The big dog had trouble standing. He couldn’t hold his head up properly.

He was making strange whimpering noises and was suddenly incontinent.

In the off chance you didn’t know this yet, Rover and reefer are not a good combo. Dog (and cat) owners in Toronto are finding out the hard way that ingesting food or herb containing THC is very bad for animals — and it’s a problem that’s increasing.

“There has definitely been a rise in cases of Cannabis toxicity in the last year or two,”  says  Dr. Alex Folosea, a veterinarian at the Dundas West Animal Hospital.

“Often animals are finding it around the house, whether it be edibles or loose leaf, or ingesting roaches that are found in the parks or in alleyways.”

Safe storage at home of all cannabis products can eliminate the first issue, obviously, and pet owners are urged to take the same precautions with cannabis storage as they would if there were a child in the house.

Don’t leave anything on a table or surface low enough for a dog or cat to access, and keep in mind that domestic animals can chew through plastic bags and hard plastic storage containers.

Ingesting roaches — the stub end of a joint or some other bits and bites — is much tougher to control, especially if your dog likes to eat things off the ground.

Legal cannabis means legal consumption outdoors; many animals are finding tossed-away roaches to eat. Watch your pet carefully, because you won’t like the results if Fido eats even a little bit of cannabis.

Animals poisoned by THC, according to a new study from the University of Guelph, can exhibit symptoms such as, “disorientation, vomiting, incontinence, irregular heart rates, hyperexcitability, hyperthermia, vocalizations and seizures.”

Said Folosea, “We often support them through it with various medications, and warn owners of things to look out for.

“In rare cases, certain dogs have to be hospitalized due to the level of toxicity.”

The Guelph study of risk factors involved in dogs and accidental THC poisoning was undertaken over five years by a team of seven from the university, led by Mohammad Howard-Azzeh.

The results were published in Plos One, the Public Library of Science journal, in April, and though U.S. data were used, the findings apply to Canada as well.

According to a summary in a University of Guelph news release, the study established a significant increase in reports of cannabis poisoning in dogs, particularly in places where cannabis is legalized.

There’s also a connection between accidental poisoning and socioeconomic environment. Poisoning is more likely in places with high income variability and in urban rather than rural areas.

The take-away is that forewarned is forearmed — people need to be aware of how they store and dispose of cannabis as there can be a risk to animals.

And more cannabis around (courtesy of legalization) translates into more risk.

The apparent increase in accidental poisoning may also indicate an increase in reporting.Where pot is legal, a pet owner would not hesitate to call the vet.

Cannabis has been legal in Canada since 2018.

“Initially, owners were very hesitant to let us know that it even was a possibility,” confirmed Folosea, “but more recently, people have been more transparent.”

And that’s a good thing.

“It makes it easier so we can begin treatment sooner, and get the animal back to a normal happy life.”