When Kelly Fowler dropped her year-old Shih Tzu-bichon mix off at the groomers she expected he would leave well-coiffed, not well, stoned.
But a $500 post-grooming trip to a veterinarian hospital confirmed that Teddy was diagnosed with THC intoxication, which is the chemical responsible for most psychoactive effects of marijuana.
Now Fowler wants answers for what happened to her dog. So does the Bucks County SPCA.
In an email response for comment, a PetSmart corporate spokeswoman stated after reviewing video footage from the grooming salon and the store there is “no evidence whatsoever” that Teddy was exposed to THC while in the store’s care.
The spokeswoman also stated that it is the company’s understanding that Teddy’s urine screen was THC negative.
“At PetSmart, the health and safety of the pets in our care is always our top priority. The products used in our salon and available in our store are pet-safe, none of which contain THC,” the statement said.
The Bensalem resident said she took Teddy to the same Petsmart that her family has used since his first haircut. While there were times she wasn’t thrilled with the final look, she never had any issues with the service.
Teddy was a tail-wagging, energetic dog the morning of May 31, Fowler said. He ate breakfast and went to the bathroom before they left for the 9 a.m. appointment.
When she dropped him off, Fowler said she was told the groomer was backed-up and it could be a few hours before Teddy was ready.
When she picked him up at 12:45 p.m. something seemed off with Teddy. Way off, she said.
He wasn’t wagging his tail when he saw Fowler and her daughter. He was lethargic. He fell over when Fowler put him on the ground to go to the bathroom before heading home, she said.
On the 15 minute drive home, Teddy couldn’t keep his head up. At first, Fowler thought maybe he was just tired and thirsty.
“Mom this isn’t normal,” her 16-year-old daughter, Brooklyn, said.
Fowler called the Petsmart and asked if they gave Teddy a sedative during his visit.
“There is something wrong with him,” Fowler said.
The employee said they never give the animals medicine and Teddy seemed happy when he was there, Fowler said.
But the employee suggested she take Teddy to an emergency veterinarian hospital, and promised the company would pay the bill, if his condition was something that happened in their care, Fowler said.
Immediately Fowler took Teddy to a vet hospital in Middletown where doctors examined him and diagnosed him with THC ingestion, according to a copy of the report Fowler provided.
According to the report Teddy’s urine tested THC negative, but it noted there is a high false negative rate because a relatively large volume is needed to run these tests. “In most cases the diagnosis is made based on the clinical presentation of the dog, plus history of marijuana exposure,” the report said.
How does cannabis affect pets? Is it dangerous?
The emergency vet told her that for the reaction that Teddy, who weighs 8 pounds, was experiencing, an animal would have to ingest the THC within 90 minutes, Fowler said.
A common way cats and dogs become intoxicated by cannabis by eating edible forms of it, such as candy or baked goods, but pets can also be exposed through second-hand smoke, according to VCA Hospitals.
Dogs have more cannabinoid receptors in their brains, which means the effects of cannabis are more dramatic and potentially more toxic when compared to humans.
A small amount of cannabis is all it takes to cause toxicity in cats and dogs, according to VCA.
Cannabis intoxication is seldom fatal for cats and dogs, but deaths have been noted after pets eat foods containing highly-concentrated cannabis, such as medical-grade THC, VCA said.
How has Petsmart responded to Bensalem THC claim in dog
Fowler said the emergency vet told her that once the THC is metabolized and excreted the effects wear off and Teddy should be OK.
What wasn’t OK was the reaction from Petsmart employees after Fowler gave them Teddy’s medical diagnosis, she said.
“When I called that location they laughed at me as if I was a joke,” she said.
Fowler doesn’t think anything about what happened is funny.
After she produced a copy of the veterinarian’s report, the store manager said he would review the in-store surveillance video. A corporate branch manager reached out on Monday and told Fowler there is no video evidence that Teddy was exposed to THC at the store.
A Petsmart employee in the Falls store, who said he was the manager, hung up on a reporter when told the reason for the call on Monday.
Fowler shared her experience on Facebook posts over the weekend and she included updates on Teddy’s condition and Petsmart’s lack of response; Fowler said the company has not paid the emergency vet bill.
“I wanted to share our story to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else’s pet and they didn’t handle it professionally, so I knew other people out there had to also have similar stories,” she said.
One of the people who saw the posts was Bucks County SPCA Chief Humane Officer Nikki Thompson, who confirmed that she has opened an investigation into what happened.
As for Teddy, after a few days of unusually sluggish behavior, he was back to acting more like a playful, peppy pup on Monday.
“I’m so happy he’s finally getting back to his old self,” Fowler added. “I was scared he wouldn’t fully recover and I worry the next time he needs a groom how he will be.”
