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Pet safety: THC poisoning, side effects and human products

THC is toxic to dogs and can harm other animals. Never give a pet human cannabis products. Signs of poisoning, CBD side effects in pets and who to call.

Facts checked 13 November 20265 min readHow we research

The biggest cannabis risk to a pet is THC, the compound that causes a high. THC is toxic to dogs, and the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) warns that animals “can suffer severe complications which may be fatal”.1 Human cannabis products should never be given to an animal.

If you think your pet has eaten cannabis, contact a vet now. Do not wait for signs to appear.

What are the signs of THC poisoning in a dog?

A study published in 2024 examined 223 dogs with THC poisoning. The most common signs were:2

Sign Share of dogs
Ataxia (wobbly, uncoordinated movement) 88.3%
Hyperaesthesia (over-reacting to touch, sound or movement) 75.3%
Lethargy 62.5%
Urinary incontinence (dribbling urine) 45.7%
Vomiting 26%

An Australian animal poisons service describes the classic picture as “drowsiness, weakness, unsteadiness on the feet, dilated pupils and often dribble urine”. With more severe poisoning it reports “convulsions and even coma”.3

Signs usually start 30 to 60 minutes after exposure and can last up to 72 hours.4

What should you do if your pet eats cannabis?

  1. Contact a vet or an emergency vet straight away. Treatment is supportive care. There is no antidote.4
  2. Say exactly what was eaten. Tell the vet the product, the amount and the time. Vets are there to treat the animal, and an accurate history changes the treatment.
  3. Take the packaging with you. Edibles may also contain chocolate or xylitol (a sweetener), which carry their own risks for dogs.5

How do pets get exposed?

The usual routes are household ones. The same service gives the example of a dog that ate a cannabis cookie from a jar, and links exposures to homes where cannabis is kept for medical or recreational use. It also advises keeping pets out of a room with cannabis smoke until it has been aired.3

Researchers report that case numbers have risen sharply.5

Practical steps:

  • Store prescribed cannabis medicines, including oils and gummies, where a pet cannot reach them. A bag on the floor is within reach.
  • Treat edibles like chocolate. Dogs will eat them.
  • Tell visitors and house-sitters the same.

Can you give a pet your own CBD or cannabis medicine?

No. There are three separate reasons.

Most human cannabis medicines contain THC. In the first half of 2025, 85 per cent of medicinal cannabis units sold in Australia were in the category with the least CBD and the most THC or other cannabinoids.6 The AVA states: “Schedule 8 and Schedule 3 cannabinoid products are not allowed for animals.”1

Even “CBD” products can contain some THC. A lawful CBD-only medicine may contain up to 2 per cent other cannabinoids, and products described as “CBD-dominant” are Schedule 8 medicines that can contain meaningful amounts of THC.7

A prescription is for one patient. A vet who prescribes CBD chooses a product and a dose for the animal. See CBD for pets in Australia.

Are products sold online for pets safe?

There is no way to know what is in an unregulated product. The national veterinary medicines regulator says: “If a product has not been registered by the APVMA, or approved for use under permit, it may not be safe to use in animals.”8 According to the AVA’s 2023 policy, no medicinal cannabis product had been approved for animals; we could not confirm the position as of November 2026.1

Studies of unregulated CBD products sold for people overseas show the scale of the problem:

  • 37 of 80 products (46 per cent) were more than 10 per cent off their labelled CBD content9
  • 74 per cent of 202 products bought online were at least 10 per cent off10
  • one study cited by Sport Integrity Australia found THC in 21 per cent of CBD products.11

We did not find a comparable Australian study of pet products. For a dog, an unlabelled dose of THC is the specific danger.

Buying CBD for a pet online without a prescription may also be an offence under state medicines law.12

What are the side effects of CBD itself in pets?

CBD is not THC, but pet studies have recorded side effects of their own. The AVA says “early indications suggest CBD is likely to be relatively safe in animals”, while advising cautious prescribing.1 The findings to know about are these.

Dogs: a raised enzyme on blood tests. In a six-month study, 20 healthy dogs were given CBD at 4 mg/kg a day. The main laboratory change was a rise in alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in just over half of them.13 An earlier arthritis trial also found a rise in ALP during CBD treatment.14 ALP is measured on routine blood panels, often as a marker of liver function. What the rise means long term is not settled.

Dogs on anti-seizure medicines. The authors of a 51-dog epilepsy trial advise monitoring liver enzymes in dogs given CBD alongside these medicines.15

Cats. In a 12-week study of eight cats, one had a persistently raised liver enzyme (ALT), and cats licked excessively and shook their heads when dosed.16

In people, CBD changes how the liver handles a number of medicines.17 Whether the same interactions occur in dogs and cats has not been well studied, so a vet needs a full list of what the animal takes.

See CBD for dogs and CBD for cats.

Footnotes

  1. Australian Veterinary Association. Use of medicinal cannabis in animals (policy, ratified 20 July 2023). https://www.ava.com.au/policy/use-of-medicinal-cannabis-in-animals ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  2. Study of 223 dogs with THC toxicosis. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 2024. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38608656/ ↩

  3. Animal Poisons Helpline. Cannabis and pets, 18 April 2020. https://www.animalpoisons.com.au/news/cannabis-and-pets/ ↩ ↩2

  4. ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center. Marijuana toxicosis in animals (veterinary technician article). https://www.aspcapro.org/sites/default/files/v-vettech_0403.pdf ↩ ↩2

  5. Review of cannabis toxicosis in companion animals. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2024. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2024.1448123/full ↩ ↩2

  6. Penington Institute. Cannabis in Australia, November 2025 (citing TGA data). https://www.penington.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Penington_Institute_Cannabis-in-Australia_Nov_2025.pdf ↩

  7. Australian Government. Therapeutic Goods (Poisons Standard, October 2026) Instrument 2026. https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2026L01327/asmade/2026-09-30/text/original/pdf ↩

  8. Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority. Cannabis in veterinary chemical products. https://www.apvma.gov.au/resources/frequently-searched-chemicals/cannabis-veterinary-chemical-products ↩

  9. Johnson E, Kilgore M, Babalonis S. Label accuracy of unregulated cannabidiol (CBD) products. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9169299/ ↩

  10. Study of 202 CBD products purchased online, 2024. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10982813/ ↩

  11. Sport Integrity Australia. CBD flyer. https://www.sportintegrity.gov.au/sites/default/files/SIA321-0624-CBD%20Flyer-A-3%20%5BDIGITAL%5D.pdf ↩

  12. Veterinary Practice Board of Western Australia. Cannabis based products. https://vsbwa.org.au/_VSBWA/News/Articles/Cannabis_Based_Products.aspx ↩

  13. Bradley S and others. Long-term daily feeding of cannabidiol is well-tolerated by healthy dogs. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2022. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9533147/ ↩

  14. Gamble LJ and others. Pharmacokinetics, safety, and clinical efficacy of cannabidiol treatment in osteoarthritic dogs. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2018. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2018.00165/full ↩

  15. Rozental AJ and others. The efficacy and safety of cannabidiol as adjunct treatment for drug-resistant idiopathic epilepsy in dogs. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.16912 ↩

  16. Deabold KA and others. Single-dose pharmacokinetics and preliminary safety assessment with use of CBD-rich hemp nutraceutical in healthy dogs and cats. Animals, 2019. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6826847/ ↩

  17. Epidiolex (cannabidiol) prescribing information, United States. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=8bf27097-4870-43fb-94f0-f3d0871d1eec ↩

Common questions

Is THC toxic to dogs?

Yes. In a study of 223 dogs with THC poisoning, 88 per cent were wobbly and uncoordinated, 75 per cent were over-sensitive to touch or sound, and 46 per cent leaked urine. The Australian Veterinary Association says animals can suffer severe complications from THC which may be fatal.

What should I do if my dog eats cannabis or an edible?

Contact your vet or an emergency vet straight away and tell them honestly what was eaten and how much. There is no antidote, so treatment is supportive care.

Can I give my dog my own CBD oil?

No. Many human cannabis medicines contain THC, and the Australian Veterinary Association says Schedule 8 cannabis products are not allowed for animals. A human prescription also covers only the person it was written for.

What are the side effects of CBD in dogs?

The most consistent finding in studies is a rise in alkaline phosphatase, an enzyme measured on blood tests. In a six-month study, just over half of the dogs given CBD showed it. Researchers advise monitoring liver enzymes, especially in dogs also taking anti-seizure medicines.

This page is general information, not medical or legal advice. Laws and evidence change; we show the date we last checked the facts at the top of every page. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.

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