Cannabis toxicosis in companion animals

Pet exposure to cannabis is typically from accidental ingestion of THC- or CBD-containing products intended for people, or intentional/therapeutic use of CBD-predominant products. Drawing from scientific literature and Pet Poison Helpline's case database, explore real-world cases of CBD and THC toxicosis. Pet Poison Hotline’s director of veterinary services, Dr. Ahna Brutlag, discusses clinical signs (both expected and unexpected) of toxicosis, appropriate medical treatments, diagnostic tests, and prognosis. She also explores issues such as product quality and adulteration of over-the-counter CBD products, along with recent studies examining co-administration of CBD/THC to dogs. This course originally was presented at AVMA Virtual Convention 2020 under the title “Cannabis toxicosis in veterinary companion animals.”

Participants can expect to learn about:

• Common clinical signs associated with accidental exposures to over-the-counter CBD products intended for people
• Best practices for treating dogs and cats experiencing cannabis toxicosis
• Product quality concerns associated with CBD products for people and how this impacts companion animals

Dr. Ahna Brutlag is director of veterinary services at Pet Poison Helpline and an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Minnesota’s College of Veterinary Medicine. She received her DVM from the University of Minnesota and practiced small animal medicine in the Minneapolis area before specializing in toxicology. She has consulted on over 30,000 cases involving potentially poisoned pets and has authored dozens of textbook chapters and scientific articles on small animal toxicology.