Labrador rescued from UK’s highest mountain after suspected cannabis consumption
Canine Cannabis Crisis: Mountain Rescue Saves Ill Labrador
Labrador rescued from UK s highest – A five-year-old black Labrador named Tokyo has made a complete recovery after being rescued from Scotland’s tallest peak following what appears to be accidental cannabis ingestion. The dramatic incident unfolded last Sunday when the energetic dog suddenly became critically ill during a family hike up Ben Nevis, the United Kingdom’s highest mountain at 4,413 feet (1,345 meters).
The Hike That Took a Turn
Christina Bluhme, a professional dog trainer and Tokyo’s owner, described the morning as initially perfect. “She’d been so happy eating treats and drinking and had been her very active normal self,” Bluhme explained to CNN on Monday. The family outing included Bluhme’s teenage son Magnus, who is seventeen years old, alongside their two-year-old golden Labrador named Blaze. Everything seemed routine until the group neared the summit. “We were maybe an hour from the top when we noticed Tokyo got really weak in her hind quarters,” Bluhme recalled. At first, she suspected a spinal issue or slipped disc caused by the strenuous climb. However, the situation deteriorated rapidly as Tokyo began drifting in and out of consciousness. “I was standing on that mountain thinking that that was it, I was going to lose her,” she said.
Emergency Response on the Mountain
Bluhme attempted to carry Tokyo down the mountain herself, but the task proved nearly impossible. The dog weighs 24 kilograms (53 pounds), and heavy rain was pouring down, making the terrain even more treacherous. A fellow hiker recommended contacting emergency services, which quickly dispatched the Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team. Fortunately for Tokyo, rescue volunteers were already nearby after responding to another emergency at the summit. “They put her on a stretcher, I grabbed one side and we got her down the mountain,” Bluhme described. Once Tokyo reached the bottom, her owner drove her immediately to a local veterinary clinic.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Veterinarians at Crown Vets in Fort William quickly identified the cause of Tokyo’s distress. “She had all the symptoms of consuming cannabis and had her blood tested too,” Bluhme explained. The definitive clue came when Tokyo’s temperature was taken. “What really gave it away was when she had her temperature taken she let out some gas and it smelled completely like cannabis. It was almost like standing beside someone smoking weed,” she said from her home in Surrey, southeastern England. The veterinary staff administered an intravenous infusion and activated charcoal to help absorb the toxins from Tokyo’s system. When Bluhme returned the following day to collect her pet, Tokyo was noticeably improved. “She was wagging her tail very happily and was ready to go. And the day after you wouldn’t have thought that this had happened to her,” Bluhme noted.
Lessons Learned
The veterinarian suggested Tokyo likely consumed a dropped edible or human waste containing cannabis traces along the hiking trail. Bluhme, who had never encountered such a case before, said she has since received numerous messages from fellow pet owners reporting similar incidents with their dogs. “I learned a lesson in terms of dogs scavenging,” Bluhme reflected. “I’ve never put too much importance on it… they love sniffing and foraging. But I’m definitely going to be a little bit more careful about what they put their nose into in future.” The Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team shared details of the rescue on Facebook over the weekend, noting they had been called “to assist a collapsed dog.” They confirmed Tokyo had “made a full recovery” and added: “It’s now suspected that Tokyo, a usually very fit and active working dog, had ingested something that made her critically unwell.” Bluhme admitted the situation had its humorous moments despite the scare. “It’s not funny, but it was a bit funny,” she added with a smile.
