LONDON — Among the rugged peaks of Britain’s tallest mountain, Christina Bluhme found herself in an unexpected and alarming predicament with her dogs. One of her canine companions, however, found itself quite a bit higher in spirit, in a way that was far from desirable.
Tokyo, a lively 5-year-old black Labrador retriever, had unfortunately consumed cannabis while on the hiking trail. The effects became evident when she began staggering clumsily, as if intoxicated, before collapsing and being unable to continue walking.
“She had a very bad trip,” Bluhme recounted of the bewildering incident that took place during their hike on July 5. “It was a very terrifying experience.” The unexpected turn of events left her deeply concerned for Tokyo’s well-being as she watched her normally vibrant dog struggle.
Bluhme, a seasoned canine trainer with 25 years of experience, was at a loss. Despite her expertise, she had never anticipated that one of her dogs might become inadvertently stoned.
The emerging issue of pet cannabis toxicity is not isolated to the UK. In the United States, where marijuana’s legal status varies widely, this problem has become more pronounced. In 2023, marijuana and other drugs appeared for the first time on the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ top 10 list of toxins for pets. Reports show an alarming 10% increase in calls to their poison control center regarding possible marijuana ingestion in pets since last year, tripling over the past five years.
With the dog collapsed, Bluhme, her son and two dogs were more than three hours into their climb and near the peak of Ben Nevis, the 4,413-foot (1,345-meter) mountain in the Scottish Highlands. The weather, which had been clear at the start of the day, had turned to rain and the temperature had plunged to 41 F (5 C).
She told her son, Magnus, that their quest to reach the summit was over.
“I said, listen, we’ve got to turn around and get her down,” Bluhme said Monday. “There’s something completely wrong here.”
Her son called for help, but police said they weren’t sure they could send a rescue crew.
Luckily for Bluhme and Tokyo, though, a crew from the all-volunteer Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team was already making their way down from the peak after helping a helicopter airlift an injured hiker. The crew put the 55-pound (25-kilogram) dog in their stretcher and quickly carried her down the steep, slick, rocky trail, making it to the trailhead in about an hour.
“They were almost running,” Bluhme said. “I was clinging on to the stretcher. They were so agile and so fast. It was incredible.”
Police had called Crown Vets in nearby Fort William, and a veterinarian was standing by when Bluhme arrived.
Veterinarians initially thought the animal had a spinal issue, but a senior vet concluded she was on some kind of neurotoxin because she was drifting in and out of consciousness. When they consulted with a poison control center, her symptoms checked all the boxes for cannabis intoxication.
The dog was given activated charcoal and made a full recovery overnight.
After fearing she would lose the beloved dog on the mountain, Bluhme said the $1,335 (£1,000) vet bill was money well spent.
“The next day it was like nothing ever happened,” said Bluhme, who lives in southern England. “She recovered so quickly, and I’m the one still hanging a bit.”