If your dog ate an edible, a cannabis gummy, brownie, cookie, chocolate or any other THC product, call for help now, even if your dog seems fine. Call your veterinarian, the nearest 24-hour emergency animal hospital, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (888-426-4435) or the Pet Poison Helpline (855-764-7661). Both lines answer 24 hours a day, and a fee may apply. Do not try to make your dog vomit unless the vet or poison line tells you to. Keep the packaging. Tell them plainly what it was: that is how your dog gets the right care. Toxicity varies with the product and your dog's size and health, and only a vet can judge that.
You Need Help, and Asking Is the Right Thing to Do
Many people hesitate here because they worry about what the vet will think. The sources are clear that the useful thing is the truth.
The Merck Veterinary Manual's pet-owner page on poisonings from illicit and abused drugs (by Safdar A. Khan, DVM, PhD, last updated March 2026) says: "If your pet has been exposed to illicit or abused drugs, it is important that you provide an accurate and complete history to your veterinarian."
In practice, that means saying the word "cannabis" or "THC" on the phone and at the clinic. Telling the vet exactly what your dog ate means they do not have to work it out from the signs alone, and it lets them plan for every ingredient in the product, not just the one they can guess.
The Pet Poison Helpline's marijuana page says: "There is no safe dose of psychoactive marijuana for companion animals." It is a common enough emergency that the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center listed marijuana among its top 10 pet toxins in its report on 2022 (published March 23, 2023). You are far from the first person to make this call.
Dog Ate an Edible: The First Five Minutes
- Take away what is left and move your dog away from it. Check whether other pets got any.
- Find the packaging. The label may show the THC or CBD content, the number of pieces and the other ingredients.
- Call your vet, an emergency animal hospital, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435 or the Pet Poison Helpline at 855-764-7661.
- Go straight to an emergency vet if your dog is very sleepy or hard to rouse, vomiting, collapsing, having a seizure or having difficulty breathing.
- Do not give anything by mouth, and do not try home remedies, unless the vet or poison line tells you to.
Why You Should Not Make Your Dog Vomit at Home
This is where the sedation that cannabis causes becomes dangerous. The ASPCA's top-10 toxins report warns that "prolonged sedation can lead to aspiration pneumonia," which happens when vomit or other material is breathed into the lungs. A drowsy, wobbly dog is not a dog that can safely be made to vomit at home.
Merck's veterinary chapter on THC toxicosis in dogs and cats (by Holly Hommerding, DVM, of the Pet Poison Helpline, last updated February 2026) says that decontamination "may be considered within 1 hour of THC ingestion in clinically normal patients only." Two things follow from that sentence. Time matters, which is why the call comes first. And the decision depends on how your dog is right now, which only a vet can assess. Our guide on whether you should make your dog throw up explains the wider rule.
An Edible Is Often Two Problems in One
This is the part many pages on this topic skip. An edible is a drug, but it is also a food, and the food can be a poison in its own right.
Merck notes that THC is found in "edibles (baked goods, gummies, candy, etc), oils, tinctures, topicals, capsules, and vaping liquids." Look at what yours was made of:
- Chocolate. A brownie, cookie or chocolate bar brings chocolate's own risks. The ASPCA's chocolate guidance describes concerns ranging "from mild vomiting and diarrhea to more serious issues like increased or irregular heart rate and rhythm, muscle tremors and seizures." See our guide on what to do when a dog eats chocolate.
- Sugar-free products. The ASPCA warns that sugar-free chocolate "could also contain xylitol, a toxin that can cause low blood sugar and liver damage in our dog friends." Check gummies and candies for xylitol and its other names on labels.
- Raisins and nuts. The ASPCA also says to note whether chocolates had fillings, "including raisins or macadamia nuts, as they can also be toxic."
Read the full ingredient list to the poison line, not just the THC number. Two exposures in one bite change what the vet needs to plan for.
When Signs Appear and How Long They Last
Do not take a calm first half hour as the all-clear. Signs can take time to show.
Merck's pet-owner page says signs "begin within 30 to 90 minutes and can last up to 3 days." Merck's veterinary chapter says clinical signs usually appear within 1 to 2 hours of ingestion, and up to 4 hours in dogs that had not eaten, and that in greatly affected cases they can persist to some extent for 1 to 3 days. The two pages give slightly different windows, but they agree on the point that matters: a dog that seems normal soon after eating an edible has not been cleared, and the effects can last days, not hours.
Signs to Report to the Vet
These are the signs the sources name. They are listed so you can describe what you see on the phone, not so you can decide at home whether your dog is poisoned.
| What you might see | Where the sources mention it |
|---|---|
| Lethargy, sleepiness, sedation, depression | Merck, ASPCA |
| Wobbliness, stumbling, lack of coordination | Merck, ASPCA, Pet Poison Helpline |
| Vomiting, drooling, diarrhea | Merck |
| Dribbling or uncontrolled urine | Merck, ASPCA, Pet Poison Helpline |
| Dazed or aggressive behavior, sudden flinching | Pet Poison Helpline |
| Slow heart rate, low body temperature | Merck, ASPCA |
| Vocalization | Merck |
| Collapse, seizures, difficulty breathing, coma | Pet Poison Helpline, Merck |
Merck's veterinary chapter notes that "Seizures are rare with THC ingestion." That is information, not reassurance. Seizures, collapse, breathing trouble or a dog you cannot rouse mean go to an emergency vet now.
What to Tell the Vet or Poison Line
- The product type: gummy, brownie, cookie, chocolate, oil, tincture, capsule, vape liquid or plant material
- The THC and CBD content on the label, and how many pieces or how much is missing
- Every other ingredient, especially chocolate, xylitol, raisins or nuts
- Roughly when it happened
- Your dog's approximate weight, age and health conditions
- Every sign you have seen, and when it started
If you are sent to a clinic, bring the packaging. Our guide to what the vet does for dog poisoning explains what usually happens once you arrive.
If It Was Your Cat
Call the same numbers. Merck's chapter on THC covers both dogs and cats, and the ASPCA's and Pet Poison Helpline's warnings refer to pets in general. Tell the poison line what the product was and what else was in it.
Keeping It Out of Reach
The ASPCA's advice is short: "Keep all THC products, including edibles, well out of pets reach!" Many edibles look like ordinary treats. A closed container in a high cupboard, and never leaving a gummy packet or a plate of brownies on a low table, are the simplest changes. Product forms and the law on cannabis vary from place to place and change over time, but the advice to keep THC away from pets does not.
Sources Checked
On October 2, 2026 we read the Merck Veterinary Manual chapter on toxicosis in dogs and cats from tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) (last updated February 2026), the Merck pet-owner page on poisonings from illicit and abused drugs (last updated March 2026), the Pet Poison Helpline's marijuana toxin page, the ASPCA's "The Official Top 10 Pet Toxins of 2022" (March 23, 2023) and the ASPCA's "What to Do If Your Pet Gets into Chocolate" (January 10, 2022). This article publishes no dose, threshold or safe amount.
Frequently Asked Questions
My dog ate an edible but seems fine. Do I still need to call?
Yes. Merck says signs can begin 30 to 90 minutes after ingestion, and its veterinary chapter describes signs appearing up to 4 hours later in dogs that had not eaten. Call your vet or a poison line now.
Will the vet judge me if I say my dog ate weed?
The Merck Veterinary Manual says it is important to give your vet an accurate and complete history after any drug exposure. Telling them exactly what your dog ate helps them plan your dog's care.
Should I make my dog throw up after eating an edible?
Not unless the vet or poison line tells you to. The ASPCA warns that prolonged sedation can lead to aspiration pneumonia, and Merck says decontamination is considered only in certain cases, a judgment for the vet.
Is an edible worse than plant material for a dog?
An edible can carry other toxins. The ASPCA warns that chocolate, xylitol in sugar-free products, and raisins or macadamia nuts in fillings can each be toxic to dogs. Read the full ingredient list to the poison line.
How long do the effects of an edible last in a dog?
Merck's pet-owner page says signs can last up to 3 days. Only a vet can judge how your dog is doing and when it is safe to stop watching closely.
This article is general information and does not replace veterinary care. If your dog has eaten any cannabis or THC product, contact your veterinarian, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435, or the Pet Poison Helpline at 855-764-7661 now. Toxicity varies with your dog's size and health, and only a vet can assess your individual dog.