A dog had to be rushed to a vet after he consumed human poo containing traces of cannabis during his daily walk. Two-year-old Moose, a border terrier, was out with his owner Liane on the coastal route around Strumble Head in Pembrokeshire earlier this month when he started eating something at the side of the path.
Much to Liane's horror the makeshift meal turned out to be human excrement, after which her dog began 'stumbling about' and showed signs of lethargy. A later medical check up would reveal that Moose was suffering from 'cannabis intoxication' and was effectively 'stoned' as a result of ingesting the droppings.
"When I saw Moose was up to something I pulled him away as quick as I could, but when I looked down he’d managed to get a mouthful of human poo," said Liane. "I know, totally gross on so many levels.
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"Anyway, we finished our walk and drove home. But about three hours later he started stumbling around and became very lethargic.
"So I took him to straight to the vets, by which point he had also become incontinent. The vet kept him in, put him on a drip and took bloods."
And, although the bloods came back normal, among Moose's symptoms was low body temperature, which Liane was told is a "classic sign of cannabis intoxication".
The 49-year-old added that the excrement her dog had found had been produced by someone who'd partaken of edible weed. "I've since learned that when people eat cannabis they poo out 65% of it, which contains low levels of THC" - or Tetrahydrocannabinol, a psychoactive ingredient that gives the user a high.
"And, because dogs have more cannabinoid receptors than humans, they are more sensitive to its effects. It also makes the poo much more appealing to them, other pets and wildlife in general."
Indeed, one recent study published by the Australian Veterinary Journal presented numerous cases where dogs' natural scavenging instinct had led them to suffer THC toxicosis. This caused displays of "incoordination, dilated pupils, urinary incontinence and stupor" in the affected animals.
"It’s becoming an increasing problem as more people move towards eating cannabis than smoking it," said Liane. Luckily though, despite cannabis not being safe for dogs - even causing death in extreme cases - Moose has since made complete recovery.
"He was pretty poorly at the start," she added. "Then, as he recovered, he became ravenous - he actually got 'the munchies'. It's funny but also not funny."
Liane explained that she wanted to warn others to keep a watchful eye on what their pets might be sniffing around during walk times.
"It's definitely something dog owners need to be aware of," she said. "And, for those who like to partake in the odd hash cake or other kinds of edible cannabis, please don't poo in public - and, if you do, then make sure you dispose of it properly."
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