Shropshire dog Twiglet's hallucinogenic fit
Lurcher Twiglet went on a trip of an altogether different kind when he was taken for a walk near his home.
His vet owner Nick Fisher said his Bedlington lurcher had a "serious hallucinogenic episode" after eating something he found.
He and his wife Karen are warning other dog owners to beware after Twiglet fell seriously ill.
The family dog is believed to have eaten drugs that were left lying near a bus stop close to their home in the village of Leintwardine.
Karen, 33, a farm consultant and mother-of-one, said it led to a 45-minute episode in which the seven-year-old dog showed symptoms of being under the influence of narcotics.
Fortunately Nick, 31, a surgeon with the Marches Veterinary Group in Ludlow and Leominster, was able to deal with the problem swiftly.
Karen said: "Symptoms include hallucinating, partial seizures, tremors, hyper-salivating, in-coordination and collapsing." Nick said: "We had taken our dogs out as we normally do and went past the bus stop which is just like a seat around an oak tree. People often hang out there and drop things like food.
"He came back in the house and started doing laps of the room. Then he started shaking, salivating and panting excessively. He then fell onto his side." He made Twiglet vomit and a blood test did not show any obvious medical cause.
"The following day he was normal. My friend, a neurologist, suggested it sounded like he'd ingested something hallucinogenic."
