I was going to take my dog for a walk, but then he got high…

Hello internet,

As a lot of you have likely heard and seen by now, my Siberian Husky Loki got baked out of his mind. To quickly clear the speculation, this was 100% unintentional, but also 100% avoidable. I’ve read comments where people have claimed it was not weed he ingested, and that it was something stronger – that is false.

_20150701_134233What he got into: a hermetically sealed fruity pebble marshmallow treat containing 4 grams of marijuana. Note, hermetically sealed means it is completely air-tight and odorless. Quite simply, Loki is mischievous and likes to get into things when people aren’t watching. In this particular instance, he got into a gift bag exchanged between two friends at a gathering at my house. Note: I do not get high, nor does my roommate. The gift was not from me, nor for me, but it was left unattended. Hence: 100% avoidable — I am quite aware.

As many of you know, marijuana does not hit you immediately when ingested. By the time we noticed anything abnormal about him the gathering was long over and my guests were gone, as was the gift bag. However, the gift bag was a little lighter.

Having quieted down, my roommate and I were relaxing and watching TV in the living room. Loki was laying under an end-table which is one of his favorite places to sleep. We eventually heard him twitching, and making noise. At first I thought it was a rodent behind my couch, but quickly determined it to be Loki. I pulled him out from under it, and that is more or less where the video begins.

Now, this is definitely not where the night ended. Some people suggested taking him to a vet to have his stomach pumped, or an IV put in to hydrate him. I didn’t feel either of these things to be necessary since it was marijuana. Nothing more, nothing less. I spoke with multiple vet techs I knew, and even consulted the internet to be sure nothing else would need to be done. Even forcing him to puke, which was suggested by many of you would not get any THC out of his system. However, it might have stopped further digestion of the treat and prevent his trip from lasting longer.

In the video which has now gone viral, you see a bowl of water which I had with me next to him. In a subsequent video (not sure if it is still posted or not) you would see me frequently getting his tongue wet by hand, since he had a major case of cotton-mouth. I was quite worried and even slept in the living room with him that night, since he couldn’t bring himself to my room where he normally sleeps. I woke up every half an hour or so and drizzled water into his mouth so he wouldn’t dehydrate.

The next morning (maybe 8 hours later) he was in the same spot, sprawled out like a rag doll. I carried him out back to help him go to the bathroom if needed. He tried to gain his bearings, and even ran around a little. It was akin to watching a puppy learning to walk for the first time. Slightly funny, but still sad. He even made his way to his normal excretion spot (Husky owners probably know, once they find a spot they like they stick to it). However, he couldn’t maintain his balance long enough to pee. He kept falling back into a sitting position. He eventually came back over to where I was, and laid down. I went in to take a shower before work, and when I came back he was laying in his own urine.

When I got home from work that day 9 or so hours later, he and my other dog Foxie greeted me at the door with wagging tails. Loki still seemed to be in a bit of a daze, but he was standing on his own. He didn’t do is normal barking/howling at me when I showed up, so I could tell he wasn’t 100%. He remained fairly quiet that day, but almost normal. I gave him a bath, brushed him, fed them both. Oddly enough, he had no interest in eating while high.

The next day he was 100% and running around, barking, howling, getting into things, all like normal. I then discovered the evidence, and showed him it. He was not amused. noname

45 thoughts on “I was going to take my dog for a walk, but then he got high…”

  1. That’s crap. You made a video making fun of him and then posted it on the internet for others to see. Besides being totally irresponsible by not taking him to vet, you’re also a shitty pet parent.

    1. I didn’t make the video, my roommate made the video while I was tending to him. How would the vet have helped?

      1. Don’t bother with these internet trolls. You did the right thing and are spreading awareness about this issue. Glad Lokai is back to 100%!

        1. Most of the trolls stay on youtube and Facebook. Those who take time to comment here are mostly considerate and level-headed. Thanks 🙂

      2. How would a vet have helped? WOW!! Well first It is quite clear that you are not a vet or you would have not asked that question and you would have taken to a vet. However to answer your question; they would have been able to provide supportive therapy that YOU WOULD NOT have been able to provide should Loki had needed it. 3 mg of THC is often LETHAL to a dog! Second, there are a few things that CAN be done to minimize the affects, speed the process of the body being able to rid its self of the THC, prevent further absorption of any further THC into their system and counter act some of the effects that could have caused serious injury to Loki. It is clear that you had no idea, according to your article and blog, as to how much Loki ingested. A full screen shot of your full blog was made if you have any questions on what you stated.
        The fact is that while you seem sympathetic toward Loki and all YOU had NO IDEA how severe or just how bad this could have turned out! YOU ARE VERY FORTUNATE!!! I am glad for Loki and you both, yet what i read of your blog, it looks to me, that you lack wisdom and maturity. I hope that this is a learning experience that you take even the hard comments to heart and understand that you did show poor judgement on your part, that you need to accept responsibility for that and that you will DO WHATEVER IT TAKES to PREVENT this situation from ever happening again. Further I hope that in the future that if you are going to allow guests in that do ANY type of drug that your animals are safely contained AWAY from ALL of your guests and that they too have NO access to them for both your animals sake and your sake as well!!

        1. All I can suggest for you is that you go back to the screenshot you took, and re-read my post. Clearly you have some issues digesting information or simply have never had a gathering with friends over.

        2. Funny you say you say he has no idea what he’s talking about when he clearly stated he called a vet. I live in an area where lets just say there are multiple farms… our dog got into it as well and we called two vets both of which gave us the same verdict. We didn’t even know what was wrong with the dog just that he was vomiting, dazed, had trouble standing up… but we responsive to his name could walk and would come on command. Without even mentioning where we lived when we called the vet immediately said it’s weed. Called another vet, same thing. We were completely ready to take the dog to the emergency vet but was told to check on him every couple hours and as long as his condition is improving, he’s fine. You are the one that has no idea what you’re talking about. Leave treatment of dogs to the vets… THANKS!

          1. I think the owner did ally they could in the circumstances. Cudos to this website and dog owner for setting up this site to help others.
            As a regular smoker and owner of two dogs I worry about this, but fortunately my two have never ingested my stash.
            Yes if your dog displays worrying signs then seek vetinery help but in the meantime, hydrate and let them sleep! I would also encourage them eating plenty though to help.
            I have no vetinery experience as stated but be aware of the vets who claim this is horrendous. Keep your stash away from them but your not a bad person if your inquisitive dog does find a way…

    2. Wow HJ, so I’m assuming you have NEVER EVER had a dog get into something they weren’t supposed to? If so, then I am simply amazed. And then would ask if you own a husky, or instead a more demure and obedient breed of dog. Then I would ask, have you never watched a video where they filmed something going wrong? Do you not find the educational value in SEEING what someone is describing? Reading a list of symptoms is a bit different than seeing it. I am not sure if you actually read the article, where he says many times that he stayed with him and cared for him, or if you just read the title and then felt like personally attacking him. Also, having worked in a vet hospital, you don’t actually need to bring your pet in for everything. Parents don’t bring their children to the hospital every time they get a fever. Financially it would be rediculious. He stated that he contacted veterinary medical professionals, and at professional advice did not take him in. But if you HJ are a veterinarian medical professional, then by all means explain where other professionals gave him wrong advice. But the fact that you stooped to personal attacks instead of clearly stating in an adult manner your educated opinion, I would question who here actually is the responsible pet parent and who maybe isn’t.

      1. Accidents do happen unfortunately. My son was cleaning out a storage shed and there was rat poison in it. He went into the house and when he came out – the poison was gone and his dog looked at him “what I shouldn’t have eaten it?” Needless to say that was a quick trip to the vet – the dog did turn out fine but that was just one of the “incidents” that happened to this inquisitive dog.

    3. Staged or not, I don’t know, all I know is this helped me right now. Not everyone has the luxury of rushing their dog to the vet, i.e., 40 miles from town, finances, fear, so you have no right to call him a shitty pet parent. I applaud him candor, and saving me a trip to the vet, knowing they couldn’t do anything but charge for ER services. Hope my big boy is o.k. like Loki. Shit happens and a vet is Not always necessary

  2. He’s Beautiful so glad he’s doing ok.when you have friends over make sure they have there things put up and away from your pets and kids.My friends dog died from getting into some ones gum.

    1. Sorry to hear, that’s terribly sad. 🙁 So many things can danger our pets. I recently read of a dog eating a salt-ornament off of a Christmas tree, and he didn’t make it.

  3. I’m all about the animals rights and of course against animal abuse, and I think people who are saying that you’re a terrible owner to your dog are absolute idiots. This could’ve easily happened to my cat, or my friend’s dog. It’s unintentional, and the fact that you admitted it could’ve been avoided and took responsibility for that is great. I don’t see why people are losing their sh*t. There have been many animals-on-drugs cases, and most of them have indeed been cruel, and you can tell that by the fact that their owner is filming them high, laughing in the video and not even helping out the animal. Now that’s abuse. Your story is just an accident, and the way you took care of your pretty Husky literally gives me hope in humans. Well done for making sure your dog is OK and not just laughing at it. People who call you an animal abuser clearly don’t know the difference between taking care of a pet and abusing a pet. I’m so happy this ended well! 🙂

    1. Thank you so much for your response! It’s nice to hear that people actually take the time to research the situation rather than simply commenting on the video. I was pretty sure he’d be fine, but in the event he wasn’t I wanted to be there with him.

    2. I agree…
      I appreciate, so much, this candid update. Makes me very sad and worried. But so thankful Loki is ok.
      I think it could have easily happened to anyone. How many of us have had a pup go through the trash and eat something they shouldn’t? Or GOTTEN into the Chocolate in a gift bag under the Christmas tree?
      I don’t keep or get Lily’s anymore because they are poisonous to my cats… But I didn’t know that for years!
      I didn’t know that raisins were toxic to dogs for years either. And until I did I’m sure I ignored when they got into them.

      1. Raisins??!! I never would have known that if I hadn’t read these comments, I’m so glad you said that!! One of my babies (both only 6 lb dogs) has already gotten into my kids room & eaten a bunch of milk duds and had to go to the vet for an iv & charcoal to induce vomiting, they get into everything they can, I’d never suspect raisins to be harmful. Thank you!!

    3. If he was REALLY caring for him the way he should have been he would have been at a vet for the simple fact that he WOULD NOT have had the supportive therapy had Loki needed it. that is the critical issue to me. Not that it happened. It is true shit happens. However when it does unless you are a vet or trained in animal first aid then you get to a vet!! Period! I am and have been a SAR dog handler for more than 30 years. I have my two trained SAR dogs that are also trained and certified in not just air scent and ground scent work as well as cadaver work that I team with. They are ALSO trained and cert. in drug and explosive detection. As such I have had to go through much first aid training for ingestion and toxicity of these substances. I can tell you that his situation could have turned out very badly!! I hope that Jesse has learned form this and that all that read will see the importance to not just be as Jesse says “PRETTY SURE” that their dog will be OK but will go to a vet ASAP to make sure. A penny of prevention is worth a pound of cure and a penny of prevention is also worth a TON OF REGRET AND SECOND GUESSING!!!

  4. So glad Lokai is feeling better! Poor guy was probably so uncomfortable and confused. Maybe he will learn not to eat everything in sight from now on, probably not though. You did great taking care of him. Thank you for sharing this and raising awareness about these types of avoidable issues.

  5. hi jesse!

    as a medicinal marijuana user/activist as well as an animal activist, your story caught my eye. having 2 pets myself, even with my precautions, them getting into my medicated items is always a worry. no matter what we do, our pets’ mischievousness know no bounds!

    i think you’ve handled this situation amazingly, and loki couldn’t ask for a better friend. your research, attitude, and care for your companion shines brighter than anything the naysayers have to contribute. glad loki is better, and that you get to still hang out together :3

    1. I am also a medicinal marijuana user and I have a dachshund/corgi mix, she is 6, and was recently diagnosed with a degenerative disc disease. They gave me a bunch of meds that just made her lethargic and unable to do just about anything on her own. I found specially formulated dog bones that contain medical marijuana, and ever since I started giving them to her, she has returned to her normal hyper self. If anyone is interested, I can give them the name of the place that sells them. They also make edibles for people, I back there products 100%, I was diagnosed with a rare spinal condition when I was 8, I have had 2 spinal surgeries and I will probably have to have a third within 5 years, but there edibles are the only way I can get to sleep. my dog and I, her name is Kiwi, are doing better and I hope that if anyone reads this and feels like there dog might be helped through marijuana, they will at least consider talking to an expert or doing some research. I am a firm believer that marijuana is a medicine, I know that without it I probably wouldn’t be alive right now.

  6. Read your story and am so glad you shared. Our pets and children are curious. I commend you for handling the situation as you did. I also believe you must be an awesome pet parent. I can’t help but wonder what the “critics” would have done in your situation. It’s not only pot we have to worry about. It’s pills, plants, some foods, household cleansers, etc. It’s like children. You can make everything around you as safe as possible for your children and pets and still have situations beyond your control, as you did. I, too, am thankful Loki is okay and that you cared enough about the rest of us to share your story. I have an Alaskan Klee Kai (mini husky) and she is curious about everything. More so than my other dogs.

  7. I’m happy that you made this website. When I come across videos like these, in which animals are harmed in some sort of way, always wonder what happened after those videos where shot. I’m glad to hear your story and to know that Loki is doing fine.

    I really hope other dog owners (especially the ones that went through the same thing and made videos as well, but instead of helping their dogs, just laughed really hard and made a fool out of their dog), I really hope they learn from your experience. Accidents can happen, but then it’s up to the owner to act responsibly and to take care of their pet. Loki is lucky to have a responsible owner like you.

    1. It was a ‘ruff’ couple days, but he definitely is back to normal! No other incidents like this have occurred since, in part due to not having that stuff around since it’s not part of my livelihood. Thanks for the response!

      1. GOOD and I am GREATLY encouraged!!! Again I am not nor do I have a desire to bash you in any way in any of my prior posts!! Just very straight forward and blunt!! Some one elses companion may benefit!

        1. You’re also installing much fear in people when in reality it worked out because marijuana itself cannot kill anything except maybe cancer cells. The only sound advice I had that would have me change how I handled this situation is to not put his tongue back in his mouth due to choking hazards. Regardless of what you have said I’ve approved your comments so others can form their own opinion.

  8. Jesse,

    It is too easy for people to place themselves on a pedestal and judge others. Sharing this story despite the negative feedback takes bravery & humility; be proud of yourself. You’re helping people who may find themselves in the same situation, scared and worried. Much love to you and Loki!

    1. You are absolutely correct. I’m just greatful that the ones who provide the positive feedback have benefited from my experience. Thank you!

  9. First, I have to say drugs are not allowed in our home, but I cannot keep them out because my 18 year old son who still lives at home smokes weed and disrespects the rules by bringing it and his drug using friends into our home when we are away or sleeping. I have told him that he needs to pack up and leave, that our dog is going to die, because I believe he has ingested it twice now. Both times, he was unable to walk/stand, etc. Not only is the smell pungent and strong, I have found remnants of weed and bud on on the sofa, table and floor. He and his friends use vapes in our home and they smoke outside, all while my husband and I are not around.

    I did take our dog to emergency, but by the time he got there he seemed ok. The ER tech said that the symptoms I described appeared to be ingestion of an illegal substance. I had no clue, and prior to going to the hospital, I worried he was having a seizure or congestived heart failure.

    The tech also said it could be idiopathic vestibular disorder and told me to videotape any future episode. He was interested in seeing his gait, his eyes, if they jiggle even ever so slightly back and forth horizontally or vertically. He asked me to take his pulse and anything else, such as vomiting, diarrhea, etc. Also, it would be helpful to know when symptoms started and stopped. My dog was not symptomatic when we reached ER, so he couldn’t give me his diagnosis. I strongly believe marijuana has been the cause of his symptoms both times, and although they weren’t as severe as Loki’s, it was still quite frightening and sad to see. My dog is my best buddy and my life and I cannot and will not tolerate this to happen again. My son is going to have to move out, since he disrespects our rules. Besides that, cameras are going up all around our home as we have a younger teenager and may eventually run into the same problems. Nipping them in the bud now and keeping my dog and family safe. Jesse, I want to thank you for sharing your video. It really is an eye opener and one that I will send to my son. I know how much you love your dog and want to encourage you to keep your drug using friends out of your home. You have such an adorable pup, and I am sure you would be devastated if you lost her.

    1. Thank you Leslie, and I hope things work out amicably with your son. I don’t yet have any children of my own, but who knows what another 18 years will bring. What will be the next thing to worry about our dogs getting into? Some new future drug? Hopefully it’s harmless…

  10. Bad owner, this is animal abuse, you have to call Stephen Hawkins, Michio Kaku, toaa, the spectre or someome else!

    Cool dog, maybe he is snoop dogg!

Leave a Reply to Jesse Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.