MONDAY, Dec. 23, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Hundreds of beloved pet dogs and cats were reported as being unintentionally poisoned by cocaine and methamphetamine left out in their owners' homes, new data from one U.S. pet poison control hotline shows.

When a dog or cat consumes cocaine or meth, it can quickly prove fatal, warned a team led by Orrin Ware, an assistant professor of social work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

"Any degree of exposure should be considered concerning, as there is a high risk of toxicity and death, even with aggressive medical therapy," Ware and colleagues wrote in their new study.

Spotting an animal sickened by cocaine or meth and getting them to emergency care is crucial, "because without treatment, the likelihood of death is high," the researchers said.

In the study, Ware and colleagues looked at data on cats and dogs who were poisoned by meth or cocaine and whose cases were reported to the Pet Poison Helpline, operating in the United States and Canada. Data was tracked from 2019 through 2023.

Overall, cases involving 433 dogs and 63 cats were reported during that time period. For cats, almost two-thirds (65%) of exposures involved cocaine, the researchers said, and for dogs meth was the more common drug (58% of cases).

By region, the American West and South were hardest hit: For example, 163 dogs in the U.S. West fell victim to meth or cocaine poisonings, while 115 canines were sickened in the South, the report found.

While the number of pets poisoned by meth did not rise by much over the study period, there was a big rise in cocaine poisoning among both cats and dogs between 2019 and 2023, the team found.

The study, published Dec 20 in the journal JAMA Network Open. shows that the tragedy of overdose among humans with substance abuse may be extending to pets living in spaces where drugs are consumed.

"As harms related to illicit substance use continue to trend upward, recognizing the potentially fatal effects on animals in the surrounding environment" could help build awareness of the danger, Ware and colleagues said.

"Cats and dogs are crucial members of households, often providing comfort and emotional support," they added, and the new study highlights "the intrinsic relationship between human and animal health."

More information

If you suspect your pet may have been poisoned, head to the Pet Poison Helpline.

SOURCE: JAMA Network Open, Dec. 20, 2024