Pets on Pot and Other Poisons-Stop An Emergency-Donald H. DeForge, VMD Silver Sands Veterinary

Donald H. DeForge, VMD             Silver Sands Veterinary Center                  10June2016

Pets on Pot

Pet Poisonings That Can Be Prevented

Pets and Pot: 
From the Pet Poison Helpline-[See end of this blog for details]  Pets are more commonly poisoned from marijuana through ingestion other than inhalation. THC is the toxin that causes the symptoms and is absorbed quickly after ingestion. THC has a strong antiemetic [i.e. prohibits vomiting] effect which makes it difficult to successfully induce vomiting to remove the toxin from the pet. Most animals will recover, with early Animal ER or Veterinary Urgent Care but it may take 1-3 days. Don't take a chance.  It you expect marijuana toxicity call your local ER doctor and a Pet Poison Control Center immediately.  See below for phone numbers of two well know national Pet Poison Control Centers.

Can pets die from marijuana poisoning?

Yes, but thankfully this is rare. Speaking in terms of drugs, marijuana has a “wide margin of safety,” meaning that the lethal dose is extremely high as compared to the lower dose necessary to result in therapeutic effect (or in this case, toxic effect). Therefore, it’s extremely rare for pets to ingest enough marijuana to cause death, although they may still need medical treatment to recover from poisoning. In the recent Colorado study, two small dogs died, both of which had ingested baked goods made with highly concentrated medical grade marijuana butter. Over the past five years, no marijuana-related deaths in pets have been reported to Pet Poison Helpline. [See end of this Blog for details on Pets and Pot from the Pet Poison Helpline and the ASPCA Poison Control Center]

Every year Poison Control Centers get multiple Pet Poisoning questions.  Many animals are in shock and need 24/7 care at an Animal 24/7 ER.  Others can be treated as out-patients.  Become a pet owner detective/advocate and remove the possible toxins [poisons] from in and around your home before an emergency occurs. 

From WebMD:

Poison control centers across the country get more than two million calls a year about potential exposure to poisons. Almost all of these exposures occur in the home and 80% of all poisonings are in children between the ages of 1 and 4. Follow these guidelines to prevent poisoning in the home.

The suggestions in WebMD for kids also applies in most to pets.

Look at the signs of poisoning that WebMD lists in children.  These same signs of poisoning will also present themselves in pets that have been poisoned.  If you are not sure if your pet has been poisoned call your Local Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.  If they are closed call the nearest 24/7 Animal ER and a Poison Control Center for Animals.

• Install safety locks/childproof latches on all cabinets to restrict access to children.
• Store potential poisons including detergents, medications, and chemical products (like pesticides and drain cleaners) out of reach and out of sight of children -- inside the house as well as in the garage or shed. In addition, it's always best to lock them up. Never underestimate your child's ability to climb.
• Store potential poisons in their original containers. Do not transfer them to food containers like milk jugs, coffee cans, or soda bottles.
• Keep food and potential poisons separate; store them in different cabinets. Children can mistake the identity of products that look alike to them.
• Return all products to storage immediately after use. Keep the products and your children in sight during use.
• Safely discard -- into a sealed, outdoor trash receptacle -- all household products and medications that are old or aren't used regularly.
• Never mix products; dangerous fumes could result.
• Make sure medications are in child-resistant containers. Vitamins and supplements also should be out of reach of children. Be especially alert at grandma's house. Older people with hand arthritis may get medication bottles that are not childproof. They're also more likely to leave medicine out in the open.
• Keep indoor plants out of reach; some may be poisonous.
• Stay away from areas that have been sprayed recently with pesticides or fertilizer.

Learn the signs of potential poisoning in children.  These same signs can show up in pets that are poisoned!  See below:

• Difficulty breathing
• Difficulty speaking in children-lack of barking or meowing in dogs and cats that are normally vocal
• Dizziness-Stumbling pets that are very incoordinated
• Unconsciousness
• Foaming or burning of the mouth-Excessive salivation in pets
• Cramps in children and "painful belly syndrome" in dogs and cats
• Nausea
• Vomiting

From the Pet Poison Helpline

24/7 Animal Poison Control Center

855-764-7661

Top Ten Poisonings

Dog Poisons:

1. Chocolate
2. Mouse and Rat Poisons (rodenticides)
3. Vitamins and Minerals (e.g., Vitamin D3, iron, etc.)
4. NSAIDs (e.g., ibuprofen, naproxen, etc.)
5. Cardiac Medications (e.g., calcium channel blockers, beta-blockers, etc.)
6. Cold and Allergy Medications (e.g., pseudoephedrine, phenylephrine, etc.)
7. Antidepressants (e.g., selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)
8. Xylitol
9. Acetaminophen (e.g., Tylenol)
10. Caffeine Pills

Cat Poisons:

1. Topical spot-on insecticides
2. Household Cleaners
3. Antidepressants
4. Lilies
5. Insoluble Oxalate Plants (e.g., Dieffenbachia, Philodendron, etc.)
6. Human and Veterinary NSAIDs
7. Cold and Flu Medication (e.g., Tylenol)
8. Glow Sticks
9. ADD/ADHD Medications/Amphetamines
10. Mouse and Rat Poison

Top Ten Poisonings from the ASPCA Poison Control

The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) is your best resource for any animal poison-related emergency, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you think your pet may have ingested a potentially poisonous substance, call (888) 426-4435.

1. Human prescription medications are most often exposed to pets, as mentioned above. The prescriptions that caused the most concern correlated with the most popular medications prescribed to humans.
    
2. Over-the-counter medications, including herbal and other natural supplements, attracted greater concern this year than in previous years resulting in approximately 25,000 calls. This category is exceptionally large, encompassing more than 6,900 different products.
    
3. Insecticides dropped to the third slot this year, comprising 9.1% of calls to the APCC (15,000 cases). These products can be very dangerous, especially if the label directions are not followed.
    
4. Household items were the cause for concern in more than 13,500 cases, especially paints and cleaning products.
    
5. Human foods are appealing to pets, especially dogs. Dogs can get into serious trouble by ingesting onions, garlic, grapes, raisins and xylitol, a sugar substitute which can be life-threatening for animals. Approximately 13,200 cases involved human foods in 2014.
    
6. Veterinary medications made up 7% of total cases in 2014. Pet parents should be aware that chewable medications are very tasty and pets might ingest an entire bottle if it is not kept out of their reach.
    
7. Chocolate ingestion is very common. At the APCC, chocolate calls make up 6% of the total call volume—more than 30 calls a day! The darker the chocolate, the more potential it has to do harm.
    
8. Plants represent approximately 5% of the calls to the APCC and moved up a spot since 2014. Most of these calls involve cats and houseplants.
    
9. Rodenticides are made to kill mice and rats, but they can also kill pets if ingested. APCC handled more than 7,500 calls about rodenticides last year.
    
10. Lawn and garden products round out the top ten, accounting for about 2.7% of all calls. Many of these exposures occurred because people did not store lawn and garden products out of the reach of pets.

Pets on Pot

Marijuana Toxicity in Pets from the ASPCA Pet Poison Center

Marijuana toxicity is on the rise in the United States because of increased usage and consumption in humans.  Be alert if you feel your pet has come in contact with a large quantity of marijuana and seek a Poison Control Center and an Animal ER doctor's help immediately.

Additional Common Names: Indian Hemp, Hashish

Scientific Name: Cannabis sativa

Family: Cannabaceae

Toxicity: Toxic to Dogs, Toxic to Cats, Toxic to Horses

Toxic Principles: Delta-9-THC (tetrahydrocannabinol)

Clinical Signs: Prolonged depression, vomiting, incoordination, sleepiness or excitation, hypersalivaton, dilated pupils, low blood pressure, low body temperature, seizure, coma, death (rare)

If your pet ingested this plant, contact your local veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435.

From the Pet Poison Helpline~ Marijuana 

Poisoning in Pets:

Can pets die from marijuana poisoning?

A. Yes, but thankfully this is rare. Speaking in terms of drugs, marijuana has a “wide margin of safety,” meaning that the lethal dose is extremely high as compared to the lower dose necessary to result in therapeutic effect (or in this case, toxic effect). Therefore, it’s extremely rare for pets to ingest enough marijuana to cause death, although they may still need medical treatment to recover from poisoning. In the recent Colorado study, two small dogs died, both of which had ingested baked goods made with highly concentrated medical grade marijuana butter. Over the past five years, no marijuana-related deaths in pets have been reported to Pet Poison Helpline.

Q. How do pets get exposed?

A. Poisoning in pets can occur following inhalation of the smoke, ingestion of the dried plant, ingestion of foods laced with marijuana (e.g., brownies, cookies, butter), or products made with hashish. Most commonly, dogs eat the dried plant directly from their owner’s stash, or eat foods made to contain marijuana. When those foods also contain chocolate, the risk of additional poisoning is increased.

Q. What are the signs of marijuana poisoning in pets?

A. Signs of marijuana poisoning in dogs and cats include glassy-eyes, stumbling/incoordination, dilated pupils, vomiting, coma, and in about 25 percent of dogs, agitation and excitement. Urinary incontinence or urine dribbling is also very common, especially in dogs. Serious effects include changes in heart rate, coma, tremors, and seizures. The signs typically begin 30 to 60 minutes after ingestion, or sooner if inhaled.

Q. What are the treatments for marijuana poisoning?

A. Treatment for marijuana poisoning includes IV fluids, anti-vomiting medication, oxygen, blood pressure monitoring, thermoregulation, and in severe cases, ventilator/respirator support. Decontamination (including inducing vomiting and giving charcoal to bind up the poison) may be performed if the ingestion was recent or large, but should never be done without consulting a veterinarian or Pet Poison Helpline. However, inducing vomiting may be difficult due to the properties of marijuana. It can take pets 18 to 36 hours to recover.

Q. Can my veterinarian use an over-the-counter drug test (for humans) to test if my dog was poisoned with marijuana?

A. Over-the-counter human urine drug screening tests have been used to help diagnose dogs with marijuana exposure; however, the success rate is highly inconsistent and false negatives occur. With these drug screening tests, a positive THC result is consistent with marijuana poisoning, while a negative result does not conclusively rule out poisoning.

Q. Will Pet Poison Helpline report pet owners to the police if his/her dog ingests marijuana?

A. No. The veterinary staff at Pet Poison Helpline is primarily concerned about the wellbeing of the pet. They ask only that pet owners are truthful and communicate exactly what the pet was exposed to, so they can quickly identify the poisoning and treat it as soon as possible.

The veterinary and toxicology experts at Pet Poison Helpline recommend that pet owners take immediate action if a pet is exposed to marijuana by contacting either their veterinarian or Pet Poison Helpline at 1-800-213-6680. 

Good News for Future use of Medical Marijuana in Pets:

Research is on-going concerning the future usage of Medical Marijuana in pets.  This is not common human marijuana. In the medical product, the psychoactive component is removed. The oncology patient; the severely painful pet with osteoarthritis; and the animal hospice patient will benefit from these new products. There are companies marketing products today.  Further study is on-going concerning these products.  The future appears bright for our companions.  Never use human marijuana in pets. Medical marijuana is prescribed and supervised by licensed veterinarians in states where this is permitted. Contact your LDVM if you have questions.

Dr, DeForge welcomes comments on his blogs
Send an E-Mail to DonDeForge100@gmail.com

Silver Sands Veterinary Center
17 Seemans Lane
Milford, CT 06460