Dog becomes sick after eating cannabis in Mugdock Country Park

Puppy Rye was raced to the vets after becoming ill in Mugdock Country Park.

It is believed the Class B drug was left by lockdown partygoers – with vets saying they are seeing a rise in similar cases as people socialise outdoors.

Rye’s owner Leonora Belcher said: “I was at work and Rye was out with his dog walker at Mugdock Country Park.

“He was playing with other dogs in the pack in a bit of forest when the walker noticed him behaving very strangely.

“He was standing very still, his eyes had glazed over and he was really unsteady on his feet and couldn’t walk without losing his balance.

“She carried him back to her van and called me saying she didn’t know what was wrong.”

Leonora got the walker to take her puppy to her vets while she rushed straight there herself.

Rye was unsteady and disoriented and, after being seen by his own daytime vet, he was sent to Vets Now’s state-of-the-art pet emergency hospital in Glasgow.

Leonora, a café owner, said she was shocked to be told that Rye’s listless, dazed, unsteady state was typical of having ingested marijuana.

And that the vet had seen other dogs suffering in similar fashion after being around a popular car park area at the country park.

He was quickly made sick and given treatment to counteract the effects of the drugs, but given the seriousness of his condition, overnight care was required so Leonora took him to Vets Now.

The whippet, who is 10 months old, came through his ordeal with no long-term effects, but vets are warning the drug can potentially cause serious harm.

Leonora added: “He was so out of it the vets had to carry him in and out of the car. “It was really scary and horrible. I’ve got to say Vets Now were amazing, I was so touched by their attitude and care.

“They just so kind and reassuring and told me I could call at any time during the night if I was worried.”

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Leonora is calling on dog owners to take special care in beauty spots popular with revellers.

The 31-year-old is also backing calls from Vets Now for owners to get urgent help if they suspect their pet has eaten anything toxic.

Emergency vet surgeon Cormac Dolan was on duty the night Rye was brought in. He said: “We kept him on a drip and gave him activated charcoal to absorb the toxins in his blood.

“It can be difficult to detect cannabis in a dog’s fluids, but Rye’s condition was very typical of having ingested it and although he was happily okay after treatment, this can be very serious for dogs.”

If owners suspect their dog has eaten something dangerous, they should contact their vet straight away.”

The most common signs of marijuana toxicosis are depression, poor coordination, slow heart rate, hypothermia, drooling, vomiting, diarrhoea, urinary incontinence, seizures, and coma.

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Leonora was delighted to get Rye back the following morning and after being a bit dopy for a couple of days, he was soon back to his old self.

She said: “It seems that people are going to Mugdock to meet in large groups without being caught rule breaking.

“Rye has a habit of eating things, so I’ve taken the tough decision to put a muzzle on him now, although he wears a green ‘friendly’ collar, so people know he isn’t aggressive. “I’d advise any dog owner to keep their pet on the lead if they see anything lying around and ask anyone who is out partying to clear everything away.

“This has happened to other dogs, and it doesn’t take much cannabis to make a small dog very ill.”