A woman in Austell, Georgia was recently arrested after police say she fed a contaminated milkshake to a dog. More specifically, authorities say the milkshake was laced with meth and marijuana. The woman is now being held in jail on $4,100 bail.
The Incident in Question
As reported by local news source Marietta Daily Journal, police identified the woman as 37 year old Nicole Ledford. According to an arrest warrant issued for Ledford, the incident took place back in September 2018.
Cobb County Police say they initially pulled Ledford over for what sounds like a routine traffic violation. But then at some point during the stop, Ledford allegedly fed a milkshake to a brown and white mixed-breed dog named Moose.
Following the traffic stop, authorities tested Moose’s urine. And authorities said the test came back positive for THC.
Additionally, the arrest warrant also states that methamphetamine was present in the milkshake that had been fed to the dog.
After receiving lab test results, officials arrested Ledford on January 17. She was booked and is currently being held at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center. Bail has reportedly been set at $4,100.
According to local reports from authorities in Cobb County, Ledford is facing multiple charges. These include cruelty to animals, failure to appear in court, failure to maintain lane, and possession of less than one ounce of marijuana.
Interestingly, Ledford is not facing any meth-related charges. But authorities maintain that there is evidence of meth being in the milkshake.
At this time, it remains unclear why Ledford may have fed the dog the milkshake. Additionally, it is also unclear why police suspected that the dog had eaten anything illicit, or why they chose to test the animal’s urine.
Cannabis and Pets
As in the case of Ledford and the dog Moose, cannabis and a variety of other substances can be very dangerous to animals, especially house pets like dogs and cats.
But at the same time, there is growing evidence that suggests that certain doses or types of cannabis may be helpful for pets. In fact, researchers at the University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine recently conducted one of the first formal studies of cannabis and dogs.
In the study, researchers surveyed a number of dog owners. Specifically, they were trying to see if people give their pets medical cannabis. Additionally, in those cases where dogs had consumed medical cannabis, researchers wanted to see how the animals responded.
Ultimately, the survey suggested that dogs responded the best to CBD. In fact, many dog owners said that CBD helped their pets be more calm and less anxious. Similarly, some pet owners said CBD helped dogs that suffer from seizures or from chronic pain.
All of this seems promising. And additional research may be done to further see how CBD might be used as an aid in animal care.
But at the same time, many veterinarians and researchers warn that THC could be dangerous for dogs and other similar house pets. In particular, if smaller animals like these ingest too much THC, it can quickly turn fatal.
