A woman from Southern California took her dog to the vet after it accidentally ingested methamphetamine during a walk in a local park.
The owner, Nancy, shared her experience with KABC TV. On October 20, she took her two dogs, Ara and Toby, for a stroll in Laurel Park, located in Los Alamitos, Orange County.
Everything seemed fine until she returned home and noticed Toby behaving oddly.
“When we got home, she was just sitting there. I tried to call her, but she wouldn’t come over or let me touch her,” Nancy explained.
Concerned, she noted that Toby refused to eat a snack, and then began twitching, leading Nancy to suspect a possible seizure.
“Something seemed to have frightened her,” she added.
Nancy rushed Toby to the veterinary clinic, where the staff was shocked to note her body temperature soared to a dangerously high 108 degrees.
The vet told Nancy that in her 30 years of practice, she had never encountered a reading that high, having only seen 106 before.
Once at the emergency room, tests showed that Toby had traces of both methamphetamine and amphetamines in her system.
Nancy believed Toby may have come into contact with drugs during their park visit.
“I was just in disbelief, and I’m certain that’s what caused it. We walk there every day, so I was really taken aback,” she remarked.
Doctors warned Nancy that Toby could face irreversible brain damage because of the extreme body temperature.
“Her heart rate was 200. I can’t imagine what would have happened if I hadn’t taken her in,” Nancy reflected.
She also expressed concern about the potential danger drug residue poses to children in the area.
“I’m really worried since we walk here so often. There’s an elementary school right nearby, and it’s unsettling,” she mentioned.
The vet speculated that Toby might have simply stepped on some powder and licked it off her paw.
Toby was likely exposed to minor traces of the drug.
“It doesn’t take much—just a sniff or a lick could cause serious concerns,” Nancy said. “A child could easily be affected too.”
