A routine morning walk in a North Hollywood neighborhood became a nightmare for one couple after they discovered their dog had accidentally ingested meth.
After returning home from the walk, Karla Vicuña said she noticed her 4-year-old German Shepherd Husky mix, named Atreyu, acting strangely.
“He was not able to settle down,” she recalled. “His eyes were moving in a weird way.”
Vicuña and her husband rushed their dog to their veterinarian, who began checking his vitals.
“His heart rate was really elevated and he was panting a lot and couldn’t settle down,” Vicuña said. “He had a 103-degree fever.”
All signs showed that Atreyu had toxins in his body. The veterinarian gave the dog a drug test that came back positive for methamphetamine. Her husband believes Atreyu likely ingested it while walking back home through a neighborhood alleyway.
“It’s easier for [my husband] to come back through the alley of our apartment and he saw Atreyu grab something, but he couldn’t tell what,” she said. ‘He ate it super fast.”
Dr. Ezra Ameis, a veterinarian and owner of Paw Priority in Los Angeles, said he’s been seeing a troubling increase in cases of pets accidentally ingesting drugs.
“Every few days, I see a case like this,” he said. “Anywhere there might be people doing drugs, they might be dropping stuff that the animals can eat.”
Vicuña said the incident marked the second time her dog had accidentally ingested drugs while walking outside.
“It happened a few months ago with weed in the park,” she said. “At that time, he was the opposite. He was very drowsy. He was trying to stand up and then he would pee on himself.”
Ameis notes that these incidents, especially when living in a big city, are likely to happen. He advises all pet owners to stay alert and that “having a good relationship with a vet is a good idea.”
If a dog consumes a narcotic like methamphetamine, Ameis said the consequences could be deadly.
“A dog could definitely die from a meth overdose,” he explained. “The real devil is in the details such as how much they got into and how big the dog is.
Vicuña said she hopes that by sharing her story, it could help other pet parents know what to look for and what to do if their pets accidentally ingest drugs or toxins.
More information on how to spot the signs and symptoms of pet drug poisoning can be found here.
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