Dog rescued from Scottish mountain after apparently eating cannabis
A weekend trip to Scotland took a turn for the worse when a black Labrador was rescued from the United Kingdom's highest peak after apparently eating cannabis and falling seriously ill.
Tokyo, a 5-year-old Labrador, "suddenly became critically ill after ingesting what the vets believe was cannabis left on the trail" while hiking up Scotland's Ben Nevis, recently summited by Princess Kate, her owner, Christina Bluhme, said in a July 10 post on Facebook.
"She quickly lost the use of her legs, drifted in and out of consciousness, and I genuinely thought I was going to lose her," Bluhme said.
Bluhme, a professional dog trainer, told CNN that her pet had been "so happy eating treats and drinking and had been her very active normal self" while on the hike, which also included Bluhme's 17-year-old son, Magnus, and their two-year-old golden Labrador, Blaze.
Seeking help
As they approached the mountain's peak at 4,413 feet (1,345 meters) and were about an hour from the top, Bluhme told CNN they observed Tokyo get "really weak in her hind quarters."
Bluhme initially believed it was a "spinal thing or a disc that had slipped because of the climb," but then Tokyo "started drifting in and out of consciousness." Tokyo's condition concerned Bluhme, who thought she might lose her dog.
After unsuccessfully attempting to bring the 55-pound (25-kilogram) Labrador down the mountain, Bluhme, at the suggestion of a fellow hiker, reached out to Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team, which dispatched an emergency rescue team to retrieve the ill dog.
Bluhme told CNN that Tokyo was put on a stretcher by volunteers, who all brought the pup down the mountain, after which she was swiftly taken to a nearby vet.
"Tokyo remained unconscious for much of the journey and later at the veterinary hospital," Bluhme said in her Facebook post.
The dog trainer told CNN the vet "immediately recognized" Tokyo's neurotoxicity symptoms and treated her accordingly. Common signs of neurotoxicity, an umbrella term for neurological damage caused by exposure to natural or manufactured toxins, in dogs include sudden loss of balance, unprovoked tremors, whole-body seizures, and physical weakness or partial paralysis, according to the Veterinary Ireland Journal.
Tokyo made a 'full recovery' the next day
Tokyo "remarkably" made "a full recovery" the following day, Bluhme said, adding, "We feel incredibly lucky."
Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team, in a July 6 post on Facebook, titled "Super Sunday," said they had been called "to a report of a collapsed dog."
"The team packaged the dog into the stretcher and headed to the Achintee, where they got the dog in the owners vehicle and headed to the vets," the post reads.
In a follow-up post on July 10, Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team said Tokyo had since "made a full recovery."
"It's now suspected that Tokyo, a usually very fit and active working dog, had ingested something that made her critically unwell."
Tokyo's owner tells dog owners to be more aware
Thanking the Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team "from the bottom of my heart," Bluhme said she will "never forget" their "compassion and dedication."
Bluhme also reminded fellow dog owners to "please be aware that discarded drugs and other toxic substances can sometimes be found even in the most beautiful outdoor places."
"It was something I never imagined we would encounter," she said.
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@usatodayco.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dog rescued from Scottish mountain after apparently eating cannabis
Reporting by Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY / USA TODAY
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This story was originally published July 13, 2026 at 7:07 PM.