Contaminated common roaches wreak havoc on dog parents in New York City

A growing chorus of dog parents are complaining about the scourge of the common roaches littering the streets of New York City, less than six months after adult-use cannabis was sold.

KTLA 5 reports that dog parents and veterinarians are concerned about dogs eating roaches scattered throughout New York City, which they say is a public nuisance.

dr Amy Attas, a New York City veterinarian, told KTLA 5 that she’s getting more calls from concerned dog parents when their dogs are sniffing roaches and eating roaches left on the sidewalk.

“The reason we see so many cases is because people use marijuana on the street and then throw away the unwanted ends of their joints,” Attas said. “And that’s a real problem because dogs eat that.”

According to the Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), recreational drugs, including cannabis, are part of the organization’s annual list of top toxins for pets, the last known during National Poison Prevention Week was given 19.-25. March.

In 2022, the APCC team received nearly 11% more calls related to potential cannabis use than the year before, and has seen a nearly 300% increase in calls over the past five years. “It’s unbelievable to me how common this is now,” Attas said.

According to the APCC, most calls involve pets consuming edibles that are more dangerous than ingesting plant matter, sometimes in combination with ingredients like chocolate, another canine poison. Eating edibles can cause symptoms like upset stomach, urinary incontinence, and ataxia in pets like dogs.

Colleen Briggs is one of the dog parents in New York who is concerned about roaches on the sidewalk after her 8-month-old toy poodle ate some cannabis. “He was just doing his usual thing – exploring everything, sniffing everything,” Briggs told KTLA 5.

Sue Scott, whose 9-month-old pug ate a roach, is also concerned. “I don’t know if you know pugs — they’re always looking for their next bite,” Scott said. “But sometimes it’s quite difficult to control them because they’re so fast. They’ll just shoot something.”

CBD, not THC, for dogs

While THC is considered a toxic substance for dogs, as it is widely believed that their bodies are too small to handle the compound, CBD can have a different outcome.

dr Austin Urban Vet’s Helen Rudnick told High Times in 2018 that anecdotal reports suggest CBD may be beneficial for dogs. One claim is that CBD may be helpful in dogs suffering from seizures, as has been reported in children.

For example, professional British boxer Anthony Fowler posted a video of a dog having a seizure and how quickly CBD oil stopped the dog shaking. Another viral video shows CBD oil stopping another dog from having a seizure in less than a minute.

In 2022, the National Animal Supplement Council (NASC) started a petition against Idaho’s ban on CBD for animals. The NASC believes CBD bans are more dangerous because CBD products require Certificates of Analysis and must be verified under a regulatory program.

So NASC called people to action on the council’s website and started a petition on Change.org.

What to do with cockroaches instead of garbage

There are several ways to save the grass left in a common cockroach.

You can make a grandfather joint by using deflated roaches and rolling several of them into a new joint. The cannabis left in roaches usually contains additional resin, which is collected when the original joint is smoked.

First or second generation roach joints are best, although some users say they have smoked fifth generation roach joints before. Another option is to get a cockroach clip so you can smoke to the end.

Another option is to make roach butter, or pour the leftover weed into a butter using the same general guidelines you would use for unused cannabis. Most likely the weed has already been partially decarboxylated.

If you don’t want to smoke roach weed, throw it away somewhere so it doesn’t end up on the sidewalk where dogs will inevitably sniff it out and eat it up.