A couple were hit with a staggering £800 vet bill after their dog ate some marijuana.
Maureen and Bob Wakeman had taken their six-month puppy, Charlie, out for a walk near Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary – initially.
The cocker spaniel had a little snooze and ate his dinner as usual, but he later started acting ‘out of character’, zooming around the garden in circles before becoming incontinent.
Maureen and Bob – both in their 70s – then called their vet in Henfield, who recommended the out-of-hours New Priory vet in Patcham, where Charlie was received as an emergency admission at around 8:15pm on Sunday (2 October).
The couple were then hit with a £802 bill for the care their beloved pooch received; thankfully, they have pet insurance.
“I am so very sad for all our lovely pets and very angry this has happened,” Maureen said. “I feel the need to share this with other pet owners.
“Fortunately, we’ve got insurance. But some pet owners can’t afford insurance nowadays, that’s another problem.
“What do you do in that instance?
“I think of the poor pet owners who have bought a pet in all innocence and something awful like this happens. How do they cope with the financial side of it?”
Thankfully, Charlie is now back at home enjoying playing with his toys as usual. However, Maureen hopes the scare can raise awareness about the importance of cleaning up after ourselves and being vigilant when taking our dogs out.
She said: “Our puppy enjoys the outside world, his nose is always glued to the ground.
“Can this happen again? My goodness yes. We need to be more vigilant and aware that our little Charlie was lucky.”
Maureen is not wrong as a few years back, a Jack Russell cross was left fighting for its life after eating a stash of cannabis cakes.
Sarah Kenny was walking Max in a park near her home in St Helens, Merseyside, when he darted off to a nearby bush.
However, she realised something was wrong once they got home, with Max unable to stand, shaking and vomiting.
Veterinary nurse Sarah said: “He looked off his face, it did seem like he was on drugs but I was dismissing it in my head thinking ‘that’s not possible’.
“As soon as we started getting him ready to go to the vets he started throwing up.
“I could tell that it was chocolate which immediately raised alarm but then I smelt this really distinctive smell and I knew it was cannabis.”
Fortunately, after a night on a drip at Rutland House Veterinary Hospital, he pulled through.
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