My cat ate cannabis oil. Should I take her to the vet or monitor?

Hello, thank you for using PetCoach. Mild intoxication can occur from exposure to second-hand marijuana smoke. Clinical signs of marijuana toxicosis in cats include drooling, increased locomotor activity (e.g. wandering aimlessly, spontaneous jumping behavior), sedation, depression, anxiety, head bobbing/weaving, swaying from side to side, disorientation, vocalization, agitation, aggression, drinking excessively, difficulty swallowing, sneezing, not eating, seizures, diarrhea, and vomiting. Please monitor her carefully for the next 12-24 hours. If you notice any severe symptoms you will need to take her to your veterinarian. I cannot say how long it will be in her system as I do not know how much she inhaled. My guess would be less than 12 hours for one episode of direct inhalation but each individual animal is different in how they react (just like humans). Please note that we are not an emergency service and cannot guarantee a prompt reply. In the future, if you think your pet have some type of toxicity it is best to call Animal Poison Control or your local emergency veterinarian for assistance/guidance. ( https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

I'm sorry that we didn't get to your question earlier! I would guess that Opal is probably doing better by now. The biggest thing to do with THC exposure is to make sure they are in a safe area where they cannot fall or hurt themselves, and often a dark quiet area is best tolerated. It is not unusual for dogs to dribble urine when they are under the effects of THC. With very large ingestions, as it sounds like Opal experienced, they can have depressed breathing, and be unable to stand or walk. IV fluid therapy and medications can be extremely helpful in getting these guys back to feeling normal. Thank you for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach, and again I am sorry that we didn't get to your question quickly.

Yes, I would be concerned in that marijuana is toxic to dogs and it can lead to further symptoms such as incoordination, wobbliness, dilated pupils, excessive drooling, and seizures, tremors, and comas in extreme cases. It's rare that marijuana toxicity is fatal, but it can happen and not every animal reacts the same to the toxicity. Because of this, it's best that your dog is seen by a vet immediately for decontamination procedures. Please take him into an ER vet clinic if your regular vet is now closed; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website.

How big is your dog? The bigger your dog is the more likely that she will be ok. Keep her in a safe, quiet, dark room where she cannot hurt herself. She may vomit, which could result in aspiration pneumonia if she's too comatose to control her airway. (If she vomits, she could suck some vomit down her airway into her lungs resulting in pneumonia). In a worst case scenario, she could stop breathing due to the severe depression of brain activity. Her blood pressure could also drop dangerously low which could potentially cause kidney damage. If you are absolutely unable to get her to a vet for financial reasons, just keep her in a safe environment away from noise and lights. I'd give it a 50/50 that she may be just fine; however, the other 50% obviously is concern that she may suffer severe complications which could potentially include death. She should start to improve over 12-24 hours but it could take upwards of 2-3 days to be back to normal if she recovers well. If you are able to find a way to afford getting her to the vet, your vet can treat her with IV fluids to help maintain her blood pressure and help speed up metabolism of the THC. They can give her anti vomiting medication to help reduce the risk of aspiration pneumonia, and they can treat with medications to help support heart rate and blood pressure if her heart rate is dangerously low. Best of luck, I hope she does well.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question. Oh no, poor Luna. Even if she only ingested 6mg, that's double the highest recommended dose for a cat her weight. Too much clonazepam can lower the blood pressure, leading to weakness or collapse. In a senior cat, low blood pressure can be very serious. I'm not sure why you have no way of getting her to a vet, but she does need to see one immediately to make sure everything is ok. I would see if you could have a friend or family member take you into the vet, or call a cab or Uber to have her seen now. Best of luck.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Alice. You did the right thing by washing her right away. Try to dry her off further to see if that helps with the twitching. Keep her as quiet and comfortable as possible. If by when the vet opens she is still shaking, take her into one right away to get checked out. I hope this helps!

If she isn't vomiting, very lethargic, or showing other signs such as convulsions, tremors, or seizures, then it's fine to wait until tomorrow. Leave food and water near the bed so she can eat and drink as she wants, and take her into the vet in the morning if she is still acting differently. If you see any of the signs I mentioned above, she should see a vet immediately. In that case, take her to an ER vet. If there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website. Good luck, I hope this helps!