet.(...) Me, because I've had so many cases and it's becoming a regular occurrence now,(...) I determine whether we actually need a vet or not. So, we monitored through the evening, through the night. And so, you know, it's a loss of sleep for two people. It's, you know, the dog woke up and, you know, she said she knew it was a little off at about 11 p.m. when they went to bed. And then, you know, it got back up around 2 p.m. and they're falling over. Some of them will, you know,(...) use their...

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Their motor skills completely? Yeah, and they'll start to urinate or pee themselves. So, those are all signs that you've got like a Texas City happening.(...) And so, for... We know that home that she's a regular foster and very good. And I just said to... And I say this to people as a foster. I'm just going to ask this question. And I don't care who's, you know, smoking marijuana in your house. That's not my concern. And it's legal.(...) But just tell us what... Is somebody do it in the house and what could it be? So, you try to zone in and, you know... It helps you get to the... ...and the kind of drug, exactly. And whether we actually have a real emergency or whether we're going to let the poor dog sleep it off and have the munchies. Right. So, we just say feed them a lot because they're going to have munchies when they wake up, just like the old humans.(...) Remember the marijuana days where you have the munchies after, and the dogs of the sea? Host as potato chips? Well, exactly. That would quite give them the chippies. But, anyways, so, you know, there was another incident and I just... We're trying to raise awareness because it's so serious now.(...) One of our other fosters, her daughter, a dog downtown, ended up... She had a $3,000 or $4,000 bet bill from the same thing. So, what happens is we're just trying to create awareness and say, "Listen, if you're going to do it, and it's legal now, and since it's become legal, the vets will tell you it happens every day now and separately." Every single day. Really? Every single day there's a case. Their animals are taking part?

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Well, I don't know if they're willingly taking part. They're just doing the natural instinct of sniffing out the drugs, right? So, when they're walking, dogs have their noses. I mean, they're sent and they're going to pick it up. So, when people are smoking the drugs, and, you know, mostly it's marijuana, but it can get more serious, make sure you discard your...

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The roach? The reefers are with people, don't they?(...) You know, carefully, safely. If you're going to smoke, do it safely. Because they're starting to impact the animal world really heavy. Literally, it's become a daily occurrence now. You know, 25 years ago, it was a rare thing. And now it's because it's legal. And so, everybody's doing it everywhere outside their yards. Before, you used to be pried inside somebody's home or their backyard. Sometimes you can smell it when you're driving down the road because of a car in front of you. Someone's... You're going to stop signing too long. ...destressing. Yeah, yeah, you're going to stop signing too long. But, you know, it's a serious thing for the animals. And there's been animals dying from it. So, we're just really trying to create awareness about, you know, drugs and animals. And, you know, the gummies at home, we're getting a lot of gummy calls. Really? You know, they're getting into the gummies. Sure, there's sugar in the gummy. And it's attracting them, the smell of the drug. So, you know, I mean,(...) it's just something we really need to worry about. So, we'd like to just have people please be careful. And, you know, we're seeing... Our big concern is the encampment downtown. As of this week, they've got four or five puppies and a couple of dogs down there. It's the highest number we've seen in a while. Is that going to turn into a rescue mission for Pet Save? Very well, could be. We've already taken two pups out of there and a 14-year-old.

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A 14-year-old dog? Yes. So, and then the woman who has the two,(...) the pups that we got of that litter, we're trying to get the rest of them to speak to them and have them surrender them, or care for them properly. I mean, you know, come winter, you're not going to have insulated tents. And that's part of the law. If you own an animal that's outside, that must be an insulated dog house. Unfortunately, those are not insulated tents down there.(...) So, that door is going to open up the door to potentially something else? Yes, and I talked to one. We received one with the lady who had actually owned the female and the male. And we put the offer to spay a neuter, and apparently she is going to do that with us. We're yet to, you know, see it materialized in the next couple of weeks. But,(...) you know, we're just looking to help try and offset those populations, because that's exactly where a lot of these litters are ending up, right? And being massive king corso mixes and brindles.(...) Is that what they have down there? Yes, and it's a tough, those are tough, they're bully breeds. And there's already too many of the bully breeds out there now. You know, I have my surrender line every day has-- Bullies? Bull breeds sitting on there from one to two years old, you know, six months and up. Now people are litters. There's a guy out back at Capriel today with, you know, saying that his males and females are starting to fight. He couldn't get rid of the litter. Now they're six, seven months old. They're living outside. His neighbor's getting upset. You know, these are the type of situations they're having every day in here. So, you know, again, it's about curbing those populations. And unfortunately, the worry is for those pups in the encampment is the drugs, right? There's a lot of drugs in there. And I'm sure there's not a proper discarding of the remnants. So we're just really concerned about the animals in the community period. And it doesn't matter what neighborhood you live in. Two of my last ingestions were in upscale neighborhoods. So it's not even a matter of, oh, it's only downtown. It's through our entire city because now that it's legal, everybody's smoking it, it seems like. I mean, in an age, I was shocked to see the age of--it goes from very young to very old. And for different purposes, right? They're all using it for something. And, you know, it's related to anxiety. Right? And they marijuana. They're saying that's why we have so many children on in the human aspect, why we have so many children on anxiety drugs. I know over 50% of our co-op students that come to our-- They have anxiety? Our shelter on their school programs are all on medication for anxiety. And yet, that's in a staggering number. And I was shocked. And when I talked to--I mentioned to my doctor one day when I was in. Is that because they've been smoking? Or they've been consuming cannabis? That's right. Because that'll-- She said that causes--and people don't realize it was great that we legalized it. And the problem is these young people are doing it regularly. And it's actually leading to anxiety, which is leading to medication and problems at home. So really, maybe we should have it illegal again. It would certainly be better for the animals. And it looks like it might even be better for the humans. Yeah, I think it makes you a little bit paranoid. Yes. And some other things, maybe. I think--well, it messes with your mind, right? Yeah. And so, the same thing with your dog. And that's why, when the ingestion, they start falling over. They're doing the head bobbing. And, you know, she was panicked. I mean, and if you're an animal lover and you wake up and you see a dog doing that, of course you're panicked, right? First thing is, rent to the vet. And who has two or three thousand dollars? Not a lot of pet owners out there have two or three thousand dollars that night. Just to drop on their pet because of something-- Because of something that was left in the house. So--or outside in the sidewalk. So, she literally took the dog out for a walk. And it was probably on the ground as she was walking. And the dog picks up to send their old vacuum cleaners, right? They send with their nose and they nibble on the ground there. So, it's just a real precaution. And with the--it's almost hitting like epidemic levels. And like I say, I'm seeing just in my foster care, one every second month.

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A dog that has picked up some sort of-- Some sort of drug. Right. So, and it can be lethal. Depending on the size of your dog, the quantity taken in. Yeah. And we've seen--we know what animals have died in the vet offices from it. So, very careful for everybody out there who's, you know, choosing to do. And again, it's legal on the--well, it's legal on the marijuana. The other stuff, well, that's-- Keep your medication in the safe spot and-- Absolutely keep your medication in the coverage at home, on the upper coverage, away from your dogs. And be very conscious of it because it's sad how many are being affected by it. Joe from PASTAVE. Thanks for joining us.

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