On April 20 each year, those who enjoy recreational marijuana or take it for its medical benefits celebrate the unofficial cannabis holiday 4/20 day. However, because Pet Poison Helpline receives thousands of calls a year related to cannabis, the team highlighted the case of Gertie the Goose in its most recent installment of 

an unusual cannabis-related call the toxicologists received.

“Although dogs are far more likely to have an accidental marijuana exposure, according to our case data, there was one recent call that gave us goose bumps,” joked Renee Schmid, DVM, DABT, DABVT, a senior veterinary toxicologist and director of Veterinary Medicine at Pet Poison Helpline, in an organizational release.

Carola Schubbel/stock.adobe.com (Not an actual image of Gertie) 

“Earlier this year we received a call from a woman whose pet goose Gertie had quickly gobbled up a joint that accidentally dropped on the floor. The pet owner called us, and after analyzing the situation, we recommended she take Gertie into the veterinary hospital for monitoring and treatment.”

Gertie was then taken to the local animal hospital where the veterinary staff performed a crop lavage with saline. According to the release, a crop is a thin-walled pouch at the base of the esophagus where birds store food before it goes all the way down to its stomach. The Pet Poison Helpline relied on avian data from other birds to develop their recommendations since their the data for geese with this type of exposure is limited. In a scenario where a dog or cat ingests marijuana, they can begin to show clinical signs within minutes to hours depending on the exposure, such as inhalation versus ingestion.

Risks of THC and cannabis products for patients

If a pet is exposed to marijuana, they will present with a dazed expression, lethargy, dribbling urine, incoordination, and slow response signs. Pet Poison Helpline also shared that vomiting and drooling are also common signs, and pets could potentially experience heart rate changes, vocalization, neurological stimulation, hyperactivity or coma. For avian patients specifically, they can have similar neurologic and cardiovascular signs, which Gertie did.

“Even if you don’t use marijuana personally, it can still impact your pets,” Schmid warned.

 “There are currently only 4 states in the country that don’t allow some form of [delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)] usage, so the chances of your pet encountering THC are very real. A friend or family member could bring some into your home without your knowledge or your pet could come in contact with THC in a public area such as a park. We also had a case where a dog wandered into a neighbor’s yard and ate a batch of marijuana brownies.”

As more states continue to legalize marijuana either medically or recreationally, there was also more calls to Pet Poison Helpline relating to THC exposures. Pet Poison Helpline saw a 430% increase in marijuana calls from 2019 to 2023, and marijuana made its first appearance on the company’s Top 10 List of Poisons for 2021 coming in at 8

 as of the Top 10 List of Poisons in 2024.

 Schmid and the Pet Poison Helpline team is urging pet parents to be diligent and keep these products out of reach from pets and children. Schmid also warns pet owners and veterinary professionals that currently marijuana products have “significantly more THC as compared to those in decades past.”

Each month, Pet Poison Helpline releases a new installment of 

 to educate pet owners and the veterinary community on the types of poisonings that are out there impacting pets inside and out of their homes. Each pet selected to be featured in the installments has been successfully treated and fully recovered from the poisoning.

Pet Goose Accidentally Ingests Marijuana Joint. News release. Pet Poison Helpline. April 16, 2025. Accessed April 18, 2025. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pet-goose-accidentally-ingests-marijuana-joint-302429343.html#:~:text=%22Earlier%20this%20year%20we%20received,hospital%20for%20monitoring%20and%20treatment.%22

Top 10 Pet Poisons of 2024. News release. Pet Poison Helpline. January 8, 2025. Accessed April 18, 2025. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/top-10-pet-poisons-of-2024-302339363.html

Articles

As 4/20 day approaches, Pet Poison Helpline used its most recent Toxin Tail to warn veterinary professionals and pet parents ahead of the unofficial cannabis holiday 

Gertie the Goose accidentally consumes marijuana joint 

Margo Mosher, global head of sustainability for Mars Veterinary Health, discusses the company’s use of wind farming and other sustainability initiatives in an interview with dvm360. 

Powering veterinary medicine with renewable energy

A farm with wind turbines for generating renewable energy in an undisclosed location.

Margo Mosher, global head of sustainability for Mars Veterinary Health, discussed the company’s renewable electricity initiatives such as wind farming to power clinics around the world, an interview with 

. The interview was recorded at the North American Veterinary Community’s 2025 Veterinary Meeting & Expo (VMX) in Orlando, Florida, where Mars Veterinary Health presented an educational session, “How to Practice Sustainable Veterinary Medicine,” that addressed the company’s sustainability initiatives such as renewable energy and efforts made to reduce blood banking waste.

The following is a transcript of the video:

: One of our main sustainability initiatives has been focused on climate change, given it's an urgent, pressing environmental and social issue, and one of our biggest impact areas is the electricity that we use in our clinics around the world. And so a big focus early on in our sustainability journey was to find ways to source renewable electricity. So we're really proud that in 2021, as part of Mars Incorporated, we signed on to a power purchase agreement to source and really fund the building of a large wind farm in Ford Ridge, Illinois, in the US. And as part of that, we therefore have been able to source renewable electricity for our 2000 pet hospitals across the US, and that's including Banfield, Blue Pearl and VCA [networks]. They are all now sourcing clean renewable electricity, and that's helped to reduce a good portion of our greenhouse gas emissions. And then we're also really excited that we've brought online all of our Linnaeus clinics in the UK with renewable electricity as well.

Our last bit for this year is focusing on sourcing renewables for all of our AniCura hospitals across Europe. And then we'll have achieved the goal that we had set, which was sourcing renewables for all of our clinics across Europe, UK and the US, by the end of 2025. This has been a really important part of our sustainability journey and our climate change initiatives. And we're also really happy to be part of Mars Incorporated who has a ambitious target related to climate change, achieving net zero emissions by 2050 and so our renewable electricity for our pet hospitals has really helped us be part of that and contribute to that work.

Videos

Powering veterinary medicine with renewable electricity

The most common adverse effects are gastrointestinal, says Ellen Behrend, VMD, PhD, MS, DACVIM (SAIM)

Common adverse effects of SGLT2 inhibitors in cats

In this interview, Ellen Behrend, VMD, PhD, MS, DACVIM (SAIM), a consultant at Veterinary Information Network, discusses the adverse effects associated with sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor use in cats, specific to 

Senvelgo (velagliflozin oral solution) and Bexacat (bexagliflozin tablets)

. She discusses gastrointestinal symptoms, ketosis and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), hypoglycemia, and more.

Ellen Behrend, VMD, PhD, MS, DACVIM (SAIM):

 As far as side effects, the most common are gastrointestinal. And right now there are 3 published papers, 2 on Senvelgo, one on Bexacat. And in those papers, the 2 most common side effects were soft stool and vomiting.

Which was number 1 and which was number 2 actually differs between the studies, and I don't think that's any real difference between Bexacat and Senvelgo, I think that was the luck of the population.

If you read the package inserts, it says that diarrhea was the side effect, and it really makes it sound a lot scarier than it is. The use of diarrhea was an FDA-mandated term, and it was 

 loosening of the stool and owners were told to watch the litter box like a hawk and report anything, so I don't know that it's really real-life. The incidence, though, of soft stools was somewhere between about 30% and 50% which again, sounds scary, and it's not that scary.

If it happens, it typically happens in the first week, it's self-limiting, and it goes away. There were a couple cats that had diarrhea that was severe enough that the owner stopped the drug. But that was an exception, rather than the rule by far.

Vomiting happened once or twice, typically. It was random, it's not associated with anything. You're giving an oral medication to a cat, so of course, they're going to vomit randomly—they're cats. So, vomiting I don't think was out of the realm of what you would expect with a cat getting an oral medication...

Adverse effects of SGLT2 inhibitors in cats

Veterinary care is financially out of reach for many pet owners, a recent survey exploring pet owners’ experiences with veterinary care found. The same study found that more than half (52%) of US pet owners have skipped or declined necessary veterinary care for their pets despite 97% of pet parents considering their pets family.

PetSmart Charities-Gallup State of Pet Care Study: Pet Parents’ Assessment of American Veterinary Care

, conducted by PetSmart Charities and Gallup, interviewed 2498 cat and dog owners across the US between November 13, 2024 and January 9, 2025, on topics that included how often they take their pets to the veterinarian, where they obtain pet health information, and how well veterinarians offer services that meet the needs of themselves and their pets. Both web-based and mailed surveys were used to ensure representation from a broad range of pet owners, including those without internet access. Gallup also weighted the sample to reflect national demographics of US dog and cat owners, including gender, age, race, Hispanic ethnicity, education, and region, according to PetSmart Charities.

Veterinary care costs pose a concern for high- and low- income pet owners

In pet owners across different income levels, financial barriers were reported as a reason to forgo or decline veterinary care. The survey found pet owners in households with an income of less than $60,000 were most likely to avoid care due to affordability. Higher income earners, meanwhile, had a greater tendency of declining services they did not believe justified the cost. Still, in those earning $90,000 or more, a third reported skipping veterinary care due to financial constraints.

At the time of the survey, 52% of pet parents reported having not taken their pets to the veterinarian within the past year, even when they felt their pet needed veterinary care, or declined care recommended by a veterinarian.

 The percentage of these pet owners were particularly high among

Pet owners living in households earning less than $60,000 annually (55%)

Additionally, 57% of veterinarians said they were unable to provide patients with desired care due to client economic limitations, according to a 2017 survey on small animal veterinarians’ opinions and actions regarding costs of care, effects of economic limitations on patient care and outcome, and more.

According to the State of Pet Care Study survey, the most declined veterinary services were diagnostic procedures, including blood tests (22%) and preventive care, such as yearly examinations and vaccinations (18%).

Pet owners are aware of the risks of skipping veterinary care

Fourteen percent of pet owners who skipped veterinary care said their pet’s condition worsened, or their pet died. Only a third of those who declined veterinary care saw an improvement in their pet’s condition after skipping care.

According to the survey’s findings, 30% of pet owners said they knew a friend or family member whose pet passed away because the owner could not afford the necessary veterinary care. Seven percent of survey participants reported declining lifesaving surgeries for their pet. Additionally, 11% reported knowing someone who had to surrender a pet because veterinary care was too expensive.

Seventy-three percent of survey participants who declined care due to cost indicated not being offered a more cost-effective option. Of the pet owners who declined care that was not practical for them or their pet, 46% said they were not offered an option that better fit their needs.

“...While the most advanced care is an option that should be explored for pet parents, it should not be presented as the only option—or perhaps not even the first option—given the number of pet parents who have financial considerations and the robust research on first-recommendation bias,” wrote the authors of the State of Pet Care Study.

Sixty-four percent of pet owners said payment plans would make it possible for them to afford to pay at least twice the amount for lifesaving treatment for their pet. Still, less than 1 in 4 owners has ever been offered a payment plan, according to the survey’s findings.

Approximately 4 in 10 pet owners were interested in alternative veterinary care methods for their pets, such as community clinics (38%), home visits from a veterinarian (38%), or telemedicine (37%). Black pet owners (54%), 18- to 29-year-olds (48%), and those living in households earning less than $60,000 annually (47%) reported the highest interest in community clinics.

"The data show that many pet parents are not being presented with alternative care options that could make veterinary services more accessible, despite interest in such options," Zach Hrynowski, a senior researcher at Gallup, said in a news release.

 "Our analysis of the data points to a clear opportunity for the veterinary industry to expand affordable, flexible solutions that meet pet parents' needs."

Pet companionship offers extensive mental and physical health benefits, with the Human Animal Bond Research Institute estimating that pet ownership saves the US healthcare system nearly $23 billion annually.

Yet, approximately 50 million pets in the US lack access to appropriate veterinary care, ie., care that meets the basic standards, according to PetSmart Charities.

“The hope is the findings in [the]...State of Pet Care Study... will influence the evolution of veterinary care to include more affordable, flexible, and accessible models,” wrote Aimee Gilbreath, MBA, president of PetSmart Charities, in the study’s foreword.

 Q&A, Jaynes shares resources and strategies veterinary professionals can use to provide flexible and affordable care to clients, including adopting spectrum and incremental care models and improving operational efficiency. She also discusses the importance of understanding legal boundaries when offering care options to clients, such as state veterinary practice acts; and details what veterinary teams can do to support clients who are unable to afford necessary treatment for their pet.

 Robyn Jaynes, DVM, director of veterinary affairs at PetSmart Charities, stressed the urgent need for collaboration across the veterinary field to improve access to care, noting that change will require efforts from clinics, schools, and leaders alike. "The veterinary industry must unite to ensure every pet has access to care, as the magnitude of the problem is such that no one entity can solve this on their own," she said.

"Clinics should practice flexibility and focus on providing options that work for each pet family’s needs. Veterinary schools must train vets in spectrum-of-care practice and continue research supporting lower-cost models, and industry leaders need to drive innovation that also reduces costs. Together, we can build a system that meets families where they are, because access to veterinary care shouldn’t be a privilege," Jaynes continued.

According to PetSmart Charities, the organization has committed to $100 million to improving access to veterinary care. The charity is offering grant funding to expand affordable veterinary care clinics, support research on affordable payment options, investigate single-service models to help lower costs for pet owners, and more.

"We estimate the cost to ensure adequate care for all pets currently going without it is over $20 billion annually using traditional care delivery models," said Gilbreath.

 "Systematic solutions to this crisis go well beyond what 1 organization can provide—we need a united front from veterinary industry leaders, schools, practices and nonprofit animal welfare leaders to produce sustainable change."

PetSmart Charitites-Gallup State of Pet Care Study: Pet Parents’ Assessment of American Veterinary Care. Gallup, PetSmart Charities. Accessed April 17, 2025. 

https://www.gallup.com/analytics/659123/gallup-petsmart-charities.aspx

New study finds more than half of U.S. pet parents skip or decline needed veterinary care. News release. PetSmart Charities. April 16, 2025. Accessed April 17, 2025. 

https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-study-finds-more-than-half-of-us-pet-parents-skip-or-decline-needed-veterinary-care-302429953.html

Kipperman BS, Kass PH, Rishniw M. Factors that influence small animal veterinarians’ opinions and actions regarding cost of care and effects of economic limitations on patient care and outcome and professional career satisfaction and Burnout. 

Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association

. 2017;250(7):785-794. doi:10.2460/javma.250.7.785

Nearly 1 in 3 pet parents says they know someone whose pet passed away because the owner could not afford the necessary treatment.

Many pet owners cannot afford veterinary care, survey finds

The FDA announced that is going to be replacing animal testing in the development of monoclonal antibody therapies and other drugs with more effective and human-relevant methods. This move by the FDA is a "groundbreaking" step to advancing public health, and the new approach is designed to improve drug safety and accelerate the evaluation process but also reduce animal experimentation, research and develop costs (R&D), and eventually drug prices.

According to an organizational release, animal testing requirements will be reduced, refined, and possibly replaced by the FDA using different approaches. Some of the new approaches include artificial intelligence (AI)-base computational models of toxicity and cell lines and organoid toxicity testing in a laboratory setting, also known as New Approach Methodologies or NAMs data. The FDA will implement this new regimen immediately for investigational new drug applications, where NAMs data inclusion is encouraged, and it is outlined in a roadmap released by the FDA.

 The agency will also start to use pre-existing, real-world safety data from other countries that have comparable regulatory standards and the drug was already studied in humans to determine its efficacy.

“For too long, drug manufacturers have performed additional animal testing of drugs that have data in broad human use internationally. This initiative marks a paradigm shift in drug evaluation and holds promise to accelerate cures and meaningful treatments for Americans while reducing animal use,” said Martin A. Makary, MD, MPH, FDA commissioner, in the release.

“By leveraging AI-based computational modeling, human organ model-based lab testing, and real-world human data, we can get safer treatments to patients faster and more reliably, while also reducing R&D costs and drug prices. It is a win-win for public health and ethics,” he continued.

According to the FDA, key benefits of replacing animal testing in monoclonal antibody safety evaluation include:

This roadmap will encourage drug developers to leverage computer modeling and AI to predict drug behavior.

The FDA will promote the use of lab-grown human “organoids” and organ-on-a-chip systems that can mimic human organs to test drug safety. These types of experiments can reveal toxic effects that might go undetected in animals.

The FDA is working to update its guidelines to allow consideration of data from the new methods. Companies can submit strong safety data from non-animal tests could potentially receive streamlined review as the need for certain animal studies is eliminated. This could incentivize investment in modernized testing platforms.

Using modern techniques could also help the drug development process go by quicker and enables monoclonal antibody therapies to reach patients more quickly without compromising safety.

Through this move, the FDA is reaffirming its role as a global leader in modern regulatory science and setting new standards for the industry. The move also is encouraging the adoption of innovative and humane testing methods following years of Congress and the scientific community pushing for more human-relevant testing methods.

“For patients, it means a more efficient pipeline for novel treatments. It also means an added margin of safety, since human-based test systems may better predict real-world outcomes. For animal welfare, it represents a major step toward ending the use of laboratory animals in drug testing. Thousands of animals, including dogs and primates, could eventually be spared each year as these new methods take root,” Makary concluded.

To accelerate the validation and adoption of these methods, the FDA is working in partnership with other federal agencies, including the National Institutes of Health, the National Toxicology Program and the Department of Veterans Affairs, and through the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods.

 The FDA and its federal partners will be hosting a public workshop later this year to gather stakeholders input on the implementation and discuss the roadmap.

The FDA also plans to launch a pilot program allowing select monoclonal antibody developers to use primarily non-animal-based testing strategies under close consultation from its agency. The findings from an accompanying pilot study will inform broader policy changes and guidance updates, all of which are expected to roll out in phases.

FDA Announces Plan to Phase Out Animal Testing Requirement for Monoclonal Antibodies and Other Drugs. News release. US Food and Drug Administration. April 10, 2025. Accessed April 17, 2025. 

https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-announces-plan-phase-out-animal-testing-requirement-monoclonal-antibodies-and-other-drugs

Roadmap to reducing animal testing in preclinical safety studies. US Food and Drug Administration. April 10, 2025. Accessed April 17, 2025. https://www.fda.gov/media/186092/download?attachment.

This is a groundbreaking step toward advancing public health by using more effective and human-relevant methods instead of animal testing

FDA to phase out animal testing requirement for monoclonal antibodies and other drugs

A nutraceutical for enhancing canine joint health is launching in the US animal health market. The supplement (4CYTE Epiitalis Forte Dog) is distributed by epiq Animal Health in partnership with Interpath Global, a research and development company for animal joint health, is derived from plant seed oil that is high in unique fatty acids.

The US release of the supplement for canines, “4CYTE Dog,” follows the December 2024 launch of a companion equine gel product (4CYTE Epiitalis Forte Horse), “4CYTE Horse.” The supplement for horses was made available to the US market in December 2024 with a product launch at the American Association of Equine Practitioners conference in Orlando, Florida, according to an email from epiq Animal Health.

4CYTE Dog and 4CYTE Horse are formulated with the patented ingredient Epiitalis Forte, a natural plant seed oil that is sustainably sourced, according to epiq Animal Health. Both 4CYTE and Epiitalis have undergone “rigorous” assessments for safety and efficacy including clinical trials with various species that include dogs, horses and humans.

In a 2020 pilot study of 4CYTE Dog, for example, investigators at the University of Melbourne in Australia found 93.5% of the 50 enrolled canines with naturally occurring osteoarthritis (OA) used the supplement for managing the condition and demonstrated improvement in quality of life, with 74% showing mobility improvement by day 28. Investigators of the pilot study concluded the supplement was successful in reducing OA symptoms in dogs.

Both the canine and equine supplements were previously made available abroad through other distributors, according to the epiq email. These supplements have been sold in Australia, where they were developed, and have also found markets in Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

Rebecca Britton, general manager of Interpath Global, said 4CYTE products for dogs and horses have been scientifically proven to enhance joint health function in horses and dogs, and epiq is excited to bring it to the US market. “The feedback from horse and dog owners around the world and, most importantly, the exceptional clinical outcomes for the animals themselves are second to none," Britton said in a news release.

Both supplements are now available to US customers through animal health technology and services provider Covetrus, while agreements with additional animal health product distributors are pending. The supplement for dogs can also be purchased online through Amazon. Additionally, the supplement for horses is available online through the equine supplies market SmartPak, a subsidiary of Covetrus.

epiq Animal Health and Interpath Global launch second joint health product offering—this one for the dogs. News release. epiq Animal Health. April 17, 2025. Accessed April 17, 2025. 

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/epiq-animal-health-and-interpath-global-launch-second-joint-health-product-offering--this-one-for-dogs-302428970.html

Beths T, Munn R, Bauquier SH, Mitchel P, Whittem T. A pilot study of 4CYTE™ Epiitalis® Forte, a novel Nutraceutical, in the management of naturally occurring osteoarthritis in the dog. University of Melbourne. Accessed April 17, 2025. 

https://minerva-access.unimelb.edu.au/rest/bitstreams/de9c78e3-0d67-549c-b888-7fd0b0cee6ba/retrieve

The nutraceutical 4CYTE Epiitalis Forte Dog was previously only available abroad  and is now distributed domestically by epiq Animal Health and Interpath Global.