Duchess Kate greets children taking on the Three Peaks challenge
Kate, Princess of Wales, greeted a young boy on Ben Nevis while climbing Britain’s three highest peaks to raise money for cancer charities.
A weekend trip to Scotland took a turn for the worse after a black Labrador was rescued from Britain’s highest mountain after apparently becoming seriously ill after ingesting cannabis.
Tokyo, a 5-year-old Labrador, “suddenly became critically ill after ingesting what we believe to be cannabis left on the trail by a veterinarian” while hiking Ben Nevis in Scotland, which was recently climbed by the Duchess of Cambridge, his owner Christina Blume said in a July 10 Facebook post.
“She immediately lost the use of her legs and was in and out of consciousness. I really thought I was going to lose her,” Blume said.
Blume, a professional dog trainer, told CNN that her pet was “very happy eating and drinking treats and acting very active and normal” during the hike. Among them were Blume’s 17-year-old son Magnus and 2-year-old golden Labrador Blaze.
asking for help
As he approached the 4,413-foot (1,345-meter) peak, about an hour from the summit, Blume told CNN he observed that Tokyo was “really weak in its hind legs.”
Blume initially believed it was “something in her spine, or a slipped disc from climbing,” but then Tokyo “started to come and go,” she said. Blume was worried about Tokyo’s condition and thought she might lose her dog.
After unsuccessfully trying to get the 55-pound (25-kilogram) Labrador down the mountain, Blume, on the recommendation of a fellow hiker, contacted Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team, who dispatched an emergency rescue team to retrieve the sick dog.
Blume told CNN that Tokyo was placed on a stretcher by volunteers who helped the pup down the mountain and then immediately took him to a nearby veterinarian.
“Tokyo remained unconscious for most of the journey and later at the veterinary hospital,” Blume said in a Facebook post.
The dog trainer told CNN that veterinarians “immediately recognized” Tokyo’s neurotoxic symptoms and treated him accordingly. According to the Irish Veterinary Journal, common signs of neurotoxicity (a general term for neurological damage caused by exposure to natural or manufactured toxins) in dogs include sudden loss of balance, unexplained tremors, generalized seizures, weakness or partial paralysis.
Tokyo made a “full recovery” the next day.
Blume said the next day that Tokyo had “remarkably” and “fully recovered,” adding: “We feel incredibly lucky.”
Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team said in a July 6 Facebook post titled “Super Sunday” that they were called “to reports of a dog down.”
“The team loaded the dog onto a stretcher and drove to Achintee Hospital, where they loaded the dog into the owner’s car and drove him to the vet,” the post said.
Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team said in a follow-up post on July 10 that Tokyo had since made a “full recovery”.
“It is now suspected that Tokyo, who is normally a very healthy and active working dog, may have ingested something that caused him to become seriously unwell.”
Dog owners in Tokyo urge dog owners to be more careful
Ms Blume thanked Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team “from the bottom of my heart” and said she would “never forget” their “compassion and dedication”.
Blume also cautioned fellow dog owners to “be aware that even in the most beautiful outdoor locations, discarded drugs and other toxic materials can be found.”
“It was something we never imagined we would encounter,” she said.
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Contact her at sshafiq@usatodayco.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7..
