Black Labrador rescued from Ben Nevis after suspected cannabis exposure

Tokyo, a black Labrador hiking with her owner Christina Bluhme, collapsed halfway up Ben Nevis after becoming critically unwell on the mountain trail and losing the use of her legs. The 25kg dog drifted in and out of consciousness before Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team carried her down the UK’s highest peak to Crown Vets in Fort William.

Bluhme, a dog trainer from Esher in Surrey, said she believed Tokyo had ingested cannabis left on the trail. Tokyo was taken down the mountain on a stretcher by 14 volunteers, a difficult lift on a route that rises to 4,413ft, or 1,345m, above sea level. The rescue team said Tokyo was one of four call-outs it handled that same day, a reminder that every discarded substance or piece of litter on a busy outdoor route can quickly become a public-safety problem for hikers, pets and the crews sent to save them.

Tokyo was treated by Crown Vets and made a full recovery by the following day. Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team said the dog, usually a very fit and active working animal, had ingested something that made her critically unwell, and thanked the veterinary staff and Bluhme for the update and photographs after the rescue.

The incident also underscored the medical risks of cannabis exposure in dogs. Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine says dogs are much more sensitive than humans to THC, the main toxic compound in cannabis, and clinical signs can include incoordination, lethargy, disorientation and incontinence. With appropriate care, most dogs recover well within one to two days, a timeline that matched Tokyo’s swift improvement after treatment.

Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team, based in Fort William at the foot of Ben Nevis, says it responds to more than 150 call-outs a year and operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The team also has 39 full members and 14 aspirants, a volunteer force that regularly deals with incidents well beyond ordinary hillwalking mishaps. Tokyo’s rescue shows how quickly a contaminated trail can turn into a complex mountain emergency, especially when a dog becomes too weak to walk and must be carried out by hand.