Hamilton vets are treating red-eyed stoned and drugged pets, including a chihuahua with a fetish for leftover marijuana joints and a dog tripping on magic mushrooms.
The After Hours Veterinary Hospital has treated at least eight stoned dogs since it opened in January.
Owner Keith Houston told NZ Newswire most of the pets had eaten marijuana left lying around the house.
"One person had thrown all their hash lolly cake on the lawn, someone else had taken frozen [marijuana bud] heads out of the freezer and the dog ate it out of the garbage," he said.
"If you're stoned and lying around on the couch and you leave your biscuits out, then they're going to eat them."
Mr Houston says generally marijuana was not harmful to dogs but being stoned does freak them out.
"They'll start howling, whining because they don't know that they've had some marijuana - all they know is that they're feeling terrible or funny," he said.
Ingesting large doses can affect small dogs and recently a vet at the clinic treated a Chihuahua that had eaten too much marijuana by snapping up leftover butts from joints.
The dog's blood cells dilated causing it to nearly die from hypothermia.
Vets warmed the dog with blankets and water and hydrated it through a drip feed.
Mr Houston says an out-of-control canine was brought in and tests showed it had eaten magic mushrooms.
SPCA chief inspector Nick Thomason says he had only come across a few cases of stoned or drugged dogs.
"We've had animals which we've suspected of being under the influence of some controlled drug but not to the extent where they've required medication," he said.
The Animal Welfare Act states that leaving animals exposed to any chemicals or controlled drugs is not good practice and should be avoided.
The Companion Animal Society, a branch of the New Zealand Veterinary Association, says pet owners should be wary of poisons, including drugs, left lying around as dogs are natural scavengers.
NZN