Elsa .... got stoned the other day

It had been a reasonably busy day, and I was looking forward to putting my feet up and having some time out, but of course the dogs thought otherwise and insisted on their afternoon outing to the local reserve. As creatures of habit they know the daily routine to the nth degree, and an afternoon excursion is a usual daily occurrence.

With chokers on, it was out to the car and off we went. We parked under a shady tree and set off. Elsa - Australian Champion Yeelanna Shala Shamhani - a nine month old Rhodesian Ridgeback bitch with endless supplies of energy, was accompanied by her Mother and half brother, as they wandered along sniffing, and examining, and checking out, every thing in sight.

Elsa has developed the habit of picking up anything and everything, and can always be seen with an object such as a plastic bag, paper bag, flavoured milk carton, stick, tennis ball, rag or item of clothing hanging from her mouth. She loves shaking her head vigorously while holding the item in her mouth and have it flap about. She teases the other dogs by running up to them with her plaything and tempting them to try and take it from her, or chase after her and try to get it from her. I can only add that I was very pleased that no one was watching as Elsa and Bwana did numerous rounds of the local oval chasing each other, in competition for a pair of black lace knickers found in the car park.

On this occasion Elsa played as usual, and nosed around in everything as usual, and them we went home. The dogs flaked in the lounge as I went on with other things for the next hour, and then I decided to take Elsa out for a quick obedience lesson before eating. She was a bit sluggish, quite different to the usual bundle of energy, but on we went. On the way back I decided to do some show training practice, and stopped and set her up expecting her to be rock solid in a standing position. A bit of a sway developed and Elsa was drowsy, so I decided to take her home, thinking she had some sleep to catch up on. I thought about why she was so tired, and if she had exercised a lot more than usual. At home I noticed her stumble before she settled down to snooze. These signs indicated that something might be wrong so I kept a close watch on her.

Her sleep was restless, and after half an hour I made her walk around to get a better idea of what state she was in. Elsa's legs were uncoordinated as she stumbled along awkwardly, her breathing was relaxed and normal, and heart rate seemed normal, pupils were slightly dilated. Her tail wagged a bit, she was not distressed or in pain, and showed no signs of nausea or vomiting. Fifteen minutes later she was reacting to anything brought up to her face, blinking rapidly and closing her eyes as if she were unable to focus and see what was in front of her.

I had had a similar experience several years before when two of my dogs had eaten some rotten food they found in a reserve. They both had the same symptoms to a worse degree and both vomited. For these reasons I was concerned but not panicking, but knew that action was necessary.

The Vet was phoned and we were on our way. I suggested to the vet that she had probably eaten something she had found in the park that was rotten and toxic. He asked about snail bait, which was eliminated as a possibility, and then suggested either snake bite or marijuana. Marijuana I said ? Did you say marijuana ? What do you mean marijuana ? Breathing rate, heart rate and pupil dilation were monitored for the next ten minutes as my vet explained to me that marijuana ingestion by dogs was found to be a cause of these symptoms on a regular basis by practising vets.

Dogs often find the hidden marijuana stash in the teenagers bedroom, or the bottom of Mum's wardrobe or wherever, and of course the marijuana cookies are the absolute favourite, all needing a trip to the vet and at times some very embarrassing explanations.

Of course my vet did not for a second consider that Elsa may have had access to marijuana at home, and did not ask if this was a possibility, obviously considering it to be out of the question, and obviously an excellent judge of character.

My vet said that the next hour would be the key and that he would hold off from going to the pub for that long in case he was needed. Elsa's condition was definitely stable to improving and we were sent home to keep watch, with the mobile phone number handy just in case, and feeling confident that such action would not be necessary. Elsa chundered on the way home and them settled down to sleep off the effects of her marijuana over dose. Of course she got to sleep on the bed that night so that she could be closely monitored, and in case she needed urgent access outside to empty out from either end, both were possibilities. She slept soundly and was back to her usual self the next morning, and on her morning walk some noticeably green fibrous droppings were passed.

A few days later, while walking in the same park, I came across a bong - a plastic drink bottle with a short piece of hose sticking out the side - used for smoking marijuana, which further confirmed the diagnosis.

What is the moral of this story I hear you ask ? How do you train a Rhodesian Ridgeback to find marijuana and bring it back to you without eating the lot ? We could be on to a lucrative income on the side here if only I can get Elsa to hand it over. Will this turn into an expensive habit for Elsa ? .........and, does my local pet shop stock marijuana laced doggy biscuits ?

So please keep your marijuana supplies well out of reach of your pets, because this was not a pleasant experience for either of us.

YEELANNA KENNELS phone or fax : 08 83 222 550 mobile : 0412 320 512 all hours email : geoff@internode.on.net

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