The short answer
If a dog or cat has eaten cannabis, the signs to watch for are lethargy, unsteady walking, vomiting, dilated pupils, and urine leaking without control. Most pets start showing symptoms within 30 to 90 minutes of eating flower or a homemade edible. With commercial edibles, the delay is often longer, sometimes two to three hours, because the THC is bound up in fat and sugar that slow absorption.
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Dogs get into edibles far more often than cats. They eat first and think later, and a single chocolate bar or gummy pack can carry a dose meant for several adults.
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Early signs
- Drowsiness or a blank stare. Your pet may seem drunk, distant, or hard to rouse.
- Wobbling, crossing the back legs, or dragging a paw along the wall for balance.
- Dilated pupils that do not shrink much in bright light.
- Vomiting, sometimes within the first hour.
- Drooling or lip smacking.
- Head pressing or staring at a corner.
Signs that appear as the dose peaks
- Urinary incontinence. A house-trained dog suddenly leaks urine while lying down. This one is a strong clue.
- Hyperesthesia, meaning your pet flinches at touch, sound, or movement that would normally be ignored.
- Muscle tremors, twitching, or a stiff, jerky gait.
- Low body temperature and a slow heart rate.
- Vocalizing, pacing, or acting agitated, then crashing into deep sleep.
- Loss of appetite for a day or more.
Signs that mean go to a vet now
- Seizures or full-body tremors that will not stop.
- Breathing that is slow, shallow, or labored.
- Unresponsiveness or a pet you cannot wake.
- Repeated vomiting that turns into retching with nothing coming up.
- Collapse, pale gums, or a body that feels cold to the touch.
Call ahead before you drive. ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 and Pet Poison Helpline at (855) 764-7661 both run 24 hours and can tell you whether the amount eaten is in the danger zone.
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Why edibles hit harder than flower
Two things stack up. First, the dose. A 10 mg gummy is a normal human serving and a large dose for a 15 pound dog. Second, the extras. Chocolate brings theobromine, sugar-free candies often bring xylitol, and baked goods may bring raisins or macadamia nuts. Any of those can be more dangerous than the THC itself. Secondhand smoke is a smaller risk, but a pet in a hotboxed car or small room can still take in enough to wobble.
Dogs also carry a higher density of CB1 receptors in the brain than people do, which is part of why a dose that makes a human sleepy can make a dog ataxic and incontinent. Reports suggest signs can show up at roughly 2 to 3 mg of THC per kilogram of body weight, with severe signs more likely above 8 to 10 mg per kilogram.
Cats and other pets
Cats react in similar ways, but they hide illness better and often just go quiet and still. They are less likely to eat a brownie, more likely to lick ash or resin off a surface. Ferrets, rabbits, and birds are all sensitive too, and for them any exposure is worth a call.
What to do in the first hour
- Move your pet away from the source and pick up anything left on the floor.
- Save the packaging. The vet needs the THC milligrams per piece and the ingredient list.
- Note the time you think it was eaten and roughly how much.
- Call a poison hotline or your vet and describe what you found.
- Keep your pet warm and quiet, and do not leave them on stairs or furniture.
What not to do
- Do not induce vomiting unless a vet tells you to. With edibles that contain chocolate or xylitol, forcing a vomit at home has its own risks.
- Do not give activated charcoal, milk, oil, or coffee. None of these help.
- Do not wait for your pet to sleep it off if there are tremors, seizures, or trouble breathing.
- Do not skip the vet because you feel embarrassed. Vets see this often and are not there to judge you.
How a vet treats it
There is no antidote for THC. Care is supportive. If your pet arrives within an hour or two of eating, the vet may induce vomiting and give activated charcoal to bind what is left in the gut. From there it is IV fluids, anti-nausea drugs, warmth, heart rate and temperature monitoring, and seizure medication if needed. Very severe cases sometimes get an intravenous lipid emulsion, which pulls THC out of the bloodstream and into fat tissue.
Recovery
Most pets are back to normal in 12 to 24 hours with supportive care. High-dose edibles can stretch that to two or three days, and the wobbling often outlasts the drowsiness. Deaths are rare but do happen with very large doses, so a pet that is unresponsive or seizing needs care right away, not a wait-and-see morning.
The simplest prevention is storage. I keep anything with THC in a locked box on a high shelf, never in a purse, backpack, or bedside drawer, and never in a bag that looks like a dog toy. Pets do not know the difference between a treat and a stash.