A dog from North Bend, Washington, is recovering after accidentally eating meth. The pup apparently consumed the drug while munching on some leftovers during a trail walk.
Dog accidentally eats meth
According to K5, a Labrador Retriever named Jagger went on a walk with his dog mom, Jen Hunt, on Sunday. They walked along the Snoqualmie Valley Trail behind Torguson Fields.
“He goes on a lot of trail walks about every day,” Hunt told the news outlet. “He was a little ahead of me on the leash, went into the bushes grabbing at something.”
Hunt saw the pup stick his snout into a take-out container. Like a lot of dogs on walks, Jagger simply couldn’t resist digging in.
“I pulled him away. Didn’t really think much of it,” Hunt said. “That’s probably gross. He ate someone’s leftover food.”
Unfortunately, it wasn’t just food. And by the time the pair returned home, Jagger started acting strange.
“He didn’t want to come out of the car which is rare,” Hunt recalled. “Got him on the front porch and he kind of stood there for a while and started moving his head back and forth uncontrollably. We noticed that was really weird behavior. He didn’t want to get up so we figured, better take him to the vet.”
Hunt took Jagger to an emergency veterinary clinic, one of the only options open on a Sunday. There, the staff recognized the unusual canine behavior. They informed Hunt and her husband that Jagger may have consumed drugs.
“It kind of blew our minds when we heard that,” Hunt said.
The vet ran various tests. One came back positive for methamphetamine.
Canine meth consumption more common
Staff told Hunt that this kind of situation isn’t that uncommon. In one case out of Green Lake, dog parents thought their pup ate goose poop. Surprisingly, the poop was actually from a human who had ingested meth.
“It made us feel a little better we weren’t alone, but definitely shocking,” Hunt said.
The veterinarian also shared that eating human feces is the top way dogs accidentally consume meth.
This story serves as a timely reminder to stay vigilant on walks with your dog. Always use a leash, and only give your dog as much slack as they need to walk comfortably. Prevent your pup from eating things off the ground. And if your dog does start acting out of the ordinary after eating something unsavory, don’t hesitate to tell your vet.
“We want to know because we want to help the pet,” Kelly Burke, vet at Elliott Bay Animal Hospital, told K5. “It’s not anything like we’re going to try to get you in trouble if they have gotten into an illegal substance.”
As for Jagger, he’s doing better. But Hunt wants to use this experience as a cautionary tale for other dog parents.
“People have been really appreciative to have that awareness and maybe, think twice about where they’re taking their dogs,” she said. “Be extra cautious and mindful when walking.”
