Six-month-old puppy rushed to emergency vet after eating cannabis in West Sussex

A six-month-old puppy had to be rushed to an emergency vet after eating cannabis on a walk with his elderly owners. 

Maureen and Bob Wakeman had returned home from a walk near Shoreham-by-Sea in West Sussex, when their working cocker spaniel puppy, Charlie, started to show symptoms that were "out of character".

At home, Charlie started speeding round the garden in circles and became incontinent before other symptoms started showing.

He was admitted to the vet on Sunday (October 2) and was kept in overnight after he was found to have ingested marijuana.

Maureen and Bob, both in their 70s, were able take Charlie home the following afternoon but were handed an £802 bill for the poorly pooch's care. 

Maureen, from Steyning, said: “I am so very sad for all our lovely pets and very angry this has happened. I feel the need to share this with other pet owners. Fortunately, we’ve got insurance.

"But some pet owners can’t afford insurance nowadays, that’s another problem. What do you do in that instance?“I think of the poor pet owners who have bought a pet in all innocence, and something awful like this happens. How do they cope with the financial side of it?” 

“Our puppy enjoys the outside world, his nose is always glued to the ground. Can this happen again? My goodness yes. We need to be more vigilant and aware that our little Charlie was lucky.”