Dogs are usually exposed to marijuana by ingesting the cigarettes, dried leaves or leftover baked products containing marijuana. Sometimes, owners may intentionally give marijuana to their pets to ??see what happens.? After ingestion, THC is rapidly absorbed, and generally, within 24 hours, most of the THC has been excreted.

Toxicity of marijuana is low. It takes about 1.5 grams of marijuana per pound of body weight to be fatal. Therefore, death from marijuana ingested is not common. However, pets ingesting marijuana become incoordinated and begin stumbling. Most become quite lethargic. Some may experience hallucinations. The danger with marijuana is that vomiting is common, and if the pet is profoundly lethargic and begins vomiting, aspiration of the vomitus into the lungs can lead to severe breathing problems and even death.

Treatment of marijuana exposure usually involves the induction of vomiting to remove any residual THC and, depending on the severity of the signs, some pets require hospitalization with intravenous fluids. The vast majority of pets exposed to marijuana fully recover within 24 hours.