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Sophia’s Story

The Story

Behind Sophia Saves

My Passion that Drives Our Cause is Due to Sophia Becoming Deathly Ill.

My passion that drives our Cause is due to Sophia becoming deathly ill.

Sophia and I went out of town in January 2021 to visit a friend. During the stay, she crawled under my friend’s bed and ate a small stray piece of cannabis flower with a high level of THC.

I didn’t see her eat it or know it was a risk, but within a very short amount of time I noticed a drastic change in her personality and physical demeanor. I knew something was wrong.

Her face was droopy, her eyes were glassy, she could not walk properly, she was shivering terribly, and soon started vomiting.

Being from out of town, I was not familiar enough with the city to know where the nearest veterinary hospital was or which veterinarian would be qualified to treat Sophia.

I was terrified as she was getting worse by the minute, and I felt so helpless as I was scrambling to find help for her, but not knowing where to look.

With the help of my friends, Sophia was first treated at El Cajon Valley Veterinarian Hospital for about four and a half hours.

As her body temperature drastically dropped, they were fighting to get her temperature up, and for Sophia to be able to maintain it on her own. She was truly fighting an uphill battle to stay alive.

This hospital did not offer extended care into the evening, so they referred us to the Animal Emergency Clinic of San Diego, where they monitored and treated Sophia overnight.

The waiting was sheer torture, time seemed to move so slowly for me. I was scouring the internet for any information I could find to help understand what was happening.

While I did find multiple websites that offered general information on symptoms and possible treatments, there was not one all-inclusive website to help me locate a veterinarian or hospital during my time of panic. There was nothing simple and clear on the web to point me in a direction that housed all the answers I was looking for, and to bring me peace in this stressful time.

During our visits I learned from three different veterinarians (the two in San Diego that treated Sophia and Sophia’s regular vet) that pets ingesting cannabis is quite common, and that they see this all the time, especially in cities where it is legal at the state level.

Sophia Saves is not about slamming the cannabis industry, there’s no judgment here. Our goal is simply to bring awareness to people with pets, who either use and/or are around cannabis, and point out the dangers associated with it when it’s ingested by your pet. It’s not meant for them! Sophia Saves would like the chance to work with the dispensaries to get this message out and keep our fur babies safe.

Remember

Your first phone call should be to your veterinarian, and if that is not an option, then PLEASE CONTACT the ASPCA Animal Poison Control or Pet Poison Helpline immediately for help – they can also refer you to a veterinarian closest to you who knows how to treat cannabis poisoning.

ASPCA Animal Poison

The ASPCA may charge a $95 consultation fee
(888) 426-4435

Pet Poison Helpline

There is a $85 incident fee
(855) 764-7661
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