Here it is! Fun Story Friday. I have hundreds of stories banked away in my memory vault from the past 10 years as a vet tech. Some of them are really meaningful, some of them heartbreaking, and some… kind of gross or strange. Let’s start Fun Story Friday with some real stoners.
Marijuana intoxication in pets is a very real problem and can be a very scary thing for the unsuspecting pet parent. If your pet ingests some of the herb, not usually a big deal. Just like your stoner teenager, they will recover and be clear minded with some time. But you should always call your veterinarian to have your pet checked out, just in case. Marijuana is now legal in many states, so intoxication is becoming more and more common. At the time of this story, it was not legal.
Roughly 8 years ago, myself and another vet tech were called to triage and carry in a completely non-responsive giant breed dog from the car. As we were standing outside chatting with the owner, they said “we just found him like this, he wont wake up, for anything!” We asked the normal questions. Is he on any medications? Any history of medical issues? Could he have gotten into anything while you were away? The owner made it clear, they knew nothing that could have caused this. The pet did not get into anything.
I’ll remind you, we were called to carry in an unresponsive dog. This dog was seemingly asleep. He did not move, but we could see him breathing. He wouldn’t lift his head, he wouldn’t open his eyes, not even an ear twitch. Nothing could rouse this dog. His heart rate was slower, but within the normal range. So myself and the other technician gently load this dog, that weighs more than me, onto a stretcher and transport him into the treatment area. We place the stretcher onto the floor and prepare to get our arms under his body to lift him up onto the table where the veterinarian could examine him.
The moment I shoved my hands under this dog, he SHOT awake. But only for a second before laying his head back down and falling back into his coma-like sleep. At that moment, we all knew…. he ate someone’s pot. I left the treatment area to find the owner, now accompanied by his two sons in an exam room. “Sir, I need to ask a potentially sensitive question. Please know the answer to this question will only help in the doctor’s diagnosis and treatment. Is there any way that your dog got into marijuana?”
Ask any vet tech what the normal client response is to this question and it is almost always “NO! Never! There is nothing like that in my house!”. In reality, they are lying because they think that we might report them. This client was no exception, he immediately said “No!”. After explaining that all of the dog’s symptoms suggest otherwise, he finally looks at his clearly guilty sons and they confirm that yes, they were hiding a stash by the shed. The dog must have found it.
I would like to tell you that everyone left happy that day. The dog was fine, just stoned. He recovered with a good night’s sleep. Those boys…left pretty upset after their father yelled at them in public and left them grounded for months.
Word of advice: Hide your pot better.