A West Kelowna puppy became seriously ill last week after a trip to a local park.
The 10-week-old yellow lab named Tia was on the verge of death and ended up spending two days at the vet.
Both her owners and the veterinarian who treated Tia believe the puppy mistakenly ingested marijuana while out for a walk.
Owner Evan Orloff said the puppy’s legs became weak and her breathing was shallow after his wife took the dog to Rotary Beach in West Kelowna last Wednesday.
The couple quickly took Tia to the vet.
“We got her there in time fortunately. He said he was able to save her life, but she was in distress,” Orloff said.
Dr. Moshe Oz said he has seen similar cases before, but Tia’s condition was one of the worst he has seen.
Orloff said the situation “infuriated” him.
He is sharing the story to urge people to be more careful about what they leave behind in local parks.
“People are very careless about how they do things at parks — they throw needles, they throw cigarette butts, marijuana,” Orloff said.
“It is really irresponsible, and what if it had been a little kid?”
Tia has since recovered from the incident.